Coupling a QFT to a TQFT and duality

Abstract

We consider coupling an ordinary quantum field theory with an infinite number of degrees of freedom to a topological field theory. On ℝ^d the new theory differs from the original one by the spectrum of operators. Sometimes the local operators are the same but there are different line operators, surface operators, etc. The effects of the added topological degrees of freedom are more dramatic when we compactify ℝ^d, and they are crucial in the context of electric-magnetic duality. We explore several examples including Dijkgraaf-Witten theories and their generalizations both in the continuum and on the lattice. When we couple them to ordinary quantum field theories the topological degrees of freedom allow us to express certain characteristic classes of gauge fields as integrals of local densities, thus simplifying the analysis of their physical consequences.

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