Arithmetic Quantum Field Theory Conference 3/27/2024
Speaker: Davide Gaiotto (Perimeter)
Title: Unexpected Unitarity
Abstract: Much of the mathematical content of Supersymmetric Quantum Field Theories can be extracted through “twisted theories”: simplified QFTs which are topological (or holomorphic) in a derived sense and often amenable of a rigorous mathematical treatment. The twisting procedure destroys or obfuscates certain properties of the underlying SQFTs, including unitarity. I will discuss a variety of situations where some form of unitarity can be restored, endowing the twisted theories with unexpected structures. This includes the recently developed Analytic Langlands program, an analytic version of Symplectic Duality, an A-model description of quantization (as opposed to deformation quantization) and other constructions of Hodge-theoretic or twistorial flavour.