Higher-Matter and Landau-Ginzburg Theory of Higher-Group Symmetries

TL;DR

This paper develops a Landau-Ginzburg framework for higher-group symmetries, especially 2-group symmetries, exploring their spontaneous breaking and the associated higher-matter fields in a systematic way.

Contribution

It introduces a Lagrangian formulation for higher-matter coupled to 2-group gauge fields and analyzes symmetry breaking, including the trivialization of Postnikov classes in non-split 2-groups.

Findings

Constructed a Landau-Ginzburg theory for 2-group symmetries.

Demonstrated spontaneous symmetry breaking from non-split to split 2-groups.

Discussed the extension to 3-group symmetries and their representations.

Abstract

Higher-matter is defined by higher-representation of a symmetry algebra, such as the $p$-form symmetries, higher-group symmetries or higher-categorical symmetries. In this paper, we focus on the cases of higher-group symmetries, which are formulated in terms of the strictification of weak higher-groups. We systematically investigate higher-matter charged under 2-group symmetries, defined by automorphism 2-representations. Furthermore, we construct a Lagrangian formulation of such higher-matter fields coupled to 2-group gauge fields in the path space of the spacetime manifold. We interpret such model as the Landau-Ginzburg theory for 2-group symmetries, and discuss the spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) of 2-group symmetries under this framework. Examples of discrete and continuous 2-groups are discussed. Interestingly, we find that a non-split 2-group symmetry can admit an SSB to a split 2-group symmetry, where the Postnikov class is trivialized. We also briefly discuss the strictification of weak 3-groups, weak 3-group gauge fields and 3-representations in special cases.