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Quantum Fields and Strings Group Seminar
Quantum Fields and Strings Group Seminar
Universal Defect Energy and Entropy from Anomalies
Universal Defect Energy and Entropy from Anomalies
Organizers
Speaker
Zixiao Huang
Time
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Venue
A3-4-301
Online
Zoom 537 192 5549
(BIMSA)
Abstract
Anomalies constrain protected observables even when the dynamics of a quantum field theory is strongly coupled. In particular, in even-dimensional superconformal field theories (SCFTs), the supersymmetric Casimir energy and Rényi entropy are both universally governed by anomalies. Whether this structure extends to conformal defects is a nontrivial question, since defects can interact with the ambient theory and generally do not form an autonomous lower-dimensional CFT.
In this talk, I will show that the defect contributions to supersymmetric Casimir energy and Rényi entropy are controlled by defect Weyl and ’t Hooft anomalies. Illustrative examples are surface defects in four- and six-dimensional SCFTs, including Wilson surfaces in six-dimensional (2,0) theories, Gukov–Witten defects in four-dimensional N=4 super Yang–Mills theory, and chiral surface defects preserving (0,4) supersymmetry in six-dimensional (1,0) theories. Despite their different constructions and symmetry structures, these examples reveal a common pattern governed by defect anomalies, pointing toward an underlying universal structure in bulk–defect systems.
In this talk, I will show that the defect contributions to supersymmetric Casimir energy and Rényi entropy are controlled by defect Weyl and ’t Hooft anomalies. Illustrative examples are surface defects in four- and six-dimensional SCFTs, including Wilson surfaces in six-dimensional (2,0) theories, Gukov–Witten defects in four-dimensional N=4 super Yang–Mills theory, and chiral surface defects preserving (0,4) supersymmetry in six-dimensional (1,0) theories. Despite their different constructions and symmetry structures, these examples reveal a common pattern governed by defect anomalies, pointing toward an underlying universal structure in bulk–defect systems.