Chern-Simons Theory and Equivariant Factorization Algebras

Corina Keller studies non-perturbative facets of abelian Chern-Simons theories. This is a refinement of the entirely perturbative approach to classical Chern-Simons theory via homotopy factorization algebras of observables that arise from the associated formal moduli problem describing deformations of flat principal bundles with connections over the spacetime manifold. The author shows that for theories with abelian group structure, this factorization algebra of classical observables comes naturally equipped with an action of the gauge group, which allows to encode non-perturbative effects in the classical observables.