Non-invertible symmetries of two-dimensional non-linear sigma models
Global symmetries can be generalised to transformations generated by topological operators, including cases in which the topological operator does not have an inverse. A family of such topological operators are intimately related to dualities via the procedure of half-space gauging. In this work we discuss the construction of non-invertible defects based on T-duality in two dimensions, generalising the well-known case of the free compact boson to any Non-Linear Sigma Model with Wess-Zumino term which is T-dualisable. This requires that the target space has an isometry with compact orbits that acts without fixed points. Our approach allows us to include target spaces without non-trivial 1-cycles, does not require the NLSM to be conformal, and when it is conformal it does not need to be rational; moreover, it highlights the microscopic origin of the topological terms that are responsible for the non-invertibility of the defect. An interesting class of examples are Wess-Zumino-Witten models, which are self-dual under a discrete gauging of a subgroup of the isometry symmetry and so host a topological defect line with Tambara-Yamagami fusion. Along the way, we discuss how the usual 0-form symmetries match across T-dual models in target spaces without 1-cycles, and how global obstructions can prevent locally conserved currents from giving rise to topological operators.
Authors
- C.M. Hull (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3642-4238)
- Maxwell L. Hutt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5112-3612)
- Guillermo Arias-Tamargo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0713-789X)
Institutions
- Imperial College London (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- SciPost Physics
- Published
- 2025-11-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.21468/scipostphys.19.5.126
- Primary Topic
- Nonlinear Optical Materials Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Imperial College London
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Science and Technology Facilities Council