Gapped domain walls, as topological line defects between 2+1D topologically ordered states, are examined. We provide simple criteria to determine the existence of gapped domain walls, which apply to both Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders. Our criteria also determine which 2+1D topological orders must have gapless edge modes, namely which 1+1D global gravitational anomalies ensure gaplessness. Furthermore, we introduce a new mathematical object, the tunneling matrix $W$, whose entries are the fusion-space dimensions $W_{ia}$, to label different types of gapped domain walls. Mathematically, we propose a classification of bimodule categories between modular tensor categories. By studying many examples, we find evidence that the tunneling matrices are powerful quantities to classify different types of gapped domain walls. Since a gapped boundary is a gapped domain wall between a bulk topological order and the vacuum, regarded as the trivial topological order, our theory of gapped domain walls inclusively contains the theory of gapped boundaries. In addition, we derive a topological ground state degeneracy formula, applied to arbitrary orientable spatial 2-manifolds with gapped domain walls, including closed 2-manifolds and open 2-manifolds with gapped boundaries.

We explore the higher-form generalized global symmetries and higher anomalies based on a generalized cobordism theory. Our cobordism calculation guides us to classify higher anomalies and topological terms for Yang-Mills (YM) gauge theories and sigma models in various dimensions. Some of YM gauge theories can be obtained from dynamically gauging the SU(N) time-reversal symmetric cobordism invariants (SU(N)-generalized topological superconductors/insulators [arXiv:1711.11587]). We elaborate the cases of YM theory with a compact Lie gauge group (such as SU(N) with N=2, 3 and others) particularly in a 4d spacetime. We provide the relevant homotopy and cobordism group calculations of higher classifying spaces, based on mathematical tools of algebraic topology, to support the physics stories.

Let O_c be the category of finite-length central-charge-c modules for the Virasoro Lie algebra whose composition factors are irreducible quotients of reducible Verma modules. Recently, it has been shown that O_c admits vertex algebraic tensor category structure for any c∈C. Here, we determine the structure of this tensor category when c=13−6p−6/p for an integer p>1. For such c, we prove that O_c is rigid, and we construct projective covers of irreducible modules in a natural tensor subcategory O_c^0. We then compute all tensor products involving irreducible modules and their projective covers. Using these tensor product formulas, we show that O_c has a semisimplification which, as an abelian category, is the Deligne product of two tensor subcategories that are tensor equivalent to the Kazhdan-Lusztig categories for affine sl_2 at levels −2+p^±1. Next, as a straightforward consequence of the braided tensor category structure on O_c together with the theory of vertex operator algebra extensions, we rederive known results for triplet vertex operator algebras W(p), including rigidity, fusion rules, and construction of projective covers. Finally, we prove a recent conjecture of Negron that O_c^0 is braided tensor equivalent to the PSL(2,C)-equivariantization of the category of W(p)-modules.

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New chiral boundary conditions are found for quantum gravity with matter on AdS3. The associated asymptotic symmetry group is generated by a single right-moving U(1) Kac-Moody-Virasoro algebra with c_R = 3l/2G. The Kac-Moody zero mode generates global left-moving translations and equals, for a BTZ black hole, the sum of the total mass and spin. The level is positive about the global vacuum and negative in the black hole sector, corresponding to ergosphere formation. Realizations arising in Chern-Simons gravity and string theory are analyzed. The new boundary conditions are shown to naturally arise for warped AdS3 in the limit that the warp parameter is taken to zero.