LEPP Theory Seminar - Zohar Komargodski (Stony Brook)

Phases of Wilson

and 't Hooft Lines

We study the low-energy limit of Wilson and 't Hooft lines in conformal gauge theories in 2+1 and 3+1 dimensions. As a function of the representation of the Wilson line, certain defect operators can become marginal, leading to interesting flows and for sufficiently large representations to complete or partial screening by charged fields. In some cases, the screening of the Wilson lines takes place by dimensional transmutation and the generation of an exponentially large scale. We identify the space of infrared conformal Wilson lines in weakly coupled gauge theories in 3+1 and 2+1 dimensions and determine the screening cloud. Our analysis leads to a compelling picture for how S-duality is implemented in In non-Abelian gauge theories. We also discuss applications to Graphene and 3d dualities.