Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4668982 | Bulletin des Sciences Mathématiques | 2011 | 21 Pages |
Abstract
We discuss an analogy between topological quantum field theories and the theory of Markov processes, which both rely on the combination of a notion of transition and a notion of locality. We assume no prior knowledge of topological quantum field theory (TQFT) and devote the first section to a motivation of its definition, which was originally given by M. Atiyah. We then discuss 1- and 2-dimensional TQFTʼs, and a mild generalization of them which incorporates a notion of time and is suited to the parallel with Markov processes.This text is a written version of a talk whose emphasis was on explaining and illustrating ideas. There are few rigorous statements in it, and no proof.
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