Questions tagged [gauge-theory]

Gauge theory in physics and mathematics refers to a field theory whose fields include principal bundles with connection.

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Is symplectic reduction interesting from a physical point of view?

Do you think that symplectic reduction (Marsden Weinstein reduction) is interesting from a physical point of view? If so, why? Does it give you some new physical insights? There are some possible ...
student's user avatar
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33 votes
4 answers
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What is the precise statement of the correspondence between stable Higgs bundles on a Riemann surface, solutions to Hitchin's self-duality equations on the Riemann surface, and representations of the fundamental group of the Riemann surface?

I am trying to find the precise statement of the correspondence between stable Higgs bundles on a Riemann surface $\Sigma$, (irreducible) solutions to Hitchin's self-duality equations on $\Sigma$, and ...
Kevin H. Lin's user avatar
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29 votes
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Linking formulas by Euler, Pólya, Nekrasov-Okounkov

Consider the formal product $$F(t,x,z):=\prod_{j=0}^{\infty}(1-tx^j)^{z-1}.$$ (a) If $z=2$ then on the one hand we get Euler's $$F(t,x,2)=\sum_{n\geq0}\frac{(-1)^nx^{\binom{n}2}}{(x;x)_n}t^n,$$ on the ...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
25 votes
2 answers
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How to understand Chern-Simons action

Hi all. The question I have should be a rather simple one, but I just can't think it through. So the Chern-Simons action reads \begin{equation} S = \int_M {\rm tr} (A\wedge dA + \frac{2}{3} A\wedge A ...
Lelouch's user avatar
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3 answers
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What is an "Instanton" in classical gauge theory? (to a mathematician)

There's already a question about the same topic but I think its aim is different. Classical (non-quantum) gauge theory is a completely rigorous mathematical theory. It can be phrased in completely ...
Saal Hardali's user avatar
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1 answer
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How can gauge theory techniques be useful to study when topological manifolds can be triangulated?

I was reading a review article arXiv:1310.7644 and it was explained there that in the last few years it was proven that there are topological manifolds of dimension greater than four that cannot be ...
Yuji Tachikawa's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
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Are there results from gauge theory known or conjectured to distinguish smooth from PL manifolds?

My question begins with a caveat: I sometimes spend time with topologists, but do not consider myself to be one. In particular, my apologies for any errors in what I say below — corrections are ...
Theo Johnson-Freyd's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
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Every 4-manifold has a $\operatorname{Spin}^c$ Structure

$\DeclareMathOperator\Spin{Spin}\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$I'm having trouble understanding the proof given in Morgan's The Seiberg–Witten Equations and Applications to the Topology of Smooth Four-...
jdk3264's user avatar
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13 votes
5 answers
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Yang-Mills and Chern-Simons functionals as Morse functions

Can the Yang-Mills or Chern-Simons action functionals be considered as [possibly perfect] Morse functions? I assume we would be in an equivariant scenario due to considering the configuration spaces ...
Chris Gerig's user avatar
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13 votes
3 answers
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The "miracle" of Heegard Floer.

Taking tori in symmetric products and "miraculously" proving that the Floer homology is independent of choices always seemed, well, miraculous. Some time ago Max Lipyanski explained to me the origins ...
Max M's user avatar
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3 answers
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The classifying space of a gauge group

Let $G$ be a Lie group and $P \to M$ a principal $G$-bundle over a closed Riemann surface. The gauge group $\mathcal{G}$ is defined by $$\mathcal{G}=\lbrace f : P \to G \mid f(p \cdot g) = g^{-1}f(p)...
H. Shindoh's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
571 views

SO(3) monopole Floer homology

From what I understand about work on the Witten conjecture relating Donaldson and Seiberg-Witten invariants, the main strategy has been to relate them with the use of the "SO(3) monopole" theory ...
Rohil Prasad's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
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Curvature as infinitesimal holonomy

Let $P \to M$ be a principal $G$-bundle, assume as much regularity as you want (compact $G$ or compact base manifold, ect). Via parallel transport, a connection $A$ on $P$ gives rise to the holonomy ...
Tobias Diez's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
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Example of ''annihilation'' of Seiberg-Witten Equation solutions

The proof that the Seiberg-Witten invariants of a 4-manifold $X$ with fixed Spin$^c$ structure really are invariant wrt the metric used to define them goes roughly as follows (for simplicity let $b_2^+...
Todd N's user avatar
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0 answers
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Finite dimensional approximation of Donaldson theory

In addition to the Seiberg-Witten invariant there has been further success with "finite dimensional approximations" of the Seiberg-Witten theory: Bauer-Furuta's stable (co)homotopy invariants, and ...
Chris Gerig's user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
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Representing SU(3) with 3 ropes in 3 dimensions

The short question is: how exactly is SU(3) realized with ropes? The long question: There is this idea that deformations of a configuration of three infinitely long, flexible ropes that cross each ...
Gina Martelli's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
461 views

Does $(S^1\times S^3)\#(S^1\times S^3)\#(S^2\times S^2)$ admit a symplectic form?

