We construct a free fermion and matrix model representation of refined BPS generating functions of D2 and D0 branes bound to a single D6 brane, in a class of toric manifolds without compact four-cycles. In appropriate limit we obtain a matrix model representation of refined topological string amplitudes. We consider a few explicit examples which include a matrix model for the refined resolved conifold, or equivalently five-dimensional U(1) gauge theory, as well as a matrix representation of the refined MacMahon function. Matrix models which we construct have ordinary unitary measure, while their potentials are modified to incorporate the effect of the refinement.
In this note we study refined BPS invariants associated with certain quantum line defects in quantum field theories of class $\mathcal{S}$. Such defects can be specified via geometric engineering in the UV by assigning a path on a certain curve. In the IR they are described by framed BPS quivers. We study the associated BPS spectral problem, including the spin content. The relevant BPS invariants arise from the K-theoretic enumerative geometry of the moduli spaces of quiver representations, adapting a construction by Nekrasov and Okounkov. In particular refined framed BPS states are described …
We consider four-dimensional dyonic single-center BPS black holes in the $N=2$ STU model of Sen and Vafa. By working in a region of moduli space where the real part of two of the three complex scalars $S, T, U$ are taken to be large, we evaluate the quantum entropy function for these BPS black holes. In this regime, the subleading corrections point to a microstate counting formula partly based on a Siegel modular form of weight two. This is supplemented by another modular object that takes into account the dependence on $Y^0$, a complex scalar field belonging to one of the four off-shell vecto…
We study BPS spectra of D-branes on local Calabi-Yau threefolds $\mathcal{O}(-p)\oplus\mathcal{O}(p-2)\to \mathbb{P}^1$ with $p=0,1$, corresponding to $\mathbb{C}^3/\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ and the resolved conifold. Nonabelianization for exponential networks is applied to compute directly unframed BPS indices counting states with D2 and D0 brane charges. Known results on these BPS spectra are correctly reproduced by computing new types of BPS invariants of 3d-5d BPS states, encoded by nonabelianization, through their wall-crossing. We also develop the notion of exponential BPS graphs for the simplest …
In this paper we study the BPS state counting in the geometry of local obstructed curve with normal bundle O+O(-2). We find that the BPS states have a framed quiver description. Using this quiver description along with the Seiberg duality and the localization techniques, we can compute the BPS state indices in different chambers dictated by stability parameter assignments. This provides a well-defined method to compute the generalized Donaldson-Thomas invariants. This method can be generalized to other affine ADE quiver theories.
It is well known that in string compactifications on toric Calabi-Yau manifolds one can introduce refined BPS invariants that carry information not only about the charge of the BPS state but also about the spin content. In this paper we study how these invariants behave under wall crossing. In particular, by applying a refined wall crossing formula, we obtain the refined BPS degeneracies for the conifold in different chambers. The result can be interpreted in terms of a new statistical model that counts `refined' pyramid partitions; the model provides a combinatorial realization of wall crossi…
We study Gromov-Witten invariants of a rational elliptic surface using holomorphic anomaly equation in [HST1](hep-th/9901151). Formulating invariance under the affine $E_8$ Weyl group symmetry, we determine conjectured invariants, the number of BPS states, from Gromov-Witten invariants. We also connect our holomorphic anomaly equation to that found by Bershadsky,Cecotti,Ooguri and Vafa [BCOV1](hep-th/9302103).
We formulate large $N$ duality of $\mathrm{U}(N)$ refined Chern-Simons theory with a torus knot/link in $S^3$. By studying refined BPS states in M-theory, we provide the explicit form of low-energy effective actions of Type IIA string theory with D4-branes on the $Ω$-background. This form enables us to relate refined Chern-Simons invariants of a torus knot/link in $S^3$ to refined BPS invariants in the resolved conifold. Assuming that the extra $\mathrm{U}(1)$ global symmetry acts on BPS states trivially, the duality predicts graded dimensions of cohomology groups of moduli spaces of M2-M5 bou…
We construct a statistical model that correctly reproduces the BPS partition function of D4-D2-D0 bound states on the resolved conifold. We prove that the known partition function of the BPS indices is reproduced by the counting "triangular partitions" problem. The wall-crossing phenomena in our model are also studied.
