We explore various 4d Yang-Mills gauge theories (YM) living as boundary conditions of 5d gapped short/long-range entangled (SRE/LRE) topological states. Specifically, we explore 4d time-reversal symmetric pure YM of an SU(2) gauge group with a second-Chern-class topological term at θ=π (SU(2)θ=π YM). Its higher 't Hooft anomalies of generalized global symmetries indicate that the 4d SU(2)θ=π YM, in order to realize all global symmetries locally, necessarily couples to a 5d higher symmetry-protected topological state (SPTs, as an invertible TQFT, or as a 5d 1-form-center-symmetry-protected interacting "topological superconductor" in condensed matter). We revisit the 4d SU(2)θ=π YM-5d SRE-higher-SPTs coupled systems in [arXiv:1812.11968] and find their "Fantastic Four Siblings" with four sets of new higher anomalies associated with the Kramers singlet/doublet and bosonic/fermionic properties of Wilson lines. Following Weyl's gauge principle, by dynamically gauging the 1-form center symmetry, we transform a 5d bulk SRE SPTs into an LRE symmetry-enriched topologically ordered state (SETs); thus we obtain the 4d SO(3)θ=π YM-5d LRE-higher-SETs coupled system with dynamical higher-form gauge fields. Apply the tool introduced in [arXiv:1612.09298], we derive new exotic anyonic statistics of extended objects such as 2-worldsheet of strings and 3-worldvolume of branes, which physically characterize the 5d SETs. We discover new triple and quadruple link invariants potentially associated with the underlying 5d higher-gauge TQFTs, hinting a new intrinsic relation between non-supersymmetric 4d pure YM and topological links in 5d. We provide lattice simplicial complex regularizations and "condensed matter" realizations.

We show that closed hypersurfaces in Euclidean space with nonnegative scalar curvature are weakly mean convex. In contrast, the statement is no longer true if the scalar curvature is replaced by the kth mean curvature, for k greater than 2, as we construct the counterexamples for all k greater than 2. Our proof relies on a new geometric argument which relates the scalar curvature and mean curvature of a hypersurface to the mean curvature of the level sets of a height function. By extending the argument, we show that complete noncompact asymptotically flat hypersurfaces with nonnegative scalar curvature are weakly mean convex and prove the positive mass theorem for such hypersurfaces in all dimensions.

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Topological qauntum field theory(TQFT) is a very powerful theoretical tool to study topological phases and phase transitions. In 2+1D, it is well known that the Chern-Simons theory captures all the universal topological data of topological phases, e.g., quasi-particle braiding statistics, chiral central charge and even provides us a deep insight for the nature of topological phase transitions. Recently, topological phases of quantum matter are also intensively studied in 3+1D and it has been shown that loop like excitation obeys the so-called three-loop-braiding statistics. In this paper, we will try to establish a TQFT framework to understand the quantum statistics of particle and loop like excitation in 3+1D. We will focus on Abelian topological phases for simplicity, however, the general framework developed here is not limited to Abelian topological phases.

We investigate a generalization of Hopf algebra $\mathfrak{sl}_{q}\left( 2\right) $ by weakening the invertibility of the generator $K$, i.e. exchanging its invertibility $KK^{-1}=1$ to the regularity $K\overline{K}K=K$. This leads to a weak Hopf algebra $w\mathfrak{sl}_{q}\left( 2\right) $ and a $J$-weak Hopf algebra $v\mathfrak{sl}_{q}\left( 2\right) $ which are studied in detail. It is shown that the monoids of group-like elements of $w\mathfrak{sl}_{q}\left( 2\right) $ and $v\mathfrak{sl}_{q}\left( 2\right) $ are regular monoids, which supports the general conjucture on the connection betweek weak Hopf algebras and regular monoids. Moreover, from $w\mathfrak{sl}_{q}\left( 2\right) $ a quasi-braided weak Hopf algebra $\overline{U}_{q}^{w}$ is constructed and it is shown that the corresponding quasi-$R$-matrix is regular $R^{w}\hat{R}^{w}R^{w}=R^{w}$.