Deconfinement on axion domain walls

• Published in: The journal of high energy physics Vol. 2020; no. 3; pp. 1 - 18
• Main Authors: Anber, Mohamed M., Poppitz, Erich
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-03-2020; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Anomalies in Field and String Theories; Classical and Quantum Gravitation; Discrete Symmetries; Domain walls; Elementary Particles; Fermions; Field Theories in Lower Dimensions; Flavor (particle physics); Gauge theory; Global Symmetries; High energy physics; Magnetism; Multiscale analysis; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Quantum Physics; Regular Article - Theoretical Physics; Relativity Theory; String Theory; Symmetry; Discrete Symmetries; Field Theories in Lower Dimensions; Global Symmetries; Anomalies in Field and String Theories
• ISSN: 1029-8479; 1029-8479
• DOI: 10.1007/JHEP03(2020)124

A
bstract
We study SU(
N
c
) gauge theories with Dirac fermions in representations ℛ of nonzero
N
-ality, coupled to axions. These theories have an exact discrete chiral symmetry, which has a mixed ’t Hooft anomaly with general baryon-color-flavor backgrounds, called the “BCF anomaly” in [1]. The infrared theory also has an emergent
ℤ
N
c
1
1-form center symmetry. We show that the BCF anomaly is matched in the infrared by axion domain walls. We argue that
ℤ
N
c
1
is spontaneously broken on axion domain walls, so that nonzero
N
-ality Wilson loops obey the perimeter law and probe quarks are deconfined on the walls. We give further support to our conclusion by using a calculable small-circle compactification to study the multi-scale structure of the axion domain walls and the microscopic physics of deconfinement on their worldvolume.