In this paper, we use an M-theory model to conjecture the refined reminiscence of the OSV formula connecting the refined topological string partition function with the refined BPS states partition function for the toric Calabi-Yau threefolds without any compact four cycles. Further, we show how to use the vertex operators in 2d free fermions to reproduce the refined BPS states partition function for the $\mathbb{C}^3$ case and the wall-crossing formulas of the refined BPS states partition function for the resolved conifold and $\mathcal{O}(-2)\oplus\mathcal{O}\rightarrow \mathbb{P}^1$ cases.
An on-shell model for the supersymmetric index counting multiplicities of BPS states of the M5-brane theory is reviewed. In particular we explicitly study the tensionless Little String states appearing at intersections in a bound state of $N$ 5-branes wrapped on a six-manifold with product topology $M_4\times T^2$.
We develop a systematic and efficient method of counting single-trace and multi-trace BPS operators with two supercharges, for world-volume gauge theories of $N$ D-brane probes for both $N \to \infty$ and finite $N$. The techniques are applicable to generic singularities, orbifold, toric, non-toric, complete intersections, et cetera, even to geometries whose precise field theory duals are not yet known. The so-called ``Plethystic Exponential'' provides a simple bridge between (1) the defining equation of the Calabi-Yau, (2) the generating function of single-trace BPS operators and (3) the gene…
We examine the low-lying quarter BPS spectrum of a 2d conformal field theory with target Sym$^N(K3)$ at various points in the moduli space, and look at a more refined count than the ordinary elliptic genus. We compute growth of the spectrum at both the symmetric orbifold point, as well as at the supergravity point in the moduli space. Finally we do a decomposition of the spectra into $\mathcal{N}=4$ characters and discuss possible relations to interesting symmetry groups. A similar analysis is done with $T^4$.
We consider some aspects of counting BPS operators which are annihilated by two supercharges, in superconformal field theories. For non-zero coupling, the corresponding multi-variable partition functions can be written in terms of generating functions for vector partitions or their weighted generalisations. We derive asymptotics for the density of states for a wide class of such multi-variable partition functions. We also point out a particular factorisation property of the finite N partition functions. Finally, we discuss the concept of a limit curve arising from the large N partition functio…
We define new partition functions for theories with targets on toric singularities via products of old partition functions on crepant resolutions. We compute explicit examples and show that the new partition functions turn out to be homogeneous on MacMahon factors.
Pure D-brane Black Holes: BPS Counting and non-BPS Vacua
Harish–Chandra Research Institute, A CI of Homi Bhabha National Institute（哈瑞什-昌德拉研究所，霍米·巴巴国立大学下属机构）；Department of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar（印度布巴内斯瓦尔理工学院基础科学学院物理系）
We discuss a general procedure to obtain 1/2 BPS partition functions for generic N=1 quiver gauge theories. These functions count the gauge invariant operators (bosonic and fermionic), charged under all the global symmetries (mesonic and baryonic), in the chiral ring of a given quiver gauge theory. In particular we discuss the inclusion of the spinor degrees of freedom in the partition functions.
We count Higgs "phase" BPS states of general non-Abelian quiver, possibly with loops, by mapping the problem to its Abelian, or toric, counterpart and imposing Weyl invariance later. Precise Higgs index computation is particularly important for quivers with superpotentials; the Coulomb "phase" index is recently shown to miss important BPS states, dubbed intrinsic Higgs states or quiver invariants. We demonstrate how the refined Higgs index is naturally decomposed to a sum over partitions of the charge. We conjecture, and show in simple cases, that this decomposition expresses the Higgs index a…
In this paper, we propose a mathematical definition of a new ``numerical invariants" of Calabi--Yau 3-folds from stable sheaves of dimension one, which is motivated by the Gopakumar-Vafa conjecture in M-theory. Moreover, we show that for any projective morphism $f:X -> Y$ of normal projective varieties, there exists a natural $sl_2 \times sl_2$ action on the intersection cohomology group $IH(X, \Q)$ which fits into the perverse Leray spectral sequence.
