Berry Phase of Boundary Conditions

Explore the mathematical structure of conformal boundary conditions in (1+1)D conformal field theories through this high energy physics seminar by Yichul Choi from the Institute for Advanced Study. Discover a novel "higher" generalization of the Berry phase in quantum mechanics that emerges in the space of quantum field theory boundary conditions. Learn how insights from quantum many-body physics and string theory reveal this new mathematical framework, which provides a more tractable approach to understanding the space of boundary conditions compared to analyzing the full space of quantum field theories. Examine the implications of this "higher Berry phase" for 't Hooft anomaly matching in boundary conditions and its role in understanding spacetime geometry from the perspective of D-branes in string theory, along with other theoretical physics applications.