Discrete gauge theories

Abstract

In these lecture notes, we present a self-contained discussion of planar gauge theories broken down to some finite residual gauge group H via the Higgs mechanism. The main focus is on the discrete H gauge theory describing the long distance physics of such a model. The spectrum features global H charges, magnetic vortices and dyonic combinations. Due to the Aharonov-Bohm effect, these particles exhibit topological interactions. Among other things, we review the Hopf algebra related to this discrete H gauge theory, which provides an unified description of the spin, braid and fusion properties of the particles in this model. Exotic phenomena such as flux metamorphosis, Alice fluxes, Cheshire charge, (non)abelian braid statistics, the generalized spin-statistics connection and nonabelian Aharonov-Bohm scattering are explained and illustrated by representative examples. Preface: Broken symmetry revisited, 1 Basics: 1.1 Introduction, 1.2 Braid groups, 1.3 Z_N gauge theory, 1.3.1 Coulomb screening, 1.3.2 Survival of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, 1.3.3 Braid and fusion properties of the spectrum, 1.4 Nonabelian discrete gauge theories, 1.4.1 Classification of stable magnetic vortices, 1.4.2 Flux metamorphosis, 1.4.3 Including matter, 2 Algebraic structure: 2.1 Quantum double, 2.2 Truncated braid groups, 2.3 Fusion, spin, braid statistics and all that..., 3 \bar{D}_2 gauge theory: 3.1 Alice in physics, 3.2 Scattering doublet charges off Alice fluxes, 3.3 Nonabelian braid statistics, 3.A Aharonov-Bohm scattering, 3.B B(3,4) and P(3,4), Concluding remarks and outlook