We count 1/8-BPS states in type IIB string theory on AdS_5 x S^5 background which carry three independent angular momenta on S^5. These states can be counted by considering configurations of multiple dual-giant gravitons up to N in number which share at least four supersymmetries. We map this counting problem to that of counting the energy eigen states of a system of N bosons in a 3-dimensional harmonic oscillator. We also count 1/8-BPS states with two independent non-zero spins in AdS_5 and one non-zero angular momentum on S^5 by considering configurations of arbitrary number of giant gravito…
We study supersymmetric D3 brane configurations wrapping internal cycles of type II backgrounds AdS(5) x H for a generic Sasaki-Einstein manifold H. These configurations correspond to BPS baryonic operators in the dual quiver gauge theory. In each sector with given baryonic charge, we write explicit partition functions counting all the BPS operators according to their flavor and R-charge. We also show how to extract geometrical information about H from the partition functions; in particular, we give general formulae for computing volumes of three cycles in H.
We formulate a refined version of the Ooguri-Strominger-Vafa (OSV) conjecture. The OSV conjecture that Z_{BH} = |Z_{top}|^2 relates the BPS black hole partition function to the topological string partition function Z_{top}. In the refined conjecture, Z_{BH} is the partition function of BPS black holes counted with spin, or more precisely the protected spin character. Z_{top} becomes the partition function of the refined topological string, which is itself an index. Both the original and the refined conjecture are examples of large N duality in the 't Hooft sense. The refined conjecture applies…
A refinement of the stable pair invariants of Pandharipande and Thomas for non-compact Calabi-Yau spaces is introduced based on a virtual Bialynicki-Birula decomposition with respect to a C* action on the stable pair moduli space, or alternatively the equivariant index of Nekrasov and Okounkov. This effectively calculates the refined index for M-theory reduced on these Calabi-Yau geometries. Based on physical expectations we propose a product formula for the refined invariants extending the motivic product formula of Morrison, Mozgovoy, Nagao, and Szendroi for local P^1. We explicitly compute …
We study BPS states of 5d $\mathcal{N}=1$ $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills theory on $S^1\times \mathbb{R}^4$. Geometric engineering relates these to enumerative invariants for the local Hirzebruch surface $\mathbb{F}_0$. We illustrate computations of Vafa-Witten invariants via exponential networks, verifying fiber-base symmetry of the spectrum at certain points in moduli space, and matching with mirror descriptions based on quivers and exceptional collections. Albeit infinite, parts of the spectrum organize in families described by simple algebraic equations. Varying the radius of the M-theory circle inter…
We consider the generating function (prepotential) for Gromov-Witten invariants of rational elliptic surface. We apply the local mirror principle to calculate the prepotential and prove a certain recursion relation, holomorphic anomaly equation, for genus 0 and 1. We propose the holomorphic anomaly equation for all genera and apply it to determine higher genus Gromov-Witten invariants and also the BPS states on the surface. Generalizing Göttsche's formula for the Hilbert scheme of $g$ points on a surface, we find precise agreement of our results with the proposal recently made by Gopakumar and…
We review the problem of BPS state counting described by the generalized quiver matrix model of ADHM type. In four dimensions the generating function of the counting gives the Nekrasov partition function and we obtain generalization in higher dimensions. By the localization theorem, the partition function is given by the sum of contributions from the fixed points of the torus action, which are labeled by partitions, plane partitions and solid partitions. The measure or the Boltzmann weight of the path integral can take the form of the plethystic exponential. Remarkably after integration the pa…
Exact results for the BPS index are known for a class of BPS dyons in type II string theory compactified on a six dimensional torus. In this paper we set up the problem of counting the same BPS states in a duality frame in which the states carry only Ramond-Ramond charges. We explicitly count the number of states carrying the lowest possible charges and find agreement with the result obtained in other duality frames. Furthermore, we find that after factoring out the supermultiplet structure, each of these states carry zero angular momentum. This is in agreement with the prediction obtained fro…
