The correspondence between the semiclassical limit of the DOZZ quantum Liouville theory and the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit of the N = 2 (Omega-deformed) U(2) super-Yang-Mills theories is used to calculate the unknown accessory parameter of the Fuchsian uniformization of the 4-punctured sphere. The computation is based on the saddle point method. This allows to find an analytic expression for the N_f = 4, U(2) instanton twisted superpotential and, in turn, to sum up the 4-point classical block. It is well known that the critical value of the Liouville action functional is the generating function of the accessory parameters. This statement and the factorization property of the 4-point action allow to express the unknown accessory parameter as the derivative of the 4-point classical block with respect to the modular parameter of the 4-punctured sphere. It has been found that this accessory parameter is related to the sum of all rescaled column lengths of the so-called 'critical' Young diagram extremizing the instanton 'free energy'. It is shown that the sum over the 'critical' column lengths can be rewritten in terms of a contour integral in which the integrand is built out of certain special functions closely related to the ordinary Gamma function.
We give an implicit equation for the accessory parameter on the torus which is the necessary and sufficient condition to obtain the monodromy of the conformal factor. It is shown that the perturbative series for the accessory parameter in the coupling constant converges in a finite disk and give a rigorous lower bound for the radius of convergence. We work out explicitly the perturbative result to second order in the coupling for the accessory parameter and to third order for the one-point function. Modular invariance is discussed and exploited. At the non perturbative level it is shown that t…
We prove a relation between the asymptotic behavior of the conformal factor and the accessory parameters of the SU(1,1) Riemann- Hilbert problem. Such a relation shows the hamiltonian nature of the dynamics of N particles coupled to 2+1 dimensional gravity. A generalization of such a result is used to prove a connection between the regularized Liouville action and the accessory parameters in presence of general elliptic singularities. This relation had been conjectured by Polyakov in connection with 2-dimensional quantum gravity. An alternative proof, which works also in presence of parabolic …
In this work the correspondence between the semiclassical limit of the DOZZ quantum Liouville theory on the torus and the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit of the N=2* (Omega-deformed) U(2) super-Yang-Mills theory is used to propose new formulae for the accessory parameter of the Lame equation. This quantity is in particular crucial for solving the problem of uniformization of the one-punctured torus. The computation of the accessory parameters for torus and sphere is an open longstanding problem which can however be solved if one succeeds to derive an expression for the so-called classical Liouville…
We give the proof of the real analyticity of the accessory parameters in Liouville field theory as a function of the position of the sources in the case in which in addition to elliptic sources, parabolic sources are present. The method is a non trivial extension of the elliptic case as it requires in an intermediate step the introduction of a regulator. The treatment holds also in the case of the torus. A discussion is given of the extension to higher genus surfaces.
We apply the Le Roy-Poincaré continuation method to prove the real analytic dependence of the accessory parameters on the position of the sources in Liouville theory in presence of any number of elliptic sources. The treatment is easily extended to the case of the torus with any number of elliptic singularities. A discussion is given of the extension of the method to parabolic singularities and higher genus surfaces.
We consider the problem of the real analytic dependence of the accessory parameters of Liouville theory on the moduli of the problem, for general elliptic singularities. We give a simplified proof of the almost everywhere real analyticity in the case of a single accessory parameter as it occurs e.g. in the sphere topology with four sources or for the torus topology with a single source by using only the general analyticity properties of the solution of the auxiliary equation. We deal then the case of two accessory parameters. We use the obtained result for a single accessory parameter to deriv…
We propose the form of the Liouville action satisfying Polyakov conjecture on the accessory parameters for the hyperbolic singularities on the Riemann sphere.
