Room P3.10, Mathematics Building

Roger Picken, Instituto Superior Técnico
Actions of 2-groups, moduli spaces in higher gauge theory, and TQFT's

In the context of higher gauge theory (HGT) based on a 2-group, I will discuss how the language of double categories provides a natural description of 2-group actions on a category. One of the motivations is to understand moduli spaces of flat connections modulo gauge transformations in HGT, and this goal is achieved for some simple manifolds. I will also relate these ideas to a class of Topological Quantum Field Theories (TQFT's) for surfaces, obtained from finite groups and 2-groups.

This talk is based on callaborations with João Faria Martins, Jeffrey Morton and Diogo Bragança. It is also intended as preparation for the visit by Urs Schreiber, 15 Jan—14 Feb, 2016.