Arithmetic field theory via pro-p duality groups

Abstract Using the theory of pro- p groups and relative Poincaré duality, we define a type of cobordism category well suited to arithmetic topology. We completely classify topological quantum field theories on these two-dimensional versions of our cobordism categories. This classification uses Frobenius algebras with extra operations corresponding to automorphisms of the p-adic integers. We look in more detail at the example of arithmetic Dijkgraff–Witten theory for a finite gauge p-group in this setting. This allows us to deduce formulae counting Galois extensions of local p-adic fields whose Galois groups are the given gauge group.