We consider wall-crossing phenomena associated to the counting of D2-branes attached to D4-branes wrapping lagrangian cycles in Calabi-Yau manifolds, both from M-theory and matrix model perspective. Firstly, from M-theory viewpoint, we review that open BPS generating functions in various chambers are given by a restriction of the modulus square of the open topological string partition functions. Secondly, we show that these BPS generating functions can be identified with integrands of matrix models, which naturally arise in the free fermion formulation of corresponding crystal models. A parame…
We derive a $U$-duality invariant formula for the degeneracies of BPS multiplets in a D1-D5 system for toroidal compactification of the type II string. The elliptic genus for this system vanishes, but it is found that BPS states can nevertheless be counted using a certain topological partition function involving two insertions of the fermion number operator. This is possible due to four extra toroidal U(1) symmetries arising from a Wigner contraction of a large $\mathcal{N}=4$ algebra $\mathcal{A}_{κ,κ'}$ for $κ' \to \infty$. We also compare the answer with a counting formula derived from supe…
F-theory compactifications on appropriate local elliptic Calabi-Yau manifolds engineer six dimensional superconformal field theories and their mass deformations. The partition function $Z_{top}$ of the refined topological string on these geometries captures the particle BPS spectrum of this class of theories compactified on a circle. Organizing $Z_{top}$ in terms of contributions $Z_β$ at base degree $β$ of the elliptic fibration, we find that these, up to a multiplier system, are meromorphic Jacobi forms of weight zero with modular parameter the Kaehler class of the elliptic fiber and ellipti…
In this paper, we show how to get matrix models corresponding to the refined BPS states partition functions of $\mathbb{C}^3$, resolved conifold and $\mathbb{C}^3/\mathbb{Z}_2$ by inserting the identity operator at a proper position in the fermionic expression of the refined BPS states partition functions.
It has been argued that the Nekrasov's partition function gives the generating function of refined BPS state counting in the compactification of M theory on local Calabi-Yau spaces. We show that a refined version of the topological vertex we proposed before (hep-th/0502061) is a building block of the Nekrasov's partition function with two equivariant parameters. Compared with another refined topological vertex by Iqbal-Kozcaz-Vafa (hep-th/0701156), our refined vertex is expressed entirely in terms of the specialization of the Macdonald symmetric functions which is related to the equivariant ch…
We discuss relations between quantum BPS invariants defined in terms of a product decomposition of certain series, and difference equations (quantum A-polynomials) that annihilate such series. We construct combinatorial models whose structure is encoded in the form of such difference equations, and whose generating functions (Hilbert-Poincaré series) are solutions to those equations and reproduce generating series that encode BPS invariants. Furthermore, BPS invariants in question are expressed in terms of Lyndon words in an appropriate language, thereby relating counting of BPS states to the …
This note is presenting the generating functions which count the BPS operators in the chiral ring of a N=2 quiver gauge theory that lives on N D3 branes probing an ALE singularity. The difficulty in this computation arises from the fact that this quiver gauge theory has a moduli space of vacua that splits into many branches -- the Higgs, the Coulomb and mixed branches. As a result there can be operators which explore those different branches and the counting gets complicated by having to deal with such operators while avoiding over or under counting. The solution to this problem turns out to b…
In this work we verify consistency of refined topological string theory from several perspectives. First, we advance the method of computing refined open amplitudes by means of geometric transitions. Based on such computations we show that refined open BPS invariants are non-negative integers for a large class of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds: an infinite class of strip geometries, closed topological vertex geometry, and some threefolds with compact four-cycles. Furthermore, for an infinite class of toric geometries without compact four-cycles we show that refined open string amplitudes take for…
We review free fermion, melting crystal and matrix model representations of wall-crossing phenomena on local, toric Calabi-Yau manifolds. We consider both unrefined and refined BPS counting of closed BPS states involving D2 and D0-branes bound to a D6-brane, as well as open BPS states involving open D2-branes ending on an additional D4-brane. Appropriate limit of these constructions provides, among the others, matrix model representation of refined and unrefined topological string amplitudes.