We show that the real-valued function $S_α$ on the moduli space $\mathcal{M}_{0,n}$ of pointed rational curves, defined as the critical value of the Liouville action functional on a hyperbolic 2-sphere with $n\geq 3$ conical singularities of arbitrary orders $α=\{α_1,...,α_n\}$, generates accessory parameters of the associated Fuchsian differential equation as their common antiderivative. We introduce a family of Kaehler metrics on $\mathcal{M}_{0,n}$ parameterized by the set of orders $α$, explictly relate accessory parameters to these metrics, and prove that the functions $S_α$ are their Kae…
We work out the perturbative expansion of quantum Liouville theory on the pseudosphere starting from the semiclassical limit of a background generated by heavy charges. By solving perturbatively the Riemann-Hilbert problem for the Poincare' accessory parameters, we give in closed form the exact Green function on the background generated by one finite charge. Such a Green function is used to compute the quantum determinants i.e. the one loop corrections to known semiclassical limits thus providing the resummation of infinite classes of standard perturbative graphs. The results obtained for the …
Zamolodchikov's recursion relations are used to analyze the existence and approximations to the classical conformal block in the case of four parabolic weights. Strong numerical evidence is found that the saddle point momenta arising in the classical limit of the DOZZ quantum Liouville theory are simply related to the geodesic length functions of the hyperbolic geometry on the 4-punctured Riemann sphere. Such relation provides new powerful methods for both numerical and analytical calculations of these functions. The consistency conditions for the factorization of the 4-point classical Liouvil…
We continue the study of quantum Liouville theory through Polyakov's functional integral \cite{Pol1,Pol2}, started in \cite{T1}. We derive the perturbation expansion for Schwinger's generating functional for connected multi-point correlation functions involving stress-energy tensor, give the ``dynamical'' proof of the Virasoro symmetry of the theory and compute the value of the central charge, confirming previous calculation in \cite{T1}. We show that conformal Ward identities for these correlation functions contain such basic facts from Kähler geometry of moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces, as…
We solve the Riemann-Hilbert problem on the sphere topology for three singularities of finite strength and a fourth one infinitesimal, by determining perturbatively the Poincare' accessory parameters. In this way we compute the semiclassical four point vertex function with three finite charges and a fourth infinitesimal. Some of the results are extended to the case of n finite charges and m infinitesimal. With the same technique we compute the exact Green function on the sphere with three finite singularities. Turning to the full quantum problem we address the calculation of the quantum determ…
We construct Euclidean Liouville conformal field theories in odd number of dimensions. The theories are nonlocal and non-unitary with a log-correlated Liouville field, a ${\cal Q}$-curvature background, and an exponential Liouville-type potential. We study the classical and quantum properties of these theories including the finite entanglement entropy part of the sphere partition function $F$, the boundary conformal anomaly and vertex operators' correlation functions. We derive the analogue of the even-dimensional DOZZ formula and its semi-classical approximation.
We develop a functional integral approach to quantum Liouville field theory completely independent of the hamiltonian approach. To this end on the sphere topology we solve the Riemann-Hilbert problem for three singularities of finite strength and a fourth one infinitesimal, by determining perturbatively the Poincare' accessory parameters. This provides the semiclassical four point vertex function with three finite charges and a fourth infinitesimal. Some of the results are extended to the case of n finite charges and m infinitesimal. With the same technique we compute the exact Green function …
We conjecture an expression for the Liouville theory conformal blocks and correlation functions on a Riemann surface of genus g and n punctures as the Nekrasov partition function of a certain class of N=2 SCFTs recently defined by one of the authors. We conduct extensive tests of the conjecture at genus 0,1.
This is the 11th article in the collection of reviews "Exact results in N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories", ed. J. Teschner. It describes an approach to understanding the 4d/2d relations discovered by Alday, Gaiotto and Tachikawa by establishing a triangle of relations between the zero mode quantum mechanics obtained by localisation of class $\cal S$ theories, the quantum theory obtained by quantisation of Hitchin moduli spaces, and conformal field theory.
