Patrick Jefferson — Introduction to Chern-Simons Theory (Pt 4)

Patrick Jefferson (UMass Physics)

Chern–Simons theory is a three-dimensional topological quantum field theory with deep connections to various structures in mathematics and physics. I will give an introduction to Chern-Simons theory and survey some of these connections. A goal of this discussion is to establish a useful setting in which to revisit and further explore aspects of symmetries that were introduced last semester.

Last time, I sketched the computation of the framing anomaly for quantum U(1)_k Chern-Simons theory on a closed 3-manifold with even level k. In this next seminar, I will discuss some features of the physical observables -- namely the expectation values of Wilson loop operators -- including how framing affects their computation, as well as their transformation properties under a Z/Zk "one-form" symmetry.