203 research outputs found
On Higher Derivative Couplings in Theories with Sixteen Supersymmetries
We give simple arguments for new non-renormalization theorems on higher
derivative couplings of gauge theories to supergravity, with sixteen
supersymmetries, by considerations of brane-bulk superamplitudes. This leads to
some exact results on the effective coupling of D3-branes in type IIB string
theory. We also derive exact results on higher dimensional operators in the
torus compactification of the six dimensional (0, 2) superconformal theory.Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures, section 2 reconstructured, new result in
section 3.2, additional clarifications adde
(2,2) Superconformal Bootstrap in Two Dimensions
We find a simple relation between two-dimensional BPS N=2 superconformal
blocks and bosonic Virasoro conformal blocks, which allows us to analyze the
crossing equations for BPS 4-point functions in unitary (2,2) superconformal
theories numerically with semidefinite programming. We constrain gaps in the
non-BPS spectrum through the operator product expansion of BPS operators, in
ways that depend on the moduli of exactly marginal deformations through chiral
ring coefficients. In some cases, our bounds on the spectral gaps are observed
to be saturated by free theories, by N=2 Liouville theory, and by certain
Landau-Ginzburg models.Comment: 56 pages, 14 figure
Supersymmetry Constraints and String Theory on K3
We study supervertices in six dimensional (2,0) supergravity theories, and
derive supersymmetry non-renormalization conditions on the 4- and 6-derivative
four-point couplings of tensor multiplets. As an application, we obtain exact
non-perturbative results of such effective couplings in type IIB string theory
compactified on K3 surface, extending previous work on type II/heterotic
duality. The weak coupling limit thereof, in particular, gives certain
integrated four-point functions of half-BPS operators in the nonlinear sigma
model on K3 surface, that depend nontrivially on the moduli, and capture
worldsheet instanton contributions.Comment: 47 pages, 4 figure
Little String Amplitudes (and the Unreasonable Effectiveness of 6D SYM)
We study tree level scattering amplitudes of four massless states in the
double scaled little string theory, and compare them to perturbative loop
amplitudes in six-dimensional super-Yang-Mills theory. The little string
amplitudes are computed from correlators in the cigar coset CFT and in N=2
minimal models. The results are expressed in terms of integrals of conformal
blocks and evaluated numerically in the alpha' expansion. We find striking
agreements with up to 2-loop scattering amplitudes of massless gluons in 6D
SU(k) SYM at a Z_k invariant point on the Coulomb branch. We comment on the
issue of UV divergence at higher loop orders in the gauge theory and discuss
the implication of our results.Comment: 58 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, comments added, references adde
Topological Defect Lines and Renormalization Group Flows in Two Dimensions
We consider topological defect lines (TDLs) in two-dimensional conformal
field theories. Generalizing and encompassing both global symmetries and
Verlinde lines, TDLs together with their attached defect operators provide
models of fusion categories without braiding. We study the crossing relations
of TDLs, discuss their relation to the 't Hooft anomaly, and use them to
constrain renormalization group flows to either conformal critical points or
topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). We show that if certain
non-invertible TDLs are preserved along a RG flow, then the vacuum cannot be a
non-degenerate gapped state. For various massive flows, we determine the
infrared TQFTs completely from the consideration of TDLs together with modular
invariance.Comment: 101 pages, 63 figures, 2 tables; v3: minor changes, added footnotes
and references, published versio
Interpolating the Coulomb phase of little string theory
We study up to 8-derivative terms in the Coulomb branch effective action of (1, 1) little string theory, by collecting results of 4-gluon scattering amplitudes from both perturbative 6D super-Yang-Mills theory up to 4-loop order, and tree-level double scaled little string theory (DSLST). In previous work we have matched the 6-derivative term from the 6D gauge theory to DSLST, indicating that this term is protected on the entire Coulomb branch. The 8-derivative term, on the other hand, is unprotected. In this paper we compute the 8-derivative term by interpolating from the two limits, near the origin and near the infinity on the Coulomb branch, numerically from SU(k) SYM and DSLST respectively, for k = 2, 3, 4, 5. We discuss the implication of this result on the UV completion of 6D SYM as well as the strong coupling completion of DSLST. We also comment on analogous interpolating functions in the Coulomb phase of circle-compactified (2, 0) little string theory.United States. Department of Energy (Contract Number DE-SC00012567)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award PHY-0847457)Harvard University (Fundamental Laws Initiative Fund
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