We examine the large $N$ 1/4-BPS spectrum of the symmetric orbifold CFT Sym$^N(M)$ deformed to the supergravity point in moduli space for $M= K3$ and $T^4$. We consider refinement under both left- and right-moving $SU(2)_R$ symmetries of the superconformal algebra, and decompose the spectrum into characters of the algebra. We find that at large $N$ the character decomposition satisfies an unusual property, in which the degeneracy only depends on a certain linear combination of left- and right-moving quantum numbers, suggesting deeper symmetry structure. Furthermore, we consider the action of d…
We introduce a class of new algebras, the shifted quiver Yangians, as the BPS algebras for type IIA string theory on general toric Calabi-Yau three-folds. We construct representations of the shifted quiver Yangian from general subcrystals of the canonical crystal. We derive our results via equivariant localization for supersymmetric quiver quantum mechanics for various framed quivers, where the framings are determined by the shape of the subcrystals. Our results unify many known BPS state counting problems, including open BPS counting, non-compact D4-branes, and wall crossing phenomena, simply…
We study topological string amplitudes for the FHSV model using various techniques. This model has a type II realization involving a Calabi-Yau threefold with Enriques fibres, which we call the Enriques Calabi-Yau. By applying heterotic/type IIA duality, we compute the topological amplitudes in the fibre to all genera. It turns out that there are two different ways to do the computation that lead to topological couplings with different BPS content. One of them leads to the standard D0-D2 counting amplitudes, and from the other one we obtain information about bound states of D0-D4-D2 branes on …
For D=4 BPS state construction, counting, and wall-crossing thereof, quiver quantum mechanics offers two alternative approaches, the Coulomb phase and the Higgs phase, which sometimes produce inequivalent counting. The authors have proposed, in arXiv:1205.6511, two conjectures on the precise relationship between the two, with some supporting evidences. Higgs phase ground states are naturally divided into the Intrinsic Higgs sector, which is insensitive to wall-crossings and thus an invariant of quiver, plus a pulled-back ambient cohomology, conjectured to be an one-to-one image of Coulomb phas…
The free field partition function for a generic U(N) gauge theory, where the fundamental fields transform in the adjoint representation, is analysed in terms of symmetric polynomial techniques. It is shown by these means how this is related to the cycle polynomial for the symmetric group and how the large N result may be easily recovered. Higher order corrections for finite N are also discussed in terms of symmetric group characters. For finite N, the partition function involving a single bosonic fundamental field is recovered and explicit counting of multi-trace quarter BPS operators in free …
In this article, we calculated the refined topological vertex for the one parameter case using the Jack symmetric functions. Also, we obtain the partition function for elliptic N=2 models, the results coincide with those of Nekrasov instanton counting partition functions for the $N=2^{\ast}$ theories.
We investigate the problem of counting 1/16 BPS operators in N=4 Super-Yang-Mills theory at weak coupling. We present the complete set of 1/16 BPS operators in the infinite N limit, which agrees with the counting of free BPS multi-graviton states in the gravity dual AdS5xS5. Further, we conjecture that all 1/16 BPS operators in N=4 SYM are of the multi-graviton form, and give numerical evidences for this conjecture. We discuss the implication of our conjecture and the seeming failure in reproducing the entropy of large 1/16 BPS black holes in AdS5.
