Chern-Simons theory, exactly solvable models and free fermions at finite temperature

We show that matrix models in Chern-Simons theory admit an interpretation as 1D exactly solvable models, paralleling the relationship between the Gaussian matrix model and the Calogero model. We compute the corresponding Hamiltonians, ground-state wavefunctions and ground-state energies and point out that the models can be interpreted as quasi-1D Coulomb plasmas. We also study the relationship between Chern-Simons theory on $S^3$ and a system of N one-dimensional fermions at finite temperature with harmonic confinement. In particular we show that the Chern-Simons partition function can be described by the density matrix of the free fermions in a very particular, crystalline, configuration. For this, we both use the Brownian motion and the matrix model description of Chern-Simons theory and find several common features with c=1 theory at finite temperature. Finally, using the exactly solvable model result, we show that the finite temperature effect can be described with a specific two-body interaction term in the Hamiltonian, with 1D Coulombic behavior at large separations.

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