Dynamical generalization of Yetter’s model based on a crossed module of discrete groups

Abstract

Abstract We construct a lattice model based on a crossed module of possibly non-abelian finite groups. It generalizes known topological quantum field theories, but in contrast to these models admits local physical excitations. Its degrees of freedom are defined on links and plaquettes, while gauge transformations are based on vertices and links of the underlying lattice. We specify the Hilbert space, define basic observables (including the Hamiltonian) and initiate a discussion on the model’s phase diagram. The constructed model reduces in appropriate limits to topological theories with symmetries described by groups and crossed modules, lattice Yang-Mills theory and 2-form electrodynamics. We conclude by reviewing classifying spaces of crossed modules, with an emphasis on the direct relation between their geometry and properties of gauge theories under consideration.