We study the BPS spectrum of supersymmetric 5 dimensional field theories and their representations as string webs. It is found that a state of given charges exists when it has a representation as an irreducible string web. Its spin is determined by the string web. The number of fermionic zero modes is 8g+4b, where g is the number of internal faces and b is the number of boundaries. In the lift to M theory of 4d field theories such states are described by membranes ending on the 5-brane, breaking SUSY from 8 to 4, and g becomes the genus of the membrane. Mathematically, we obtain a diagrammatic…
We use mirror symmetry, the refined holomorphic anomaly equation and modularity properties of elliptic singularities to calculate the refined BPS invariants of stable pairs on non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds, based on del Pezzo surfaces and elliptic surfaces, in particular the half K3. The BPS numbers contribute naturally to the five-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric index of M-theory, but they can be also interpreted in terms of the superconformal index in six dimensions and upon dimensional reduction the generating functions count N=2 Seiberg-Witten gauge theory instantons in four dimensions. …
To every 3-manifold M one can associate a two-dimensional N=(2,2) supersymmetric field theory by compactifying five-dimensional N=2 super-Yang-Mills theory on M. This system naturally appears in the study of half-BPS surface operators in four-dimensional N=2 gauge theories on one hand, and in the geometric approach to knot homologies, on the other. We study the relation between vortex counting in such two-dimensional N=(2,2) supersymmetric field theories and the refined BPS invariants of the dual geometries. In certain cases, this counting can be also mapped to the computation of degenerate co…
We propose a novel and simple method of computing the volume of the moduli space of BPS solitons in supersymmetric gauge theory. We use a D-brane realization of vortices and T-duality relation to domain walls. We there use a special limit where domain walls reduce to gas of hard (soft) one-dimensional rods for the Abelian (non-Abelian) cases. In the simpler cases of the Abelian-Higgs model on a torus, our results agree with exact results which are geometrically derived by an explicit integration over the moduli space of the vortices. On the other side of the limit, we can compute the volume of…
We describe a universal element in the group algebra of symmetric groups, whose characters provides the counting of quarter and eighth BPS states at weak coupling in N=4 SYM, refined according to representations of the global symmetry group. A related projector acting on the Hilbert space of the free theory is used to construct the matrix of two-point functions of the states annihilated by the one-loop dilatation operator, at finite N or in the large N limit. The matrix is given simply in terms of Clebsch-Gordan coefficients of symmetric groups and dimensions of U(N) representations. It is exp…
We perform a refined count of BPS states in the compactification of M-theory on $K3 \times T^2$, keeping track of the information provided by both the $SU(2)_L$ and $SU(2)_R$ angular momenta in the $SO(4)$ little group. Mathematically, this four variable counting function may be expressed via the motivic Donaldson-Thomas counts of $K3 \times T^2$, simultaneously refining Katz, Klemm, and Pandharipande's motivic Donaldson-Thomas counts on $K3$ and Oberdieck-Pandharipande's Gromov-Witten counts on $K3 \times T^2$. This provides the first full answer for motivic curve counts of a compact Calabi-Y…
Refined Invariants and Quantum Curves from Supersymmetric Localization
Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES)（高等科学研究所）；Fudan University（复旦大学）；Shanghai Institute for Mathematics and Interdisciplinary Sciences (SIMIS)（上海数学与交叉学科研究院）；Institute for Basic Science (IBS)（基础科学研究院）
We quantize the set of all quarter BPS brane probe solutions in global AdS_3 \times S^3 \times T^4/K3 found in arxiv:0709.1168 [hep-th]. We show that, generically, these solutions give rise to states in discrete representations of the SL(2,R) WZW model on AdS_3. Our procedure provides us with a detailed description of the low energy 1/4 and 1/2 BPS sectors of string theory on this background. The 1/4 BPS partition function jumps as we move off the point in moduli space where the bulk theta angle and NS-NS fields vanish. We show that generic 1/2 BPS states are protected because they correspond …