We consider a generalization of the two-dimensional Liouville conformal field theory to any number of even dimensions. The theories consist of a log-correlated scalar field with a background $\mathcal{Q}$-curvature charge and an exponential Liouville-type potential. The theories are non-unitary and conformally invariant. They localize semiclassically on solutions that describe manifolds with a constant negative $\mathcal{Q}$-curvature. We show that $C_T$ is independent of the $\mathcal{Q}$-curvature charge and is the same as that of a higher derivative scalar theory. We calculate the A-type Eu…
We study (0,2) deformations of N=2 Liouville field theory and its mirror duality. A gauged linear sigma model construction of the ultraviolet theory connects (0,2) deformations of Liouville field theory and (0,2) deformations of N=2 SL(2,R)/U(1) coset model as a mirror duality. Our duality proposal from the gauged linear sigma model completely agrees with the exact CFT analysis. In the context of heterotic string compactifications, the deformation corresponds to the introduction of a non-trivial gauge bundle. This non-compact Landau-Ginzburg construction yields a novel way to study the gauge b…
As an existence proof of the (0,2) heterotic supercurrent supermultiplets in (1+1) dimensional quantum field theories which are consistent with the warped superconformal algebra, we construct the (0,2) chiral Liouville field theories. The two distinct possibilities of the heterotic supercurrent supermultiplets are both realized.
We study the Liouville theory on a Riemann surface of genus g by means of their associated Drinfeld--Sokolov linear systems. We discuss the cohomological properties of the monodromies of these systems. We identify the space of solutions of the equations of motion which are single--valued and local and explicitly represent them in terms of Krichever--Novikov oscillators. Then we discuss the operator structure of the quantum theory, in particular we determine the quantum exchange algebras and find the quantum conditions for univalence and locality. We show that we can extend the above discussion…
We show that the central charge of the Liouville and ADE Toda theories can be reproduced by equivariantly integrating the anomaly eight-form of the corresponding six-dimensional N=(0,2) theories, which describe the low-energy dynamics of M5-branes.
The conjecture about the correspondence between instanton partition functions in the N=2 SUSY Yang-Mills theory and conformal blocks of two-dimensional conformal field theories is extended to the case of the N=1 supersymmetric conformal blocks. We find that the necessary modification of the moduli space of instantons requires additional restriction of Z(2)-symmetry. This leads to an explicit form of the N=1 superconformal blocks in terms of Young diagrams with two sorts of cells.
The AGT motivated relation between the tensor product of the N = 1 super-Liouville field theory with the imaginary free fermion (SL) and a certain projected tensor product of the real and the imaginary Liouville field theories (LL) is analyzed. Using conformal field theory techniques we give a complete proof of the equivalence in the NS sector. It is shown that the SL-LL correspondence is based on the equivalence of chiral objects including suitably chosen chiral structure constants of all the three Liouville theories involved.
N=3 super-Schwarzian and N=(3,0) super-Liouville theories are formulated by the coadjoint orbit method. We study the coadjoint orbit dependence of the respective theories, represented by a superfield b. We show that it is renormalized into the N=3 super-Schwarzian derivative when the b field takes an appropriate configuration at the initial point of the orbit. Then the renormalized actions of the respective theories are invariant under OSp(2$|$3) transformations. If the configuration gets further specified, the initial point of the orbit turns out to be stable under one other kind of OSp(2$|$3…
We study irregular states of rank-two and three in Liouville theory, based on an ansatz proposed by D. Gaiotto and J. Teschner. Using these irregular states, we evaluate asymptotic expansions of irregular conformal blocks corresponding to the partition functions of $(A_1,A_3)$ and $(A_1,D_4)$ Argyres-Douglas theories for general $Ω$-background parameters. In the limit of vanishing Liouville charge, our result reproduces strong coupling expansions of the partition functions recently obtained via the Painlevé/gauge correspondence. This suggests that the irregular conformal block for one irregula…
We discuss some aspects of Liouville field theory, starting from operator equation of motion in presence of two screening charges and re-derive the dual zero mode Schwinger Dyson equations for the two screening charges from the path integral. Using functional methods we show the familiar pole structure of Liouville correlation function using the partition function. Next we discuss a generalized structure of the correlation functions obtained from the zero mode functional equations. From this structure we infer the use of the Barnes double Gamma functions to construct a part of the denominator …
We study certain relevant boundary perturbations of Liouville theory and discuss implications of our results for the brane dynamics in noncritical string theories. Our results include (i) There exist monodromies in the parameter $μ_{\rm B}$ of the Neumann-type boundary condition that create an admixture represented by the Dirichlet type boundary condition. (ii) Certain renormalization group flows can be studied perturbatively, which allows one to determine the results of the corresponding brane decays. (iii) There exists a simple renormalization group flow that can be calculated exactly. In al…
We propose that N=2 U(2) gauge theories on the A_1 ALE space, with asymptotic holonomies not in SU(2), correspond to the Ramond sector of super Liouville theory. As evidence, we show that the instanton partition functions for the theories with and without a fundamental hypermultiplet, computed with such holonomies, coincide with the norms or the inner products of the Whittaker vectors in the Ramond sector. This correspondence suggests that S-duality of U(2) gauge theories interchanges the sectors with different boundary conditions.
