Physicists map hidden symmetries in exotic matter using string theory
Researchers have decoded the mathematical rules governing a class of exotic six-dimensional materials by translating them through eleven-dimensional string theory. The work clarifies how certain quantum systems behave—knowledge that could eventually inform next-generation materials and quantum computing architectures.
Originaltitel: SymTFTs and non-invertible symmetries of 6d (2,0) SCFTs of type <em>D</em> from M-theory
<p>We revisit 6d (2,0) SCFTs of type <em>D</em><sub><em>N</em></sub> and their realization in M-theory, focusing on absolute variants of these theories and on their global finite 0- and 2-form symmetries. We derive the 7d SymTFT capturing these global symmetries from M-theory, both from the point of view of the low-energy supergravity action on <strong>AdS</strong><sub>7</sub> × <strong>RP</strong><sup>4</sup> and from M2- and M5-branes giving rise to its topological operators. Along the way, results by Gukov, Hsin, and Pei are extended by keeping track of an additional 7d <em>ℤ</em><sub>2</sub> gauge field, associated to the outer automorphism of the <em>D</em><sub><em>N</em></sub> algebra. In particular, we find an interplay of non-invertible symmetries and mixed anomalies for absolute 6d (2,0) <em>D</em><sub>4<em>k</em></sub> SCFTs with <em>k</em> ≥ 1. We highlight several subtle points related to the non-orientability of <strong>RP</strong><sup>4</sup>, the half-integral <em>G</em><sub>4</sub>-flux that threads it, and the non-commutativity of fluxes. All these also play an essential role in a holographic derivation of the anomaly polynomial of 6d (2,0) <em>D</em><sub><em>N</em></sub> SCFTs.</p>