2006/06/30 by R. Cartas-Fuentevilla, J. M. Solano-Altamirano, J. Manuel Solano-Altamirano
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Abelian group #Atiyah–Singer index theorem #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Domain wall (magnetism) #Field (mathematics) #Gauge theory #Instanton #Magnetic field #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Moduli space #Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity Theories #Physics #Pure mathematics #Quantum field theory #Quantum mechanics #Theoretical physics #Topological quantum field theory #Topology (electrical circuits) #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1142/s0219887808002849
published as Int.J.Geom.Meth.Mod.Phys.05:375-386,2008
arxiv created 2006/10/04 · openalex publication_date 2008/05/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2022/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
From the perspective of topological field theory we explore the physics beyond instantons. We propose the fluctons as nonperturbative topological fluctuations of vacuum, from which the self-dual domain of instantons is attained as a particular case. Invoking the Atiyah–Singer index theorem, we determine the dimension of the corresponding flucton moduli space, which gives the number of degrees of freedom of the fluctons. An important consequence of these results is that the topological phases of vacuum in non-Abelian gauge theories are not necessarily associated with self-dual fields, but only with smooth fields. Fluctons in different scenarios are considered, the basic aspects of the quantum mechanical amplitude for fluctons are discussed. A possible application of fluctons in the N = 4 Topologically Twisted Supersymmetric Yang–Mills Theory is explored and the case of gravity is discussed briefly.