2-group global symmetries, hydrodynamics and holography

Iqbal, Nabil; Poovuttikul, Nick

Abstract

2-group global symmetries are a particular example of how higher-form and conventional global symmetries can fuse together into a larger structure. We construct a theory of hydrodynamics describing the finite-temperature realization of a 2-group global symmetry composed out of U (1) zero-form and U (1) one-form symmetries. We study aspects of the thermodynamics from a Euclidean partition function and derive constitutive relations for ideal hydrodynamics from various points of view. Novel features of the resulting theory include an analogue of the chiral magnetic effect and a chiral sound mode propagating along magnetic field lines. We also discuss a minimalist holographic description of a theory dual to 2-group global symmetry and verify predictions from hydrodynamic descriptions. Along the way we clarify some aspects of symmetry breaking in higher-form theories at finite temperature.

Citation

Iqbal, N., & Poovuttikul, N. (2023). 2-group global symmetries, hydrodynamics and holography. SciPost Physics, 15(2), Article 063. https://doi.org/10.21468/scipostphys.15.2.063

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 30, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Aug 16, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-08
• Deposit Date: Aug 18, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 18, 2023
• Journal: SciPost Physics
• Print ISSN: 2542-4653
• Electronic ISSN: 2542-4653
• Publisher: SciPost
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: 063
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.21468/scipostphys.15.2.063
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1721121