The partition function of an N=2 gauge theory in the Omega-background satisfies, for generic value of the parameter beta=-eps_1/eps_2, the, in general extended, but otherwise beta-independent, holomorphic anomaly equation of special geometry. Modularity together with the (beta-dependent) gap structure at the various singular loci in the moduli space completely fixes the holomorphic ambiguity, also when the extension is non-trivial. In some cases, the theory at the orbifold radius, corresponding to beta=2, can be identified with an "orientifold" of the theory at beta=1. The various connections give hints for embedding the structure into the topological string.
Recently, Okuyama and Sakai proposed a novel holomorphic anomaly equation for the partition function of 2d Yang-Mills theory on a torus, based on an anholomorphic deformation of the propagator in the bosonic formulation. Using the boson-fermion correspondence, we derive the formula for the deformed partition function in fermionic description and give a proof of the holomorphic anomaly equation.
In this paper, we study the open topological string amplitudes on Calabi-Yau threefolds by the extended holomorphic anomaly equation. The disk two-point function determined by the domainwall tension, together with the Yukawa couplings, solves the amplitudes with high genus and boundaries recursively. The BPS invariants encoded in the amplitudes are extracted by mirror symmetry.
We study the large $N$ 't Hooft expansion of the chiral partition function of 2d $U(N)$ Yang-Mills theory on a torus. There is a long-standing puzzle that no explicit holomorphic anomaly equation is known for the partition function, although it admits a topological string interpretation. Based on the chiral boson interpretation we clarify how holomorphic anomaly arises and propose a natural anti-holomorphic deformation of the partition function. Our deformed partition function obeys a fairly traditional holomorphic anomaly equation. Moreover, we find a closed analytic expression for the deform…
Blowup equations and holomorphic anomaly equations are two universal yet completely different approaches to solve refined topological string theory on local Calabi-Yau threefolds corresponding to A- and B-model respectively. The former originated from comparing Nekrasov partition functions of 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories on $Ω$ defomed spacetime $\mathbb{C}^2_{ε_1,ε_2}$ and its one-point blown-up, while the latter takes root in the degeneration of wordsheet Riemann surfaces. The relation between the two approaches is an open question. In this short note, we find a novel recursive equation…
We derive the framing anomaly of four-dimensional holomorphic-topological Chern-Simons theory formulated on the product of a topological surface and the complex plane. We show that the presence of this anomaly allows one to couple four-dimensional Chern-Simons theory to holomorphic field theories with Kac-Moody symmetry, where the Kac-Moody level $k$ is critical $k=-h^{\vee}$. Applying this result to a holomorphic sigma model into a complex coadjoint orbit, we derive that four-dimensional Chern-Simons theory admits holomorphic monodromy defects.
We conjecture that the relative Gromov-Witten potentials of elliptic fibrations are (cycle-valued) lattice quasi-Jacobi forms and satisfy a holomorphic anomaly equation. We prove the conjecture for the rational elliptic surface in all genera and curve classes numerically. The generating series are quasi-Jacobi forms for the lattice $E_8$. We also show the compatibility of the conjecture with the degeneration formula. As Corollary we deduce that the Gromov-Witten potentials of the Schoen Calabi-Yau threefold (relative to $\mathbb{P}^1$) are $E_8 \times E_8$ quasi-bi-Jacobi forms and satisfy a h…
We present a geometrical framework which incorporates higher derivative corrections to the action of N = 2 vector multiplets in terms of an enlarged scalar manifold which includes a complex deformation parameter. This enlarged space carries a deformed version of special Kahler geometry which we characterise. The holomorphic anomaly equation arises in this framework from the integrability condition for the existence of a Hesse potential.
Let $S$ be a K3 surface and let $E$ be an elliptic curve. We solve the reduced Gromov-Witten theory of the Calabi-Yau threefold $S \times E$ for all curve classes which are primitive in the K3 factor. In particular, we deduce the Igusa cusp form conjecture. The proof relies on new results in the Gromov-Witten theory of elliptic curves and K3 surfaces. We show the generating series of Gromov-Witten classes of an elliptic curve are cycle-valued quasimodular forms and satisfy a holomorphic anomaly equation. The quasimodularity generalizes a result by Okounkov and Pandharipande, and the holomorphi…
In this paper we develop a theory of Fourier-like transforms on the space of stable graphs. In particular, we introduce a duality theory of stable graphs. As an application, we derive the holomorphic anomaly equations for general propagators in the work of Aganagic, Bouchard and Klemm.
We derive global consistency condition for strongly coupled heterotic string in the presence of M5-branes. Its elliptic genus is interpretable as generating functional of anomaly polynomials and so, on anomaly-free vacua, the genus is both holomorphic and modular invariant. In holomorphic basis, we identify the modular properties by calculating the phase. By interpreting the refinement parameters as background curvature of tangent and vector bundles, we identify the extended Bianchi identity for Kalb--Ramond field of heterotic M-theory in the presence of arbitrary numbers of M5-branes.
The gauge theoretic large N expansion yields an asymptotic series which requires a nonperturbative completion in order to be well defined. Recently, within the context of random matrix models, it was shown how to build resurgent transseries solutions encoding the full nonperturbative information beyond the 't Hooft genus expansion. On the other hand, via large N duality, random matrix models may be holographically described by B-model closed topological strings in local Calabi-Yau geometries. This raises the question of constructing the corresponding holographically dual resurgent transseries,…
We show that the all-orders WKB periods of one-dimensional quantum mechanical oscillators are governed by the refined holomorphic anomaly equations of topological string theory. We analyze in detail the double-well potential and the cubic and quartic oscillators, and we calculate the WKB expansion of their quantum free energies by using the direct integration of the anomaly equations. We reproduce in this way all known results about the quantum periods of these models, which we express in terms of modular forms on the WKB curve. As an application of our results, we study the large order behavi…
We prove a higher genus version of the genus $0$ local-relative correspondence of van Garrel-Graber-Ruddat: for $(X,D)$ a pair with $X$ a smooth projective variety and $D$ a nef smooth divisor, maximal contact Gromov-Witten theory of $(X,D)$ with $λ_g$-insertion is related to Gromov-Witten theory of the total space of $\mathcal{O}_X(-D)$ and local Gromov-Witten theory of $D$. Specializing to $(X,D)=(S,E)$ for $S$ a del Pezzo surface or a rational elliptic surface and $E$ a smooth anticanonical divisor, we show that maximal contact Gromov-Witten theory of $(S,E)$ is determined by the Gromov-Wit…
