Joint Math/CMSA Geometry and Quantum Theory Seminar

Speaker: Dan Freed, Harvard Math & CMSA

Title: Abelian gauge fields and duality

Abstract: Motivated by the new paper arXiv:2603.19161, I will give a general talk about abelian gauge fields, including duality. I will start with classical Maxwell theory, then discuss various “finite” examples, the typical p-form abelian gauge field, and some exotic examples such as Ramond–Ramond fields and the B-field in superstring theory. I will then get to the new paper and, time permitting, will suggest a very general framework that covers all examples.