We use localization to evaluate the functional integral of string field theory on AdS_2xS^2 background corresponding to the near horizon geometry of supersymmetric black holes in 4d compactifications with N=2 supersymmetry. In particular, for a theory containing n_v + 1 vector multiplets, we show that the functional integral localizes exactly onto an ordinary integral over a finite-dimensional submanifold in the field space labeling a continuous family of instanton solutions in which auxiliary fields in the vector multiplets are excited with nontrivial dependence on AdS_2 coordinates. These localizing solutions are universal in that they follow from the off-shell supersymmetry transformations and do not depend on the choice of the action. They are parametrized by n_v +1 real parameters C^I, ; I= 0,..., n_v that correspond to the values of the auxiliary fields at the center of AdS_2. In the Type-IIA frame, assuming D-terms evaluate to zero on the solutions for reasons of supersymmetry, the classical part of the integrand equals the absolute square of the partition function of the topological string as conjectured by Ooguri, Strominger, and Vafa; however evaluated at the off-shell values of scalar fields at the center of AdS_2. In addition, there are contributions from one-loop determinants, brane-instantons, and nonperturbative orbifolds that are in principle computable. These results thus provide a concrete method to compute exact quantum entropy of these black holes including all perturbative and nonperturbative corrections and can be used to establish a precise relation between the quantum degeneracies of black holes and the topological string.
We study localization of bulk fermions on a string-like defect with the exponentially decreasing warp factor in six dimensions with inclusion of U(1) gauge background from the viewpoint of field theory, and give the conditions under which localized spin 1/2 and 3/2 fermions can be obtained.
After presenting string-like solutions with a warp factor to Einstein's equations, we study localization of various spin fields on a string-like defect in a general space-time dimension from the viewpoint of field theory. It is shown that spin 0 and 2 fields are localized on a defect with the exponentially decreasing warp factor. Spin 1 field can be also localized on a defect with the exponentially decreasing warp factor. On the other hand, spin one-half and three-half fields can be localized on a defect with the exponentially increasing warp factor, provided that additional interactions are n…
We study the localization of gravity on string-like defects in codimension two. We point out that the gravity-localizing `local cosmic string' spacetime has an orbifold singularity at the horizon. The supergravity embedding and the AdS/CFT correspondence suggest ways to resolve the singularity. We find two resolutions of the singularity that have a semiclassical gravity description and study their effect on the low-energy physics on the defect. The first resolution leads, at long distances, to a codimension one Randall-Sundrum scenario. In the second case, the infrared physics is like that of …
We consider the algebraic couplings in the tree level effective action of the heterotic string. We show how these couplings can be computed from closed string field theory. When the light fields we are interested in are charged under an underlying ${\mathcal N}=2$ $R$-charge in the left-moving sector, their quartic effective potential localizes at the boundary of the worldsheet moduli space, in complete analogy to the previously studied open string case. In particular we are able to compute the quartic closed string field theory potential without resorting to any explicit expression for the 3-…
We use supersymmetric localization techniques to study the low-energy dynamics of BPS vortex-strings in four-dimensional N=2 theories. We focus on theories with SU(Nc)xU(1) gauge group and Nf hypermultiplets, all in the fundamental representation of SU(Nc) but with general U(1) charges. Recently, we proposed a condition that determines whether the low-energy string dynamics is captured by a two-dimensional worldsheet theory that decouples from the bulk. For strings for which this decoupling applies, we propose a prescription for extracting the two-sphere partition function of the string worlds…
In this paper we consider tree-level scattering in the minimal N=4 topological string and show that a large class of N-point functions can be recast in terms of corresponding amplitudes in the (1,k) minimal bosonic string. This suggests a non-trivial relation between the minimal N=4 topological strings, the (1,k) minimal bosonic strings and their corresponding ADE matrix models. This relation has interesting and far-reaching implications for the topological sector of six-dimensional Little String Theories.
A formal relationship between scattering amplitudes in critical bosonic string theory and correlation functions of operators in topological string theory is found.
