BPS Monopole Equation in Omega-background

We study deformed supersymmetries in N=2 super Yang-Mills theory in the Omega-backgrounds characterized by two complex parameters $\epsilon_1, \epsilon_2$. When one of the $\epsilon$-parameters vanishes, the theory has extended supersymmetries. We compute the central charge of the algebra and obtain the deformed BPS monopole equation. We examine supersymmetries preserved by the equation.Comment: 14 pages, typos corrected, published version in JHE

Surface Operator, Bubbling Calabi-Yau and AGT Relation

Surface operators in N=2 four-dimensional gauge theories are interesting half-BPS objects. These operators inherit the connection of gauge theory with the Liouville conformal field theory, which was discovered by Alday, Gaiotto and Tachikawa. Moreover it has been proposed that toric branes in the A-model topological strings lead to surface operators via the geometric engineering. We analyze the surface operators by making good use of topological string theory. Starting from this point of view, we propose that the wave-function behavior of the topological open string amplitudes geometrically engineers the surface operator partition functions and the Gaiotto curves of corresponding gauge theories. We then study a peculiar feature that the surface operator corresponds to the insertion of the degenerate fields in the conformal field theory side. We show that this aspect can be realized as the geometric transition in topological string theory, and the insertion of a surface operator leads to the bubbling of the toric Calabi-Yau geometry.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figures. v2: minor changes and typos correcte

Generalized matrix models and AGT correspondence at all genera

We study generalized matrix models corresponding to n-point Virasoro conformal blocks on Riemann surfaces with arbitrary genus g. Upon AGT correspondence, these describe four dimensional N=2 SU(2)^{n+3g-3} gauge theories with generalized quiver diagrams. We obtain the generalized matrix models from the perturbative evaluation of the Liouville correlation functions and verify the consistency of the description with respect to degenerations of the Riemann surface. Moreover, we derive the Seiberg-Witten curve for the N=2 gauge theory as the spectral curve of the generalized matrix model, thus providing a check of AGT correspondence at all genera.Comment: 19 pages; v2: version to appear in JHE

On "Dotsenko-Fateev" representation of the toric conformal blocks

We demonstrate that the recent ansatz of arXiv:1009.5553, inspired by the original remark due to R.Dijkgraaf and C.Vafa, reproduces the toric conformal blocks in the same sense that the spherical blocks are given by the integral representation of arXiv:1001.0563 with a peculiar choice of open integration contours for screening insertions. In other words, we provide some evidence that the toric conformal blocks are reproduced by appropriate beta-ensembles not only in the large-N limit, but also at finite N. The check is explicitly performed at the first two levels for the 1-point toric functions. Generalizations to higher genera are briefly discussed.Comment: 10 page

Quantization of Integrable Systems and a 2d/4d Duality

We present a new duality between the F-terms of supersymmetric field theories defined in two- and four-dimensions respectively. The duality relates N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions, deformed by an Omega-background in one plane, to N=(2,2) gauged linear sigma-models in two dimensions. On the four dimensional side, our main example is N=2 SQCD with gauge group SU(L) and 2L fundamental flavours. Using ideas of Nekrasov and Shatashvili, we argue that the Coulomb branch of this theory provides a quantization of the classical Heisenberg SL(2) spin chain. Agreement with the standard quantization via the Algebraic Bethe Ansatz implies the existence of an isomorphism between the chiral ring of the 4d theory and that of a certain two-dimensional theory. The latter can be understood as the worldvolume theory on a surface operator/vortex string probing the Higgs branch of the same 4d theory. We check the proposed duality by explicit calculation at low orders in the instanton expansion. One striking consequence is that the Seiberg-Witten solution of the 4d theory is captured by a one-loop computation in two dimensions. The duality also has interesting connections with the AGT conjecture, matrix models and topological string theory where it corresponds to a refined version of the geometric transition.Comment: 51 pages, 7 figures. Additional comments, minor improvements and references adde

The Liouville side of the Vortex

We analyze conformal blocks with multiple (semi-)degenerate field insertions in Liouville/Toda conformal field theories an show that their vector space is fully reproduced by the four-dimensional limit of open topological string amplitudes on the strip with generic boundary conditions associated to a suitable quiver gauge theory. As a byproduct we identify the non-abelian vortex partition function with a specific fusion channel of degenerate conformal blocks

A quantum isomonodromy equation and its application to N=2 SU(N) gauge theories

We give an explicit differential equation which is expected to determine the instanton partition function in the presence of the full surface operator in N=2 SU(N) gauge theory. The differential equation arises as a quantization of a certain Hamiltonian system of isomonodromy type discovered by Fuji, Suzuki and Tsuda.Comment: 15 pages, v2: typos corrected and references added, v3: discussion, appendix and references adde

Vertices, Vortices & Interacting Surface Operators

We show that the vortex moduli space in non-abelian supersymmetric N=(2,2) gauge theories on the two dimensional plane with adjoint and anti-fundamental matter can be described as an holomorphic submanifold of the instanton moduli space in four dimensions. The vortex partition functions for these theories are computed via equivariant localization. We show that these coincide with the field theory limit of the topological vertex on the strip with boundary conditions corresponding to column diagrams. Moreover, we resum the field theory limit of the vertex partition functions in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions formulating their AGT dual description as interacting surface operators of simple type. Analogously we resum the topological open string amplitudes in terms of q-deformed generalized hypergeometric functions proving that they satisfy appropriate finite difference equations.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures; v.2 refs. and comments added; v.3 further comments and typo

Deformed planar topological open string amplitudes on Seiberg-Witten curve

We study refined B-model via the beta ensemble of matrix models. Especially, for four dimensional N=2 SU(2) supersymmetric gauge theories with N_f=0,1 and 2 fundamental flavors, we discuss the correspondence between deformed disk amplitudes on each Seiberg-Witten curve and the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit of the corresponding irregular one point block of a degenerate operator via the AGT correspondence. We also discuss the relation between deformed annulus amplitudes and the irregular two point block of the degenerate operator, and check a desired agreement for N_f=0 and 1 cases.Comment: 27 pages. v2: minor changes and references added. v3: minor corrections and one reference adde

Challenges of beta-deformation

A brief review of problems, arising in the study of the beta-deformation, also known as "refinement", which appears as a central difficult element in a number of related modern subjects: beta \neq 1 is responsible for deviation from free fermions in 2d conformal theories, from symmetric omega-backgrounds with epsilon_2 = - epsilon_1 in instanton sums in 4d SYM theories, from eigenvalue matrix models to beta-ensembles, from HOMFLY to super-polynomials in Chern-Simons theory, from quantum groups to elliptic and hyperbolic algebras etc. The main attention is paid to the context of AGT relation and its possible generalizations.Comment: 20 page