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Mathematical methods in classical mechanics, classical and quantum field theory, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, condensed matter, nuclear and atomic physics.

5 votes

abelian higgs vortices

The study of vortices in Abelian Higgs models in the context of relativistic QFT goes back to the paper by Nielsen and Olesen, Nucl.Phys.B61:45-61,1973. They in turn were directly inspired by the stud …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
  • 5,546
19 votes

What is the motivation for a vertex algebra?

The answers here have focused on the mathematical aspects of VOAs and the motivation coming from QFT, the specialization to Conformal Field Theory, and then the further specialization to two-dimension …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
  • 5,546
41 votes

Examples of non-rigorous but efficient mathematical methods in physics

Perhaps it would not be out of place to quote Miles Reid's Bourbaki seminar on the McKay correspondence here: "The physicists want to do path integrals, that is, they want to integrate some "Action M …
14 votes

String theory "computation" for math undergrad audience

I agree that computing partition functions has many pretty applications. My favorite is the use of Jacobi's abstruse identity between theta functions, $\theta_3^4-\theta_4^4=\theta_2^4$, to show the …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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3 votes

Bimonster and Heterotic String Theory

The bimonster acts as the automorphism group of a particular bosonic closed string theory and D-brane states in this theory that preserve a chiral subalgebra transform in representations of the bimons …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
  • 5,546
9 votes

What do correlation functions compute in CFT?

I'm not sure exactly what kind of information you want, and CFT is an enormous subject, but here is some information on the physical interpretation of the complex coordinates and correlation functions …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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2 votes

Meaning of a phrase from "The algebra of grand unified theories".

I suspect part of the confusion is due to the fact that the $SU(2)$ appearing in the Standard Model gauge group $U(1)\times SU(2) \times SU(3)$ is different from the $SU(2)$ of the Cassen-Condon paper …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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4 votes

What kind of Lagrangians can we have?

"Is the principle of least action an experimental hypothesis?" A physicist views classical mechanics as a semiclassical limit of quantum mechanics, valid in the limit that $\hbar \rightarrow 0$. In th …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
  • 5,546
8 votes

mirror symmetry with algebraic geometry?

Part of the physics motivation for mirror symmetry involves properties of the chiral ring of N=2 superconformal field theories. Some of these have a description in terms of the polynomials appearing i …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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3 votes

Simple current extensions in VOA theory and CFTs

Regarding your first question, physicists are interested in classifying modular invariant partition functions for two-dimensional rational conformal field theories. Simple currents are a useful tool f …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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39 votes

Mathematician trying to learn string theory

Many string theorists would like to know more algebraic geometry. There are a few of us who know algebraic geometry at a pretty high level (not me) but many more who would like to learn more and feel …
10 votes
Accepted

The use of Hall algebras in physics

In supersymmetric field theories and string theories there are special states called BPS states which are annihilated by some of the supercharges and whose mass is determined in terms of their charges …
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7 votes

The proof that a vertex algebra can lead to a Wightman QFT

You might find "An Introduction to Conformal Field Theory" by M. Gaberdiel (arXiv:hep-th/9910156v2) useful. He has a brief discussion of how in some cases chiral algebras can be assembled into Conform …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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9 votes
Accepted

Dimensional regularization in odd dimensions

There a number of papers by Alain Connes on Dimensional Regularization (Dim Reg) in the context of noncommutative field theory. Some of his papers cite P. Breitenlohner and D. Maison, "Dimensional re …
Jeff Harvey's user avatar
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7 votes
Accepted

Relation between TQFT and Wilson lines, boundary conditions, surface defects etc

Greg Moore recently gave the Felix Klein lectures and a draft of notes for his lectures is available at http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~gmoore/FelixKleinLectureNotes.pdf You will find in the first …
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