69 research outputs found
Argyres-Douglas Theories in Class S Without Irregularity
We make a preliminary investigation into twisted theories of class
S. Contrary to a common piece of folklore, we establish that theories of this
type realise a variety of models of Argyres-Douglas type while utilising only
regular punctures. We present an in-depth analysis of all twisted trinion
theories, analyse their interrelations via partial Higgsing, and discuss some
of their generalised S-dualities.Comment: 37 page
AdS/CFT Dual Pairs from M5-Branes on Riemann Surfaces
In this letter we describe an infinite family of new N=1 AdS_5/CFT_4 dual
pairs which arise from M5-branes wrapping Riemann surfaces in Calabi-Yau
threefolds. We use the relevant brane constructions to compute the central
charges of the infrared fixed points from the M5-brane anomaly polynomial. We
then present AdS_5 x M_6 solutions of eleven-dimensional supergravity which are
dual to these CFTs at large N. Finally, we provide a purely four-dimensional
field theory construction which flows to a special class of these fixed points.
These theories will be further elaborated upon in a companion paper.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. v2: typos corrected, conclusions section omitted
for lengt
The N=1 superconformal index for class S fixed points
We investigate the superconformal index of four-dimensional superconformal field theories that arise on coincident M5 branes wrapping a holomorphic curve in a local Calabi-Yau three-fold. The structure of the index is very similar to that which appears in the special case preserving N = 2 supersymmetry. We first compute the index for the fixed points that admit a known four-dimensional ultraviolet description and prove infrared equivalence at the level of the index for all such constructions. These results suggest a formulation of the index as a two-dimensional topological quantum field theory that generalizes the one that computes the N = 2 index. The TQFT structure leads to an expression for the index of a much larger family of N = 1 class S fixed points in terms of the index of the N = 2 theories. Calculations of simple quantities with the index suggests a connection between these families of fixed points and the mathematics of SU(2) Yang-Mills theory on the wrapped curve
The Geometry of D-Brane Superpotentials
The disk partition function of the open topological string computes the
spacetime superpotential for D-branes wrapping cycles of a compact Calabi-Yau
threefold. We use string duality to show that when appropriately formulated,
the problem admits a natural geometrization in terms of a non-compact
Calabi-Yau fourfold without D-branes. The duality relates the D-brane
superpotential to a flux superpotential on the fourfold. This sheds light on
several features of superpotential computations appearing in the literature, in
particular on the observation that Calabi-Yau fourfold geometry enters the
problem. In one of our examples, we show that the geometry of fourfolds also
reproduces the D-brane superpotentials obtained from matrix factorization
methods.Comment: v2: 30 pages, harvmac; appendix added, reference added, typos
correcte
Geometrically Induced Metastability and Holography
We construct metastable configurations of branes and anti-branes wrapping
2-spheres inside local Calabi-Yau manifolds and study their large N duals.
These duals are Calabi-Yau manifolds in which the wrapped 2-spheres have been
replaced by 3-spheres with flux through them, and supersymmetry is
spontaneously broken. The geometry of the non-supersymmetric vacuum is exactly
calculable to all orders of the `t Hooft parameter, and to the leading order in
1/N. The computation utilizes the same matrix model techniques that were used
in the supersymmetric context. This provides a novel mechanism for breaking
supersymmetry in the context of flux compactifications.Comment: 42 pages, 5 figure
Free field realisation of boundary vertex algebras for Abelian gauge theories in three dimensions
We study the boundary vertex algebras of -twisted Abelian
gauge theories in three dimensions. These are identified with the BRST quotient
(semi-infinite cohomology) of collections of symplectic bosons and free
fermions that reflect the matter content of the corresponding gauge theory. We
develop various free field realisations for these vertex algebras which we
propose to interpret in terms of their localisation on their associated
varieties. We derive the free field realisations by bosonising the elementary
symplectic bosons and free fermions and then calculating the relevant
semi-infinite cohomology, which can be done systematically. An interesting
feature of our construction is that for certain preferred free field
realisations, the outer automorphism symmetry of the vertex algebras in
question (which are identified with the symmetries of the Coulomb branch in the
infrared) are made manifest.Comment: 54 pages + appendice
Free Field Realizations from the Higgs Branch
We present free field realizations for the associated vertex operator
algebras of a number of four-dimensional superconformal field
theories. Our constructions utilize an exceptionally small set of chiral bosons
whose number matches the complex dimensionality of the Higgs branch of the
superconformal field theory. In the case of theories whose Higgs branches
support additional degrees of freedom (free vector multiplets or decoupled
interacting SCFTs), the corresponding "free field realizations" include
additional ingredients: symplectic fermions in the case of vector multiplets
and a co-finite VOA in the case of a residual interacting SCFT. The
resulting picture is that the associated VOA can be constructed from the Higgs
branch effective theory via free field realization. Our constructions also
provide a natural realization of the -filtration of the associated VOA.Comment: 31 pages. v2: minor typos fixed, references adde
Review of Do-It-Yourself Democracy by Caroline Lee (Oxford University Press, 2015)
Review of Do-It-Yourself Democracy by Caroline Lee (Oxford University Press, 2015
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