This is a crosspost from this MSE question from a year ago. Consider the smooth four-manifold $M = (S^1\times S^3)\#(S^1\times S^3)\#(S^2\times S^2)$. Does $M$ admit a symplectic form? If $\omega$ ...
Michael Albanese's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
663 views

Reference request: Gauge natural bundles, and calculus of variation via the equivariant bundle approach

Let $P\rightarrow M$ be a principal fibre bundle with structure group $G$, $F$ a manifold and $\alpha: G\times F\rightarrow F$ a smooth left action. There is an associated fibre bundle $E\rightarrow ...
Bence Racskó's user avatar
12 votes
0 answers
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What is known about the Yang-Mills stratification over 3-manifolds?

Rade proved in his thesis (Crelle's Journal, 1992, available here: digizeitschriften.de/dms/toc/?PPN=PPN243919689) that if $E\rightarrow M$ is a $U(n)$-bundle over a 3-manifold, then the gradient flow ...
Dan Ramras's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
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About Simon Donaldson's book on four dimensional manifold

Recently I'm reading Donaldson's Geometry of four manifolds. It seems to me that the book requires a lot for background. Additionally, the proof in the book is too sketchy without too much detail. I ...
Jack's user avatar
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11 votes
4 answers
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Literature for gauge field theory on the lattice in geometrical formulation

I have found an article by Huebschmann, Rudolph and Schmidt about "A Gauge Model for Quantum Mechanics on a Stratified Space" and I am very interested in this subject, but I don't have any ...
11 votes
1 answer
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Seiberg-Witten theory on 4-manifolds with boundary

What generalizations of Seiberg-Witten theory to 4-manifolds with boundary do exist? I would be especially interested in theories which "behave good" under gluing along the boundary (comparable to ...
J Fabian Meier's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
1k views

Symplectic structures from Lagrangians?

In Witten's paper 'Quantization of Chern-Simons Gauge Theory with Complex Gauge Group,' he makes the statement (p. 35) that the symplectic form on the moduli space of flat $G_\mathbb{C}$ connections ...
Blake's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
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Looking for reference on gauge fields as connections.

Can anyone give me references where I would see a detailed exposition of how to translate gauge field theory as known to physicists into the language of connections. I am looking for a detailed ...
Anirbit's user avatar
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11 votes
2 answers
742 views

Is the space of connections modulo gauge equivalence paracompact?

I find this question interesting, but need to get it out of my system: is the space of connections (modulo gauge) on a compact four-manifold paracompact, in the Sobolev topology? If so, I believe it ...
Alex Waldron's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
865 views

Monopole Floer Homology vs. Heegaard-Floer theory

I have a (possibly very naive) question: what is the relation between Monopole Floer Homology and Heegaard-Floer theory? (both known and conjectured) Is there some version of Atiyah-Floer conjecture ...
Nati's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
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Floer homology and Invariants for Einstein Field Equations?

Motivation: There have been the instanton (anti-self dual connection) solutions to the Yang-Mills equation $d_A^\ast F_A=0$ which extremize the YM energy $\int_M|F_A|^2$, leading to the Donaldson ...
Chris Gerig's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
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Is the Lie algebra-valued curvature two-form on a principal bundle P the curvature of a vector bundle over P?

I am an analyst struggling through some geometry used in physics. Some background: For some Lie group $G$, let $P$ be a principal $G$-bundle over the smooth manifold $M$. Let $\omega$ be a connection ...
Spencer's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
464 views

Curvature of tautological connections over the space of connections

My question is about computing the curvature of a quotient connection, specifically for the case of the quotient of the tautological connection of a universal bundle on the moduli space of connections....
Andrew's user avatar
  • 201
10 votes
1 answer
606 views

Gauge theory on schemes

Gauge theories are traditionally formulated in space-time, superspace, manifolds, or supermanifolds. Are there formulations of gauge theory in the context of algebraic geometry (e.g. defining fields ...
Emily's user avatar
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10 votes
0 answers
840 views

Central Yang-Mills connections, and flat connections with prescribed holonomy

Let $X$ be $\Sigma^g$ which is the Riemann surface of genus $g$, and consider a trivial $G$-bundle over it. 1) In this $2$-d setting, the space of Yang-Mills central connections is the set of ...
Bo Peng's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
736 views

What is the definition of picture changing operation?

What is the definition of picture changing operation? What is a standard reference where it is defined - not just used?
Jim Stasheff's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
409 views

Langlands dual group in math vs. Goddard-Nyuts-Olive dual group in physics

Given a group $G$, there is a so-called Langlands dual group $G^{∨}$. Given a group $G$, there is also a so-called Goddard-Nyuts-Olive dual group $G^{'}$ that relates to the magnetic charge. Are ...
annie marie cœur's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
957 views

What is the BRST-anti-BRST formalism?

