Duality, Quantum Vortices and Anyons in Maxwell-Chern-Simons-Higgs Theories

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum framework for understanding anyons and vortices in various gauge theories, using duality and correlation functions to analyze their properties and mass spectra.

Contribution

It constructs explicit charge and vortex operators in multiple gauge theories and analyzes their correlation functions to understand anyon and vortex dynamics.

Findings

Exact correlation functions in Maxwell and Maxwell-Chern-Simons theories

Large distance behavior of correlation functions in Higgs and Maxwell-Chern-Simons-Higgs theories

Explicit mass formulas for vortex and anyon excitations

Abstract

The order-disorder duality structure is exploited in order to obtain a quantum description of anyons and vortices in: a) the Maxwell theory; b) the Abelian Higgs Model; c) the Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory; d) the Maxwell-Chern-Simons-Higgs theory. A careful construction of a charge bearing order operator($\sigma$) and a magnetic flux bearing disorder operator (vortex operator) ($\mu$) is performed, paying attention to the necessary requirements for locality. An anyon operator is obtained as the product $\varphi=\sigma\mu$. A detailed and comprehensive study of the euclidean correlation functions of $\sigma$, $\mu$ and $\varphi$ is carried on in the four theories above. The exact correlation functions are obtained in cases $\underline{a}$ and $\underline{c}$. The large distance behavior of them is obtained in cases $\underline{b}$ and $\underline{d}$. The study of these correlation functions allows one to draw conclusions about the condensation of charge and magnetic flux, establishing thereby an analogy with the Ising model. The mass of vortex and anyon excitations is explicitly obtained wherever these excitations are present in the spectrum. The independence between the mechanisms of mass generation for the vortices and for the vector field is clearly exposed.