Large-N matrix models coupled via multitrace operators are used to define, via appropriate double-scaling limits, solvable models of interacting multi-string theories. It is shown that although such theories are non-local at the world-sheet level they have a simple description of the spacetime physics. Such theories share the main characteristics of similarly coupled higher-dimensional CFTs. An interpretation has been given in the past of similar continuum limits in terms of Liouville interactions that violate the Seiberg bound. We provide a novel interpretation of this relation which agrees w…
General properties of a class of two-dimensional dilaton gravity (DG) theories with multi-exponential potentials are studied and a subclass of these theories, in which the equations of motion reduce to Toda and Liouville equations, is treated in detail. A combination of parameters of the equations should satisfy a certain constraint that is identified and solved for the general multi-exponential model. From the constraint it follows that in DG theories the integrable Toda equations, generally, cannot appear without accompanying Liouville equations. We also show how the wave-like solutions of t…
In this dissertation we present some basic features about Liouville and $\mathcal{N}=1$ Super Liouville Theory, and focus in the computation of their three point functions. Additionally, we include an introduction to Conformal Field Theories (CFT) and Supersymmetry, which are the basic tools of the present research.
The general properties of a class of two-dimensional dilaton gravity (DG) theories with multi-exponential potentials are studied and a subclass of these theories, in which the equations of motion reduce to Toda and Liouville equations, is treated in detail. A combination of parameters of the equations should satisfy a certain constraint that is identified and solved for the general model. It follows that in DG the integrable Toda equations, generally, cannot appear without accompanying Liouville equations. The most difficult problem in the two-dimensional Toda-Liouville DG is to solve the ener…
We propose a correspondence between loop operators in a family of four dimensional N=2 gauge theories on S^4 -- including Wilson, 't Hooft and dyonic operators -- and Liouville theory loop operators on a Riemann surface. This extends the beautiful relation between the partition function of these N=2 gauge theories and Liouville correlators found by Alday, Gaiotto and Tachikawa. We show that the computation of these Liouville correlators with the insertion of a Liouville loop operator reproduces Pestun's formula capturing the expectation value of a Wilson loop operator in the corresponding gaug…
We present a novel derivation of the duality between the two-dimensional Euclidean black hole and supersymmetric Liouville theory. We realise these (1+1)-dimensional conformal field theories on the worldvolume of domain walls in a (2+1)-dimensional gauge theory. We show that there exist two complementary descriptions of the domain wall dynamics, resulting in the two mirror conformal field theories. In particular, effects which are usually attributed to worldsheet instantons are captured by the classical scattering of domain walls.
These lecture notes review current progress on the class of conformal theories which may be studied by quantizing the conformal Toda dynamics. After summarizing recent developments in undertanding the quantum group structure of the Liouville theory, one recalls how classically, two-dimensional black holes come out from the non-abelian Toda systems, and reviews the geometrical interpretation of the classical $A_n$-Toda theories, just put forward, that relates W-geometries with the external geometries of holomorphic surfaces in complex projective spaces.
