D-branes in AdS3 × S3 × 𝕋4 at k = 1 and their holographic duals

String theory on AdS3× S3× 𝕋4 with minimal k = 1 NS-NS flux can be described in terms of a free field worldsheet theory in the hybrid formalism. We construct various D-branes of this string theory and calculate their associated cylinder amplitudes. We find that these amplitudes match with the cylinder correlators of certain boundary states of the dual symmetric orbifold CFT Sym(𝕋4), thus suggesting a direct correspondence between these boundary conditions. We also show that the disk amplitudes of these D-branes localise to those points in the worldsheet moduli space where the worldsheet disk holomorphically covers the spacetime disk.

Observation of hybrid higher-order skin-topological effect in non-Hermitian topolectrical circuits

Robust boundary states epitomize how deep physics can give rise to concrete experimental signatures with technological promise. Of late, much attention has focused on two distinct mechanisms for boundary robustness—topological protection, as well as the non-Hermitian skin effect. In this work, we report the experimental realizations of hybrid higher-order skin-topological effect, in which the skin effect selectively acts only on the topological boundary modes, not the bulk modes. Our experiments, which are performed on specially designed non-reciprocal 2D and 3D topolectrical circuit lattices, showcases how non-reciprocal pumping and topological localization dynamically interplays to form various states like 2D skin-topological, 3D skin-topological-topological hybrid states, as well as 2D and 3D higher-order non-Hermitian skin states. Realized through our highly versatile and scalable circuit platform, theses states have no Hermitian nor lower-dimensional analog, and pave the way for applications in topological switching and sensing through the simultaneous non-trivial interplay of skin and topological boundary localizations.

Topological pseudo entropy

We introduce a pseudo entropy extension of topological entanglement entropy called topological pseudo entropy. Various examples of the topological pseudo entropies are examined in three-dimensional Chern-Simons gauge theory with Wilson loop insertions. Partition functions with knotted Wilson loops are directly related to topological pseudo (Rényi) entropies. We also show that the pseudo entropy in a certain setup is equivalent to the interface entropy in two-dimensional conformal field theories (CFTs), and leverage the equivalence to calculate the pseudo entropies in particular examples. Furthermore, we define a pseudo entropy extension of the left-right entanglement entropy in two-dimensional boundary CFTs and derive a universal formula for a pair of arbitrary boundary states. As a byproduct, we find that the topological interface entropy for rational CFTs has a contribution identical to the topological entanglement entropy on a torus.

Duality relations for overlaps of integrable boundary states in AdS/dCFT

The encoding of all possible sets of Bethe equations for a spin chain with SU(N|M) symmetry into a QQ-system calls for an expression of spin chain overlaps entirely in terms of Q-functions. We take a significant step towards deriving such a universal formula in the case of overlaps between Bethe eigenstates and integrable boundary states, of relevance for AdS/dCFT, by determining the transformation properties of the overlaps under fermionic as well as bosonic dualities which allows us to move between any two descriptions of the spin chain encoded in the QQ-system. An important part of our analysis involves introducing a suitable regularization for singular Bethe root configurations.

State-operator correspondence in celestial conformal field theory

The bulk-to-boundary dictionary for 4D celestial holography is given a new entry defining 2D boundary states living on oriented circles on the celestial sphere. The states are constructed using the 2D CFT state-operator correspondence from operator insertions corresponding to either incoming or outgoing particles which cross the celestial sphere inside the circle. The BPZ construction is applied to give an inner product on such states whose associated bulk adjoints are shown to involve a shadow transform. Scattering amplitudes are then given by BPZ inner products between states living on the same circle but with opposite orientations. 2D boundary states are found to encode the same information as their 4D bulk counterparts, but organized in a radically different manner.

Quantum superposition demonstrated higher-order topological bound states in the continuum

Higher-order topological insulators, as newly found non-trivial materials and structures, possess topological phases beyond the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence. In previous studies, in-gap boundary states such as the corner states were regarded as conclusive evidence for the emergence of higher-order topological insulators. Here, we present an experimental observation of a photonic higher-order topological insulator with corner states embedded into the bulk spectrum, denoted as the higher-order topological bound states in the continuum. Especially, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a new way to identify topological corner states by exciting them separately from the bulk states with photonic quantum superposition states. Our results extend the topological bound states in the continuum into higher-order cases, providing an unprecedented mechanism to achieve robust and localized states in a bulk spectrum. More importantly, our experiments exhibit the advantage of using the time evolution of quantum superposition states to identify topological corner modes, which may shed light on future exploration between quantum dynamics and higher-order topological photonics.