Open Gromov-Witten Invariants of Toric Calabi-Yau 3-Folds

We present a proof of the mirror conjecture of Aganagic-Vafa [arXiv:hep-th/0012041] and Aganagic-Klemm-Vafa [arXiv:hep-th/0105045] on disk enumeration in toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds for all smooth semi-projective toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds. We consider both inner and outer branes, at arbitrary framing. In particular, we recover previous results on the conjecture for (i) an inner brane at zero framing in the total space of the canonical line bundle of the projective plane (Graber-Zaslow [arXiv:hep-th/0109075]), (ii) an outer brane at arbitrary framing in the resolved conifold (Zhou [arXiv:1001.0447]), and (iii) an outer brane at zero framing in the total space of the canonical line bundle of the projective plane (Brini [arXiv:1102.0281, Section 5.3]).Comment: 39 pages, 11 figure

Quantum Group as Semi-infinite Cohomology

We obtain the quantum group $SL_q(2)$ as semi-infinite cohomology of the Virasoro algebra with values in a tensor product of two braided vertex operator algebras with complementary central charges $c+\bar{c}=26$. Each braided VOA is constructed from the free Fock space realization of the Virasoro algebra with an additional q-deformed harmonic oscillator degree of freedom. The braided VOA structure arises from the theory of local systems over configuration spaces and it yields an associative algebra structure on the cohomology. We explicitly provide the four cohomology classes that serve as the generators of $SL_q(2)$ and verify their relations. We also discuss the possible extensions of our construction and its connection to the Liouville model and minimal string theory.Comment: 50 pages, 7 figures, minor revisions, typos corrected, Communications in Mathematical Physics, in pres

BRST Analysis of Physical States for 2D (Super) Gravity Coupled to (Super) Conformal Matter

We summarize some recent results on the BRST analysis of physical states of 2D gravity coupled to c<=1 conformal matter and the supersymmetric generalization.Comment: 11 page

The BV-algebra structure of W_3 cohomology

We summarize some recent results obtained in collaboration with J. McCarthy on the spectrum of physical states in $W_3$ gravity coupled to $c=2$ matter. We show that the space of physical states, defined as a semi-infinite (or BRST) cohomology of the $W_3$ algebra, carries the structure of a BV-algebra. This BV-algebra has a quotient which is isomorphic to the BV-algebra of polyvector fields on the base affine space of $SL(3,C)$. Details have appeared elsewhere. [Published in the proceedings of "Gursey Memorial Conference I: Strings and Symmetries," Istanbul, June 1994, eds. G. Aktas et al., Lect. Notes in Phys. 447, (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1995)]Comment: 8 pages; uses macros tables.tex and amssym.def (version 2.1 or later

Branes, Rings and Matrix Models in Minimal (Super)string Theory

We study both bosonic and supersymmetric (p,q) minimal models coupled to Liouville theory using the ground ring and the various branes of the theory. From the FZZT brane partition function, there emerges a unified, geometric description of all these theories in terms of an auxiliary Riemann surface M_{p,q} and the corresponding matrix model. In terms of this geometric description, both the FZZT and ZZ branes correspond to line integrals of a certain one-form on M_{p,q}. Moreover, we argue that there are a finite number of distinct (m,n) ZZ branes, and we show that these ZZ branes are located at the singularities of M_{p,q}. Finally, we discuss the possibility that the bosonic and supersymmetric theories with (p,q) odd and relatively prime are identical, as is suggested by the unified treatment of these models.Comment: 72 pages, 3 figures, improved treatment of FZZT and ZZ branes, minor change

BRST Quantization of String Theory in AdS(3)

We study the BRST quantization of bosonic and NSR strings propagating in AdS(3) x N backgrounds. The no-ghost theorem is proved using the Frenkel-Garland-Zuckerman method. Regular and spectrally-flowed representations of affine SL(2,R) appear on an equal footing. Possible generalizations to related curved backgrounds are discussed.Comment: JHEP style, 23 pages; v2:minor changes and references added; v3: typos corrected, version to appear in JHEP; v4: one reference adde

Lectures on BCOV holomorphic anomaly equations

The present article surveys some mathematical aspects of the BCOV holomorphic anomaly equations introduced by Bershadsky, Cecotti, Ooguri and Vafa. It grew from a series of lectures the authors gave at the Fields Institute in the Thematic Program of Calabi-Yau Varieties in the fall of 2013.Comment: reference added, typos correcte

On the Crepant Resolution Conjecture in the Local Case

In this paper we analyze four examples of birational transformations between local Calabi-Yau 3-folds: two crepant resolutions, a crepant partial resolution, and a flop. We study the effect of these transformations on genus-zero Gromov-Witten invariants, proving the Coates-Corti-Iritani-Tseng/Ruan form of the Crepant Resolution Conjecture in each case. Our results suggest that this form of the Crepant Resolution Conjecture may also hold for more general crepant birational transformations. They also suggest that Ruan's original Crepant Resolution Conjecture should be modified, by including appropriate "quantum corrections", and that there is no straightforward generalization of either Ruan's original Conjecture or the Cohomological Crepant Resolution Conjecture to the case of crepant partial resolutions. Our methods are based on mirror symmetry for toric orbifolds.Comment: 27 pages. This is a substantially revised and shortened version of my preprint "Wall-Crossings in Toric Gromov-Witten Theory II: Local Examples"; all results contained here are also proved there. To appear in Communications in Mathematical Physic

Chiral de Rham complex on Riemannian manifolds and special holonomy

Interpreting the chiral de Rham complex (CDR) as a formal Hamiltonian quantization of the supersymmetric non-linear sigma model, we suggest a setup for the study of CDR on manifolds with special holonomy. We show how to systematically construct global sections of CDR from differential forms, and investigate the algebra of the sections corresponding to the covariantly constant forms associated with the special holonomy. As a concrete example, we construct two commuting copies of the Odake algebra (an extension of the N=2 superconformal algebra) on the space of global sections of CDR of a Calabi-Yau threefold and conjecture similar results for G_2 manifolds. We also discuss quasi-classical limits of these algebras.Comment: 49 pages, title changed, major rewrite with no changes in the main theorems, published versio

The BRST quantization and the no-ghost theorem for AdS_3

In our previous papers, we prove the no-ghost theorem without light-cone directions (hep-th/0005002, hep-th/0303051). We point out that our results are valid for more general backgrounds. In particular, we prove the no-ghost theorem for AdS_3 in the context of the BRST quantization (with the standard restriction on the spin). We compare our BRST proof with the OCQ proof and establish the BRST-OCQ equivalence for AdS_3. The key in both approaches lies in the certain structure of the matter Hilbert space as a product of two Verma modules. We also present the no-ghost theorem in the most general form.Comment: 22 pages, JHEP and AMS-LaTeX; v2 & 3: minor improvement