Dissipation-driven integrable fermionic systems: from graded Yangians to exact nonequilibrium steady states

Using the Lindblad master equation approach, we investigate the structure of steady-state solutions of open integrable quantum lattice models, driven far from equilibrium by incoherent particle reservoirs attached at the boundaries. We identify a class of boundary dissipation processes which permits to derive exact steady-state density matrices in the form of graded matrix-product operators. All the solutions factorize in terms of vacuum analogues of Baxter's Q-operators which are realized in terms of non-unitary representations of certain finite dimensional subalgebras of graded Yangians. We present a unifying framework which allows to solve fermionic models and naturally incorporates higher-rank symmetries. This enables to explain underlying algebraic content behind most of the previously-found solutions.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures + appendice

Conformal Boundary Conditions and what they teach us

The question of boundary conditions in conformal field theories is discussed, in the light of recent progress. Two kinds of boundary conditions are examined, along open boundaries of the system, or along closed curves or ``seams''. Solving consistency conditions known as Cardy equation is shown to amount to the algebraic problem of finding integer valued representations of (one or two copies of) the fusion algebra. Graphs encode these boundary conditions in a natural way, but are also relevant in several aspects of physics ``in the bulk''. Quantum algebras attached to these graphs contain information on structure constants of the operator algebra, on the Boltzmann weights of the corresponding integrable lattice models etc. Thus the study of boundary conditions in Conformal Field Theory offers a new perspective on several old physical problems and offers an explicit realisation of recent mathematical concepts.Comment: Expanded version of lectures given at the Summer School and Conference Nonperturbative Quantum Field Theoretic Methods and their Applications, August 2000, Budapest, Hungary. 35 page

Nested off-diagonal Bethe ansatz and exact solutions of the su(n) spin chain with generic integrable boundaries

The nested off-diagonal Bethe ansatz method is proposed to diagonalize multi-component integrable models with generic integrable boundaries. As an example, the exact solutions of the su(n)-invariant spin chain model with both periodic and non-diagonal boundaries are derived by constructing the nested T-Q relations based on the operator product identities among the fused transfer matrices and the asymptotic behavior of the transfer matrices.Comment: Published versio

Line defect Schur indices, Verlinde algebras and U(1)rU(1)_r fixed points

Given an $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theory, we reconsider the Schur index $\mathcal{I}_L(q)$ in the presence of a half line defect $L$. Recently Cordova-Gaiotto-Shao found that $\mathcal{I}_L(q)$ admits an expansion in terms of characters of the chiral algebra $\mathcal{A}$ introduced by Beem et al., with simple coefficients $v_{L,\beta}(q)$. We report a puzzling new feature of this expansion: the $q \to 1$ limit of the coefficients $v_{L_,\beta}(q)$ is linearly related to the vacuum expectation values $\langle L \rangle$ in $U(1)_r$-invariant vacua of the theory compactified on $S^1$. This relation can be expressed algebraically as a commutative diagram involving three algebras: the algebra generated by line defects, the algebra of functions on $U(1)_r$-invariant vacua, and a Verlinde-like algebra associated to $\mathcal{A}$. Our evidence is experimental, by direct computation in the Argyres-Douglas theories of type $(A_1,A_2)$, $(A_1,A_4)$, $(A_1, A_6)$, $(A_1, D_3)$ and $(A_1, D_5)$. In the latter two theories, which have flavor symmetries, the Verlinde-like algebra which appears is a new deformation of algebras previously considered.Comment: 64 pages, 21 figures. v2 published version, references update

From Principal Series to Finite-Dimensional Solutions of the Yang-Baxter Equation

We start from known solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation with a spectral parameter defined on the tensor product of two infinite-dimensional principal series representations of the group $\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})$ or Faddeev's modular double. Then we describe its restriction to an irreducible finite-dimensional representation in one or both spaces. In this way we obtain very simple explicit formulas embracing rational and trigonometric finite-dimensional solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation. Finally, we construct these finite-dimensional solutions by means of the fusion procedure and find a nice agreement between two approaches

Generalised twisted partition functions

We consider the set of partition functions that result from the insertion of twist operators compatible with conformal invariance in a given 2D Conformal Field Theory (CFT). A consistency equation, which gives a classification of twists, is written and solved in particular cases. This generalises old results on twisted torus boundary conditions, gives a physical interpretation of Ocneanu's algebraic construction, and might offer a new route to the study of properties of CFT.Comment: 12 pages, harvmac, 1 Table, 1 Figure . Minor typos corrected, the figure which had vanished reappears

A-D-E Classification of Conformal Field Theories

The ADE classification scheme is encountered in many areas of mathematics, most notably in the study of Lie algebras. Here such a scheme is shown to describe families of two-dimensional conformal field theories.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables; review article to appear in Scholarpedia, http://www.scholarpedia.org

Twisted algebra R-matrices and S-matrices for bn(1)b_n^{(1)} affine Toda solitons and their bound states

We construct new $U_q(a^{(2)}_{2n-1})$ and $U_q(e^{(2)}_6)$ invariant $R$-matrices and comment on the general construction of $R$-matrices for twisted algebras. We use the former to construct $S$-matrices for $b^{(1)}_n$ affine Toda solitons and their bound states, identifying the lowest breathers with the $b^{(1)}_n$ particles.Comment: Latex, 24 pages. Various misprints corrected. New section added clarifying relationship between R-matrices and S-matrice