We propose a relation between correlation functions in the 2d A_{N-1} conformal Toda theories and the Nekrasov instanton partition functions in certain conformal N=2 SU(N) 4d quiver gauge theories. Our proposal generalises the recently uncovered relation between the Liouville theory and SU(2) quivers. New features appear in the analysis that have no counterparts in the Liouville case.
We consider a ${\hat c}=1$ model in the fermionic black hole background. For this purpose we consider a model which contains both the N=1 and the N=2 super-Liouville interactions. We propose that this model is dual to a recently proposed type 0A matrix quantum mechanics model with vortex deformations. We support our conjecture by showing that non-perturbative corrections to the free energy computed by both the matrix model and the super-Liouville theories agree exactly by treating the N=2 interaction as a small perturbation. We also show that a two-point function on sphere calculated from the …
In this paper we discuss various aspects of non-compact models of CFT of the type: $ \prod_{j=1}^{N_L} {N=2 Liouville theory}_j \otimes \prod_{i=1}^{N_M} {N=2 minimal model}_i $ and $ \prod_{j=1}^{N_L}{SL(2;R)/U(1) supercoset}_j \otimes \prod_{i=1}^{N_M} {N=2 minimal model}_i $. These models are related to each other by T-duality. Such string vacua are expected to describe non-compact Calabi-Yau compactifications, typically ALE fibrations over (weighted) projective spaces. We find that when the Liouville ($SL(2;R)/U(1)$) theory is coupled to minimal models, there exist only (c,c), (a,a) ((c,a)…
We analyse boundary conformal field theories on random surfaces using the conformal gauge approach of David, Distler and Kawai. The crucial point is the choice of boundary conditions on the Liouville field. We discuss the Weyl anomaly cancellation for Polyakov`s non-critical open bosonic string with Neumann, Dirichlet and free boundary conditions. Dirichlet boundary conditions on the Liouville field imply that the metric is discontinuous as the boundary is approached. We consider the semi-classical limit and argue how it singles out the free boundary conditions on the Liouville field. We defin…
We consider unoriented strings in the supersymmetric SL(2,R)/U(1) coset, which describes the two-dimensional Euclidean black hole, and its mirror dual N=2 Liouville theory. We analyze the orientifolds of these theories from several complementary points of view: the parity symmetries of the worldsheet actions, descent from known AdS_3 parities, and the modular bootstrap method (in some cases we can also check our results against known constraints coming from the conformal bootstrap method). Our analysis extends previous work on orientifolds in Liouville theory, the AdS_3 and SU(2) WZW models an…
The Liouville field theory on Z_N-Riemann surfaces is studied and it is shown that it decomposes into a Liouville field theory on the sphere and N-1 free boson theories. Also, the partition function of the Liouville field theory on the Z_N-Riemann surfaces is expressed as a product of the correlation function for the Liouville vertex operators on the sphere and a number of twisted fields.
The applications of the existing Liouville theories for the description of the longitudinal dynamics of non-critical Nambu-Goto string are analyzed. We show that the recently developed DOZZ solution to the Liouville theory leads to the cut singularities in tree string amplitudes. We propose a new version of the Polyakov geometric approach to Liouville theory and formulate its basic consistency condition - the geometric bootstrap equation. Also in this approach the tree amplitudes develop cut singularieties.
Motivated by problems arising in the study of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories we introduce and study irregular singularities in two-dimensional conformal field theory, here Liouville theory. Irregular singularities are associated to representations of the Virasoro algebra in which a subset of the annihilation part of the algebra act diagonally. In this paper we define natural bases for the space of conformal blocks in the presence of irregular singularities, describe how to calculate their series expansions, and how such conformal blocks can be constructed by some delicate limiting procedure…
The quantum Wess-Zumino-Witten $\to$ Liouville reduction is formulated using the phase space path integral method of Batalin, Fradkin, and Vilkovisky, adapted to theories on compact two dimensional manifolds. The importance of the zero modes of the Lagrange multipliers in producing the Liouville potential and the WZW anomaly, and in proving gauge invariance, is emphasised. A previous problem concerning the gauge dependence of the Virasoro centre is solved.