We study a geometric transition in non-perturbative topological string. We consider two cases. One is the geometric transition from the closed topological string on the local $\mathcal{B}_{3}$ to the closed topological string on the resolved conifold. The other is the geometric transition from the closed topological string on the local $\mathcal{B}_{3}$ to the open topological string on the resolved conifold with a toric A-brane. We find that, in both cases, the geometric transition can be applied for the non-perturbative topological string. We also find the corrections of the value of Kähler …
I present a new class of topological string theories, and discuss them in two dimensions as candidates for the string description of large-$N$ QCD. The starting point is a new class of topological sigma models, whose path integral is localized to the moduli space of harmonic maps from the worldsheet to the target. The Lagrangian is of fourth order in worldsheet derivatives. After gauging worldsheet diffeomorphisms in this ``harmonic topological sigma model,'' we obtain a topological string theory dominated by minimal-area maps. The bosonic part of this ``topological rigid string'' Lagrangian c…
We show that the BRST structure of the topological string is encoded in the ``small'' $N=4$ superconformal algebra, enabling us to obtain, in a non-trivial way, the string theory from hamiltonian reduction of $A(1|1)$. This leads to the important conclusion that not only ordinary string theories, but topological strings as well, can be obtained, or even defined, by hamiltonian reduction from WZW models. Using two different gradations, we find either the standard $N=2$ minimal models coupled to topological gravity, or an embedding of the bosonic string into the topological string. We also comme…
We consider world-sheet instanton effects in N=1 string orientifolds of noncompact toric Calabi-Yau threefolds. We show that unoriented closed string topological amplitudes can be exactly computed using localization techniques for holomorphic maps with involution. Our results are in precise agreement with mirror symmetry and large N duality predictions.
It is shown how the topological string amplitudes encode the BPS structure of wrapped M2 branes in M-theory compactification on Calabi-Yau threefolds. This in turn is related to a twisted supersymmetric index in 5 dimensions which receives contribution only from BPS states. The spin dependence of BPS states in 5 dimensions is captured by the string coupling constant dependence of topological string amplitudes.
We have numerically calculated topological andnon-topological solitons in two spatial dimensions with Chern-Simons term. Their quantum stability, as well as that of the Maxwell vortex, is analyzed by means of bounce instantons which involve three-dimensional strings and non-topological solitons.
We review the relation between Chern-Simons gauge theory and topological string theory on noncompact Calabi-Yau spaces. This relation has made possible to give an exact solution of topological string theory on these spaces to all orders in the string coupling constant. We focus on the construction of this solution, which is encoded in the topological vertex, and we emphasize the implications of the physics of string/gauge theory duality for knot theory and for the geometry of Calabi-Yau manifolds.
We prove that critical and subcritical N=2 string theory gives a realization of an N=2 superfield extension of the topological conformal algebra. The essential observation is the vanishing of the background charge.
We show that the supersymmetric partition function of three-dimensional N=2 R-symmetric Chern-Simons-matter theories on the squashed S^3 and on S^2 x S^1 can be computed with the so-called Higgs branch localization method, alternative to the more standard Coulomb branch localization. For theories that could be completely Higgsed by Fayet-Iliopoulos terms, the path integral is dominated by BPS vortex strings sitting at two circles in the geometry. In this way, the partition function directly takes the form of a sum, over a finite number of points on the classical Coulomb branch, of a vortex-str…
In this talk we give a brief review of the algebraic structure behind the open and closed topological strings and $D$-branes and emphasize the role of tensor category and the Frobenius algebra. Also, we speculate on the possibility of generalizing the topological strings and the $D$-branes through the subfactor theory.
A certain topological field theory is shown to be equivalent to the compactified c=1 string. This theory is described in both Kazama-Suzuki coset and Landau-Ginzburg formulations. The genus-g partition function and genus-0 multi-tachyon correlators of the c=1 string are shown to be calculable in this approach. The KPZ formulation of non-critical string theory has a natural relation to this topological model. (Talk given at the Nato Advanced Research Workshop on `New Developments in String Theory, Conformal Models and Topological Field Theory', Cargese, May 12-21 1993.)
