The Seiberg-Witten prepotential and the Euler class of the reduced moduli space of instantons

The n-instanton contribution to the Seiberg-Witten prepotential of N=2 supersymmetric d=4 Yang Mills theory is represented as the integral of the exponential of an equivariantly exact form. Integrating out an overall scale and a U(1) angle the integral is rewritten as (4n-3) fold product of a closed two form. This two form is, formally, a representative of the Euler class of the Instanton moduli space viewed as a principal U(1) bundle, because its pullback under bundel projection is the exterior derivative of an angular one-form.Comment: LaTex, 15 page

Instanton Effects in Three-Dimensional Supersymmetric Gauge Theories with Matter

Using standard field theory techniques we compute perturbative and instanton contributions to the Coulomb branch of three-dimensional supersymmetric QCD with N=2 and N=4 supersymmetry and gauge group SU(2). For the N=4 theory with one massless flavor, we confirm the proposal of Seiberg and Witten that the Coulomb branch is the double-cover of the centered moduli space of two BPS monopoles constructed by Atiyah and Hitchin. Introducing a hypermultiplet mass term, we show that the asymptotic metric on the Coulomb branch coincides with the metric on Dancer's deformation of the monopole moduli space. For the N=2 theory with $N_f$ flavors, we compute the one-loop corrections to the metric and complex structure on the Coulomb branch. We then determine the superpotential including one-loop effects around the instanton background. These calculations provide an explicit check of several results previously obtained by symmetry and holomorphy arguments.Comment: 24 pages, Late

Wall Crossing and Instantons in Compactified Gauge Theory

We calculate the leading weak-coupling instanton contribution to the moduli-space metric of N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with gauge group SU(2) compactified on R^3 x S^1. The results are in precise agreement with the semiclassical expansion of the exact metric recently conjectured by Gaiotto, Moore and Neitzke based on considerations related to wall-crossing in the corresponding four-dimensional theory.Comment: 24 pages, no figure

Another Leigh-Strassler deformation through the Matrix model

In here the matrix model approach, by Dijkgraaf and Vafa, is used in order to obtain the effective superpotential for a certain deformation of N=4 SYM discovered by Leigh and Strassler. An exact solution to the matrix model Lagrangian is found and is expressed in terms of elliptic functions.Comment: 15 pages,2 figure

Superconformal Vortex Strings

We study the low-energy dynamics of semi-classical vortex strings living above Argyres-Douglas superconformal field theories. The worldsheet theory of the string is shown to be a deformation of the CP^N model which flows in the infra-red to a superconformal minimal model. The scaling dimensions of chiral primary operators are determined and the dimensions of the associated relevant perturbations on the worldsheet and in the four dimensional bulk are found to agree. The vortex string thereby provides a map between the A-series of N=2 superconformal theories in two and four dimensions.Comment: 22 pages. v2: change to introductio

A New 2d/4d Duality via Integrability

We prove a duality, recently conjectured in arXiv:1103.5726, which relates the F-terms of supersymmetric gauge theories defined in two and four dimensions respectively. The proof proceeds by a saddle point analysis of the four-dimensional partition function in the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit. At special quantized values of the Coulomb branch moduli, the saddle point condition becomes the Bethe Ansatz Equation of the SL(2) Heisenberg spin chain which coincides with the F-term equation of the dual two-dimensional theory. The on-shell values of the superpotential in the two theories are shown to coincide in corresponding vacua. We also identify two-dimensional duals for a large set of quiver gauge theories in four dimensions and generalize our proof to these cases.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figures, minor corrections and references adde

The Quantum Dynamics of Heterotic Vortex Strings

We study the quantum dynamics of vortex strings in N=1 SQCD with U(N_c) gauge group and N_f=N_c quarks. The classical worldsheet of the string has N=(0,2) supersymmetry, but this is broken by quantum effects. We show how the pattern of supersymmetry breaking and restoration on the worldsheet captures the quantum dynamics of the underlying 4d theory. We also find qualitative matching of the meson spectrum in 4d and the spectrum on the worldsheet.Comment: 13 page

World-sheet Instantons via the Myers Effect and N=1^* Quiver Superpotentials

In this note we explore the stringy interpretation of non-perturbative effects in N=1^* deformations of the A_{k-1} quiver models. For certain types of deformations we argue that the massive vacua are described by Nk fractional D3-branes at the orbifold polarizing into k concentric 5-brane spheres each carrying fractional brane charge. The polarization of the D3-branes induces a polarization of D-instantons into string world-sheets wrapped on the Myers spheres. We show that the superpotentials in these models are indeed generated by these world-sheet instantons. We point out that for certain parameter values the condensates yield the exact superpotential for a relevant deformation of the Klebanov-Witten conifold theory.Comment: 24 pages, JHEP, some small errors and typos correcte

Effect of retardation on dynamical mass generation in two-dimensional QED at finite temperature

The effect of retardation on dynamical mass generation in is studied, in the imaginary time formalism. The photon porarization tensor is evaluated to leading order in 1/N (N is the number of flavours), and simple closed form expressions are found for the fully retarded longitudinal and transverse propagators, which have the correct limit when T goes to zero. The resulting S-D equation for the fermion mass (at order 1/N) has an infrared divergence associated with the contribution of the transverse photon propagator; only the longitudinal contribution is retained, as in earlier treatments. For solutions of constant mass, it is found that the retardation reduces the value of the parameter r (the ratio of twice the mass to the critical temperature) from about 10 to about 6. The gap equation is then solved allowing for the mass to depend on frequency. It was found that the r value remained close to 6. Possibilities for including the transverse propagator are discussed.Comment: 26 pages 8 figure

Complex WKB Analysis of a PT Symmetric Eigenvalue Problem

The spectra of a particular class of PT symmetric eigenvalue problems has previously been studied, and found to have an extremely rich structure. In this paper we present an explanation for these spectral properties in terms of quantisation conditions obtained from the complex WKB method. In particular, we consider the relation of the quantisation conditions to the reality and positivity properties of the eigenvalues. The methods are also used to examine further the pattern of eigenvalue degeneracies observed by Dorey et al. in [1,2].Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures. Added references, minor revision