Some Global Aspects of Gauge Anomalies of Semisimple Gauge Groups and Fermion Generations in GUT and Superstring Theories

We discuss family unification in grand unified theory (GUT) based on an $SU(19)$ GUT gauge group broken to its subgroups including a special subgroup. In the $SU(19)$ GUT on the six-dimensional (6D) orbifold space $M^4\times T^2/\mathbb{Z}_2$, three generations of the 4D SM Weyl fermions can be embedded into a 6D bulk Weyl fermions in an $SU(19)$ second-rank anti-symmetric tensor representation. 6D and 4D gauge anomalies can be canceled out by considering proper matter conten...

We revisit anomalous phases related to large gauge transformations, such as the Witten anomaly. The latter, known to plague $d=4$ $Sp(k)$ theories, is well-understood in terms of $\pi_4(Sp(k))=\mathbb{Z}_2$, but it also has an oblique relation to the instantons, labeled by $\pi_3(G)=\mathbb{Z}$, via the fermion zero mode counting. We revisit this relation and point out how $SU(N)$ theories escape an anomalous sign of the latter type, only thanks to the perturbative anomaly ca...

Certain (3+1)-dimensional chiral non-Abelian gauge theories have been shown to exhibit a new type of global gauge anomaly, which in the Hamiltonian formulation is due to the fermion zero-modes of a Z-string-like configuration of the gauge potential and the corresponding spectral flow. Here, we clarify the relation between this Z-string global gauge anomaly and other anomalies in both 3+1 and 2+1 dimensions. We then point out a possible trade-off between the (3+1)-dimensional ...

We study four-dimensional gauge theories with arbitrary simple gauge group with $1$-form global center symmetry and $0$-form parity or discrete chiral symmetry. We canonically quantize on $\mathbb{T}^3$, in a fixed background field gauging the $1$-form symmetry. We show that the mixed $0$-form/$1$-form 't Hooft anomaly results in a central extension of the global-symmetry operator algebra. We determine this algebra in each case and show that the anomaly implies degeneracies i...

Some notions in non-perturbative dynamics of supersymmetric gauge theories are being reviewed. This is done by touring through a few examples.

The original version of this paper contains an error; when this is corrected the basic conclusion changes. A revised manuscript will be submitted shortly.

It was recently argued that quantum field theories possess one-form and higher-form symmetries, labelled `generalized global symmetries.' In this paper, we describe how those higher-form symmetries can be understood mathematically as special cases of more general 2-groups and higher groups, and discuss examples of quantum field theories admitting actions of more general higher groups than merely one-form and higher-form symmetries. We discuss analogues of topological defects ...

We show that the discrete anomaly constraints governing popular non-Abelian symmetries of use in (e.g.) flavoured, supersymmetric, and dark matter model building typically subdivide into two classes differentiated by the simple restrictions they impose on the number of fields transforming under certain irreducible representations of the relevant groups. These constraints lead us both to generic conclusions for common Beyond-the-Standard-Model constructions (including rather p...

Anomalies can be elegantly analyzed by means of the Dai-Freed theorem. In this framework it is natural to consider a refinement of traditional anomaly cancellation conditions, which sometimes leads to nontrivial extra constraints in the fermion spectrum. We analyze these more refined anomaly cancellation conditions in a variety of theories of physical interest, including the Standard Model and the $SU(5)$ and $Spin(10)$ GUTs, which we find to be anomaly free. Turning to discr...

Anomalous fermion number violation is studied in the background of a pure SU(2) gauge field in Minkowski space using the method of N. Christ. It is demonstrated that the chiral fermion number is violated by at most an integer amount. Then the method is applied for a spherically symmetric Minkowski space classical gauge field in the background. These classical gauge fields are finite energy solutions to pure SU(2) equations of motion with in general non-integer topological cha...