Following a recent paper by Alday and Tachikawa, we compute the instanton partition function in the presence of the surface operator by the localization formula on the moduli space. For SU(2) theories we find an exact agreement with CFT correlation functions with a degenerate operator insertion, which enables us to work out the decoupling limit of the superconformal theory with four flavors to asymptotically free theories at the level of differential equations for CFT correlation functions (irregular conformal blocks). We also argue that the K theory (or five dimensional) lift of these computa…
In this paper we show that the polynomial structure of the topological string partition function found by Yamaguchi and Yau for the quintic holds for an arbitrary Calabi-Yau manifold with any number of moduli. Furthermore, we generalize these results to the open topological string partition function as discussed recently by Walcher and reproduce his results for the real quintic.
We extend the recent study of 3d tt* geometry to 5d (4d) N=1 (N=2) supersymmetric theories. We show how the amplitudes of tt* geometry lead to an extension of topological strings and Nekrasov partition functions to twistor space, where the north/south poles of the twistor sphere lead to topological/anti-topological string amplitudes. However, the equator of the twistor sphere is the physical region for the amplitudes, where the unitarity of physical amplitudes is respected. We propose that the amplitudes for line operators studied by Gaiotto, Moore and Neitzke lead to difference equations for …
Supersymmetric localization has lead to remarkable progress in computing quantum corrections to BPS black hole entropy. The program has been successful especially for computing perturbative corrections to the Bekenstein-Hawking area formula. In this work, we consider non-perturbative corrections related to polar states in the Rademacher expansion, which describes the entropy in the microcanonical ensemble. We propose that these non-perturbative effects can be identified with a new family of saddles in the localization of the quantum entropy path integral. We argue that these saddles, which are…
$\chat=1$ fermionic string theory, which is considered as a fermionic string theory in two dimension, is shown to decompose into two mutually independent parts, one of which can be viewed as a topological model and the other is irrelevant for the theory. The physical contents of the theory is largely governed by this topological structure, and the discrete physical spectrum of $\chat=1$ string theory is naturally explained as the physical spectrum of the topological model. This topological structure turns out to be related with a novel hidden $N=2$ superconformal algebra (SCA) in the envelopin…
We show that a general solution to the extended holomorphic anomaly equations for the open topological string on D-branes in a Calabi-Yau manifold, recently written down by Walcher in arXiv:0705.4098, is obtained from the general solution to the holomorphic anomaly equations for the closed topological string on the same manifold, by shifting the closed string moduli by amounts proportional to the 't Hooft coupling.
We show that the non-critical $c=1$ string at the self-dual radius is equivalent to topological strings based on the deformation of the conifold singularity of Calabi-Yau threefolds. The Penner sum giving the genus expansion of the free energy of the $c=1$ string theory at the self-dual radius therefore gives the universal behaviour of the topological partition function of a Calabi-Yau threefold near a conifold point.
We point out that the moduli sector of the $(2,2)$ string compactification with its nonperturbatively preserved non-compact symmetries is a framework to study global topological defects. Based on the target space modular invariance of the nonperturbative superpotential of the four-dimensional $N=1$ supersymmetric string vacua, topologically stable stringy domain walls are found. Explicit supersymmetric solutions for the modulus field and the metric, which saturate the Bogomol'nyi bound, are presented. They interpolate between {\it non-degenerate} vacua. As a corollary, this defines a new notio…
We propose expressions for refined open topological string partition function on certain non-compact Calabi Yau 3-folds with topological branes wrapped on the special lagrangian submanifolds. The corresponding web diagrams are partially compact and a lagrangian brane is inserted on one of the external legs. Partial compactification introduces a mass deformation in the corresponding gauge theory. We propose conjectures that equate these open topological string partition functions with the generating function of equivaraint indices on certain quiver moduli spaces. To obtain these conjectures we …
We show that, in local Calabi-Yau manifolds, the topological open string partition function transforms as a wavefunction under modular transformations. Our derivation is based on the topological recursion for matrix models, and it generalizes in a natural way the known result for the closed topological string sector. As an application, we derive results for vevs of 1/2 BPS Wilson loops in ABJM theory at all genera in a strong coupling expansion, for various representations.
