Non-Invertible Symmetries and Boundaries for Two-Dimensional Fermions

Abstract

We study the relation between boundary conditions and categorical symmetries of two-dimensional fermionic conformal field theories. We determine all anomaly-free invertible global symmetries of two free complex Weyl fermions, which take the form ${\mathbb{Z}}_k$ for each primitive Pythagorean triple $a^2+b^2=k^2$. The theory is self-dual under gauging any of these symmetries, and so to each there is associated a non-invertible topological defect. We study the properties of these lines, and show that any conformal boundary condition of two Dirac fermions that preserves a $U(1{)}^2$ symmetry can be found by dressing a trivial Dirichlet boundary with one of them. We discuss two microscopic descriptions of these defects: fermions coupled to a quantum-mechanical rotor degree of freedom; and an abelian gauge theory that realises symmetric mass generation in a half-space.

48 pages + appendices