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Three-Dimensional Topological Field Theories and Nonunitary Minimal Models

Dongmin Gang, Heeyeon Kim, Spencer Stubbs

2024Physical Review Letters20 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF

Abstract

We find an intriguing relation between a class of three-dimensional nonunitary topological field theories (TFTs) and Virasoro minimal models M(2,2r+3) with r≥1. The TFTs are constructed by topologically twisting 3D N=4 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) of rank-0, i.e., having zero-dimensional Coulomb and Higgs branches. We present ultraviolet (UV) field theory descriptions of the SCFTs with manifest N=2 supersymmetry, which we argue is enhanced to N=4 in the infrared. From the UV description, we compute various partition functions of the TFTs and reproduce some basic properties of the minimal models, such as their characters and modular matrices. We expect more general correspondence between topologically twisted 3d N=4 rank-0 SCFTs and 2D nonunitary rational conformal field theories.

Topics & Concepts

PhysicsMinimal modelsMinimal modelField (mathematics)Conformal mapConformal field theorySupersymmetryField theory (psychology)CoulombRank (graph theory)Theoretical physicsTopology (electrical circuits)Pure mathematicsMathematical physicsQuantum mechanicsCombinatoricsMathematicsGeometryMathematical analysisElectronBlack Holes and Theoretical PhysicsNoncommutative and Quantum Gravity TheoriesAlgebraic structures and combinatorial models