We show that the BRS operator of the topological string B model is not holomorphic in the complex structure of the target space. This implies that the so-called holomorphic anomaly of topological strings should not be interpreted as a BRS anomaly.
Motivated by the recent conjecture of Ooguri, Strominger and Vafa, we compute the semi-canonical partition function of BPS black holes in N=4 and N=8 string theories, to all orders in perturbation theory. Not only are the black hole partition functions surprisingly simple; they capture the full topological string amplitudes, as expected from the OSV conjecture. The agreement is not perfect, however, as there are differences between the black hole and topological string partition functions even at the perturbative level. We propose a minimal modification of the OSV conjecture, in which these di…
In this paper, which is the last of a series of three, we first verify that the two open-closed effective potentials derived in the previous paper from the WZW theory in the large Hilbert space and the $A_\infty$ theory in the small Hilbert space have the same vacuum structure. In particular, we show that mass-term deformations given by the effective (two open)-(one closed) couplings are the same, provided the effective tadpole is vanishing to first order in the closed string deformation. We show that this condition is always realized when the worldsheet BCFT enjoys a global ${\cal N}=2$ super…
The evidence for string/string-duality can be extended from the matching of the vector couplings to gravitational couplings. In this note this is shown in the rank three example, the closest stringy analog of the Seiberg/Witten-setup, which is related to the Calabi-Yau $WP^4_{1,1,2,2,6}(12)$. I provide an exact analytical verification of a relation checked by coefficient comparison to fourth order by Kaplunovsky, Louis and Theisen.
When many fundamental strings are stacked together, they puff up into D-branes. BIons and giant gravitons are the examples of such D-brane configurations that arise from coincident strings. We propose and demonstrate analogous transitions in topological string theory. Such transitions can also be understood in terms of the Fourier transform of D-brane amplitudes.
We analyze the phase structure of topological Calabi--Yau manifolds defined on the moduli space of instantons. We show in this framework that topological vacua describe new phases of the Heterotic String theory in which the flat directions corresponding to complex deformations are lifted. We also briefly discuss the phase structure of non--Kähler manifolds.
We explicitly show that the new polynomial invariants for knots, upto nine crossings, agree with the Ooguri-Vafa conjecture relating Chern-Simons gauge theory to topological string theory on the resolution of the conifold.
This thesis is concerned with a realisation of topological theories in terms of statistical models known as Calabi-Yau crystals. The thesis starts with an introduction and review of topological field and string theories. Subsequently several new results are presented. The main focus of the thesis is on the topological string theory. In this case crystal models correspond to three-dimensional partitions and their relations with the topological vertex theory and knot invariants are studied. Two-dimensional crystal models corresponding to topological gauge theories on ALE spaces are also introduc…
We study the topological string on compact Calabi-Yau threefolds in the presence of orientifolds and D-branes. In examples, we find that the total topological string amplitude admits a BPS expansion only if the topological charge of the D-brane is equal to that of the orientifold plane. We interpret this as a manifestation of a general tadpole cancellation condition in the topological string that is necessary for decoupling of A- and B-model in loop amplitudes. Our calculations in the A-model involve an adapted version of existing localization techniques, and give predictions for the real enum…
The open topological string partition function in the background of a D-brane on a Calabi-Yau threefold specifies a state in the Hilbert space associated with the quantization of the underlying special geometry. This statement is a consequence of the extended holomorphic anomaly equation after an appropriate shift of the closed string variables, and can be viewed as the expression of background independence for the open-closed topological string. We also clarify various other aspects of the structure of the extended holomorphic anomaly equation. We conjecture that the collection of all D-brane…
In this work, we study a class of higher derivative couplings in the string effective action arising at the junction of topological string theory and supersymmetric gauge theories in the $Ω$-background. They generalise a series of gravitational couplings involving gravitons and graviphotons, which reproduces the topological string theory partition function. The latter reduces, in the field theory limit, to the partition function of the gauge theory in the $Ω$-background when one if its parameters, say $ε_+$, is set to zero. This suggests the existence of a one-parameter extension called the re…
I present arguments to the affect that the topological phase of string theory must be event-symmetric. This motivates a search for a universal string group for discrete strings in event-symmetric space-time which unifies space-time symmetry with internal gauge symmetry. This is partially successful but the results are incomplete and I speculate on the use of quantum groups to define a well behaved theory which would resolve the discrete/continuum dual nature of stringy space-time.
