On the Higher Categorical Structure of Topological Defects in Quantum Field Theories

Abstract: We propose a unifying mathematical framework describing the higher categorical structures formed by topological defects in quantum field theory equipped with tangential structures, such as orientations, framings, or $\operatorname{Pin}^{\pm}$-structures, in terms of structured versions of higher dagger categories. This recovers all previously known results, including the description of oriented topological defects in 2-dimensional quantum field theories by pivotal bicategories. Assuming the stratified cobordism hypothesis, we prove our proposal for topological defects with stable tangential structures that admit a direct sum in fully extended topological quantum field theories.