IAS CMP/QFT Group Meeting
Generalized Symmetries of Relative QFTs and Chiral Algebras
Abstract: I will sketch a theory of finite, generalized symmetries of 2D QFTs which live at the boundary of a bulk topological theory in one higher dimension, emphasizing various new ingredients which arise in the presence of a nontrivial bulk. This theory is particularly effective when it is applied to the chiral half of a rational conformal field theory, which can be thought of as furnishing a gapless boundary condition of a 3D TQFT. In particular, I will explain how one can construct additional symmetries of a full rational conformal field theory, beyond its Verlinde lines, by “gluing” together symmetries of its left- and right-moving chiral halves. Much of the general framework will be illustrated with examples, and many open problems will be discussed.