We consider a string theory with two types of strings with geometric interaction. We show that the theory contains strings with constant Dirichlet boundary condition and those strings are glued together by 2-d topological gravity with macroscopic boundaries. A light-cone string field theory is given and the theory has interactions to all orders. (Postscript files of the figures can be obtained by anonymous ftp uful07.phys.ufl.edu and are in the directory /het/ufift-hep-92-26.)
We study the stringy instanton partition function of four dimensional ${\cal N}=2$ $U(N)$ supersymmetric gauge theory which was obtained by Bonelli et al in 2013. In type IIB string theory on $\mathbb{C}^2\times T^*\mathbb{P}^1\times \mathbb{C}$, the stringy $U(N)$ instantons of charge $k$ are described by $k$ D1-branes wrapping around the $\mathbb{P}^1$ bound to $N$ D5-branes on $\mathbb{C}^2\times \mathbb{P}^1$. The KK corrections induced by compactification of the $\mathbb{P}^1$ give the stringy corrections. We find a relation between the stringy instanton partition function whose quantum s…
The topological description of $2D$ string theory at the self-dual radius is studied in the algebro-geometrical formulation of the $A_{k+1}$ topological models at $k=-3$. Genus zero correlators of tachyons and their gravitational descendants are computed as intersection numbers on moduli space and compared to $2D$ string results. The interpretation of negative momentum tachyons as gravitational descendants of the cosmological constant, as well as modifications of this, is shown to imply a disagreement between $2D$ string correlators and the associated intersection numbers.
In cohomological field theory we can obtain topological invariants as correlation functions of BRS cohomology classes. A proper understanding of BRS cohomology which gives non-trivial results requires the equivariant cohomology theory. Both topological Yang-Mills theory and topological string theory are typical examples of this fact. After reviewing the role of the equivariant cohomology in topological Yang-Mills theory, we show in purely algebraic framework how the $U(1)$ equivariant cohomology in topological string theory gives the gravitational descendants. The free energy gives a generatin…
The addition of a topological model to the matter content of a conventional closed-string theory leads to the appearance of many perturbatively-decoupled space-time worlds. We illustrate this by classifying topological vertex models on a triangulated surface. We comment on how such worlds could have been coupled in the Planck era.
It has been argued by Ishikawa and Kato that by making use of a specific bosonization, $c_M=1$ string theory can be regarded as a constrained topological sigma model. We generalize their construction for any $(p,q)$ minimal model coupled to two dimensional (2d) gravity and show that the energy--momentum tensor and the topological charge of a constrained topological sigma model can be mapped to the energy--momentum tensor and the BRST charge of $c_M<1$ string theory at zero cosmological constant. We systematically study the physical state spectrum of this topological sigma model and recover the…
The partition function of $D_{N+1}$ topological string, the coupled system of topological gravity and $D_{N+1}$ topological minimal matter , is proposed in the framework of KP hierarchy. It is specified by the elements of $GL(\infty)$ which constitute the deformed family from the $A_{2N-1}$ topological string. Its dispersionless limit is investigated from the view of both dispersionless KP hierarchy and singularity theory. In particular the free energy restricted on the small phase space coincides with that for the topological Landau-Ginzburg model of type $D_{N+1}$.