What is the BRST-anti-BRST formalism? Is the Sp(2) doublet the ghost, antighost pair? Introductory accounts of this subject seem to be hard to find. I would appreciate a reference for someone who ...
Jim Stasheff's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
1k views

Casson's invariant and the trivial connection contribution to witten's 3-manifold invariant

This question might turn out not to make any sense, but here it is: Witten's (and Reshetikhin and Turaev's) 3-manifold invariant can be "defined" as an integral over the space of connections on the ...
Sam Lewallen's user avatar
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9 votes
0 answers
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Donaldson invariants for piecewise-linear $4$-manifolds

It is well known that in dimension $4$, the notion of piecewise linear manifolds and the notion of smooth manifolds are the same [1][2]. On the other hand, the computations of Donaldson invariants ...
Student's user avatar
  • 5,008
9 votes
0 answers
207 views

Is there a contact instanton connection on the tangent bundle of the 5-sphere?

A well-known example of a contact manifold is $S^5$, arising from it being a circle bundle over $\mathbb{CP^2}$. This is somewhat related to the reduction of the structure group from $SO(5)$ to $SU(2)$...
David Roberts's user avatar
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9 votes
0 answers
613 views

Hartshorne's Conjectures about Algebraic Bundles?

In 1978 Hartshorne published a list of 26 open problems about algebraic bundles on projective spaces [Hart], proceeding from an Oxford conference organized by Atiyah. I understand that many of these ...
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8 votes
1 answer
4k views

Wedge Product of Lie Algebra Valued One-Form

I've been reading about the formal structure of gauge theories and am a little confused by the notation. Could someone clarify this for me? Suppose that $A$ is a Lie algebra valued 1-form ...
Edward Hughes's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
575 views

Flat connections on 3-manifold with boundary

Suppose $Y$ is a 3-manifold and the boundary $\Sigma:=\partial Y$ is non-empty. Let $G$ be a Lie group with trivial center. Let $\overline {\mathcal A}_{flat}(\Sigma)$ and $\overline {\mathcal A}_{...
Anon's user avatar
  • 768
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

Relation of SW and Donaldson Invariant

My question is: I am request for the reference that Is there any relationship between the Seiberg-Witten Invariant and Donaldson's Invariant? Or the relationship between Seiberg-Witten Moduli Space ...
Siqi He's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
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K.Uhlenbeck's preprint "A priori estimates for Yang-Mills fields"

Does anyone have a copy of the unpublished preprint of Karen Uhlenbeck A priori estimates for Yang-Mills fields from around 1986? It appears to have circulated for some time, and it is quoted in ...
YangMills's user avatar
  • 6,636
8 votes
1 answer
506 views

How to compute the Monopole Floer Homology for Surface $\times S^1$ ?

We know that Monopole Floer homology of a 3-manifold $M$ depends on a spin-c structure. My question is that if $M$ is $F\times S^1$ ($F$ is a surface of genus larger than 1) then how can we compute ...
juliuslin's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
301 views

Deformation-Obstruction Theory of YM Instantons

In Donaldson-Kronhiemer Section 4.2.5. (local models of the moduli space of YM instantons) they first get local models of the moduli space $M$ inside the space of all connections modulo gauge $\...
user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
200 views

Todd genus of symplectic $4$-manifolds a smooth invariant?

Suppose that $(M_{1},\omega_{1})$ and $(M_{2},\omega_{2})$ are compact symplectic $4$-manifolds, that are (oriented) diffeomorphic. Is it true that the Todd genus ($\frac{1}{12} (c_{1}^{2} + c_{2})(M_{...
Nick L's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
152 views

Spin networks as functionals on the moduli space of connections modulo gauge transformations on a graph

I have just read a big part of John Baez's nice article Spin network states in Gauge theory. The definitions are quite clear in that article. However, there is a part which is not explained explicitly ...
Malkoun's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
362 views

On the classification of $\mathrm{SU}(mn)/\mathbb{Z}_n$ principal bundles over 4-complexes

In The Classification of Principal PU(n)-bundles Over a 4-complex, J. London Math. Soc. 2nd ser. 25 (1982) 513–524, doi:10.1112/jlms/s2-25.3.513 Woodward proposed a classification of $\mathrm{PU}...
fvcalvera's user avatar
8 votes
0 answers
276 views

Infinitely many nonempty Seiberg-Witten moduli spaces

The classic "finiteness" statement in Seiberg-Witten (SW) theory is that, for any smooth closed connected 4-manifold, there are only finitely many spin-c structures with nontrivial SW ...
Chris Gerig's user avatar
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8 votes
0 answers
249 views

Exact triangle for monopole Floer homology with $\mathbb{Z}$-coefficient

Let $Y$ be oriented 3 manifold with torus boundary and let $\gamma_{j}$ (j=0,1,2) be three curves on its boundary with $\#(\gamma_{j}\cap \gamma_{j+1})=-1$. We denote by $Y_{j}$ the manifold obtained ...
user44651's user avatar
  • 1,039
8 votes
0 answers
291 views

Deformation of the covariant Laplacian

Let $M$ be a Riemann surface and $P \to M$ a principal $G$-bundle (with compact structure group $G$). Fix a connection $A$ in $P$ and consider a nearby connection $B$, which is in Coulomb gauge ...
Tobias Diez's user avatar
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