We show how the topological string partition function, which is known to capture the degeneracies of a gas of BPS spinning M2-branes in M-theory compactified to 5 dimensions, is related to a 4-dimensional D-brane system that consists of single D6-brane bound to lower-dimensional branes. This system is described by a topologically twisted U(1) gauge theory, that has been conjecturally identified with quantum foam models and topological strings. This also explains, assuming the identification of Donaldson-Thomas invariants with this U(1) gauge theory, the conjectural relation between DT invarian…
In this paper, based on the gauge potential decomposition and the $ϕ-$mapping theories, we study the topological structures and properties of the cosmic strings that arise in the Abelian-Higgs gauge theory in the zero-thickness limit. After a detailed discussion, we conclude that the topological tensor current introduced in our model is a better and more basic starting point than the generally used Nambu-Goto effective action for studying cosmic strings.
Cosmic strings in the early universe have received revived interest in recent years. In this paper we derive these structures as topological defects from singular distributions of the quintessence field of dark energy. Our emphasis is placed on the topological charge of tangled cosmic strings, which originates from the Hopf mapping and is a Chern-Simons action possessing strong inherent tie to knot topology. It is shown that the Kauffman bracket knot polynomial can be constructed in terms of this charge for un-oriented knotted strings, serving as a topological invariant much stronger than the …
It is proved the conformal invariance of the phase space formulation for topological string actions associated with the number of handles and the number of self-intersections of the world surface. Differences and similarities with the phase space formulation of an Abelian gauge theory are discussed.
The purpose of this note is to provide a short invitation to the universal algebraic approach to topological string theory. In the first section we make an attempt to explain the origin of this approach and how it fits into the bigger picture of full string theory, while in the second half of this note we will introduce the relevant notions in more detail and discuss some of our main results on bulk-deformed open topological string amplitudes.
We study beta-ensembles with Bn, Cn, and Dn eigenvalue measure and their relation with refined topological strings. Our results generalize the familiar connections between local topological strings and matrix models leading to An measure, and illustrate that all those classical eigenvalue ensembles, and their topological string counterparts, are related one to another via various deformations and specializations, quantum shifts and discrete quotients. We review the solution of the Gaussian models via Macdonald identities, and interpret them as conifold theories. The interpolation between the v…
We propose a non-perturbative definition for refined topological strings. This can be used to compute the partition function of superconformal theories in 5 dimensions on squashed S^5 and the superconformal index of a large number of 6 dimensional (2,0) and (1,0) theories, including that of N coincident M5 branes. The result can be expressed as an integral over the product of three combinations of topological string amplitudes. SL(3,Z) modular transformations acting by inverting the coupling constants of the refined topological string play a key role.
We consider M-theory compactification on Calabi-Yau threefolds. The recently discovered connection between the BPS states of wrapped M2 branes and the topological string amplitudes on the threefold is used both as a tool to compute topological string amplitudes at higher genera as well as to unravel the degeneracies and quantum numbers of BPS states. Moduli spaces of $k$-fold symmetric products of the wrapped M2 brane play a crucial role. We also show that the topological string partition function is the Calabi-Yau version of the elliptic genus of the symmetric product of $K3$'s and use the ma…
In these lecture notes for the Les Houches School on Applications of Random Matrices in Physics we give an introduction to the connections between matrix models and topological strings. We first review some basic results of matrix model technology and then we focus on type B topological strings. We present the main results of Dijkgraaf and Vafa describing the spacetime string dynamics on certain Calabi-Yau backgrounds in terms of matrix models, and we emphasize the connection to geometric transitions and to large N gauge/string duality. We also use matrix model technology to analyze large N Ch…
We study the relation between topological string theory and singularity theory using the partition function of $A_{N-1}$ topological string defined by matrix integral of Kontsevich type. Genus expansion of the free energy is considered, and the genus $g=0$ contribution is shown to be described by a special solution of $N$-reduced dispersionless KP system. We show a universal correspondences between the time variables of dispersionless KP hierarchy and the flat coordinates associated with versal deformations of simple singularities of type $A$. We also study the behavior of topological matter t…