We present a relation between N=2 quiver gauge theories on the ALE space O_{P^1}(-2) and correlators of N=1 super Liouville conformal field theory, providing checks in the case of punctured spheres and tori. We derive a blow-up formula for the full Nekrasov partition function and show that, up to a U(1) factor, the N=2^* instanton partition function is given by the product of the character of \hat{SU}(2)_2 times the super Virasoro conformal block on the torus with one puncture. Moreover, we match the perturbative gauge theory contribution with super Liouville three-point functions.
In the gravitational context, Liouville theory is the two-dimensional conformal field theory that controls the boundary dynamics of asymptotically AdS_3 spacetimes at the classical level. By taking a suitable limit of the coupling constants of the Hamiltonian formulation of Liouville, we construct and analyze a BMS_3 invariant two-dimensional field theory that is likely to control the boundary dynamics at null infinity of three dimensional asymptotically flat gravity.
Recently, a duality between Liouville theory and four dimensional N=2 gauge theory has been uncovered by some of the authors. We consider the role of extended objects in gauge theory, surface operators and line operators, under this correspondence. We map such objects to specific operators in Liouville theory. We employ this connection to compute the expectation value of general supersymmetric 't Hooft-Wilson line operators in a variety of N=2 gauge theories.
We advance a correspondence between the topological defect operators in Liouville and Toda conformal field theories - which we construct - and loop operators and domain wall operators in four dimensional N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories on S^4. Our computation of the correlation functions in Liouville/Toda theory in the presence of topological defect operators, which are supported on curves on the Riemann surface, yields the exact answer for the partition function of four dimensional gauge theories in the presence of various walls and loop operators; results which we can quantitatively substa…
We study four-point correlation functions with logarithmic behaviour in Liouville field theory on a sphere, which consist of one kind of the local operators. We study them as non-integrated correlation functions of the gravitational sector of two-dimensional quantum gravity coupled to an ordinary conformal field theory in the conformal gauge. We also examine, in the (p,q) minimal conformal field theories, a condition of the appearance of logarithmic correlation functions of gravitationally dressed operators.
We provide evidence that the conformal blocks of N=1 super Liouville conformal field theory are described in terms of the SU(2) Nekrasov partition function on the ALE space O_{P^1}(-2).
In this work we propose an exact solution of the c=1 Liouville model, i.e. of the world-sheet theory that describes the homogeneous decay of a closed string tachyon. Our expressions are obtained through careful extrapolation from the correlators of Liouville theory with c > 25. In the c=1 limit, we find two different theories which differ by the signature of Liouville field. The Euclidean limit coincides with the interacting c=1 theory that was constructed by Runkel and Watts as a limit of unitary minimal models. The couplings for the Lorentzian limit are new. In contrast to the behavior at c …
In this paper we study the correspondence between the $\hat{\textrm{su}}(n)_{k}\oplus \hat{\textrm{su}}(n)_{p}/\hat{\textrm{su}}(n)_{k+p}$ coset conformal field theories and $\mathcal{N}=2$ SU(n) gauge theories on $\mathbb{R}^{4}/\mathbb{Z}_{p}$. Namely we check the correspondence between the SU(2) Nekrasov partition function on $\mathbb{R}^{4}/\mathbb{Z}_{4}$ and the conformal blocks of the $S_{3}$ parafermion algebra (in $S$ and $D$ modules). We find that they are equal up to the U(1)-factor as it was in all cases of AGT-like relations. Studying the structure of the instanton partition funct…
We construct the boundary ground ring in c < 1 open string theories with non-zero boundary cosmological constant (FZZT brane), using the Coulomb gas representation. The ring relations yield an over-determined set of functional recurrence equations for the boundary correlation functions, which involve shifts of the target space momenta of the boundary fields as well as the boundary parameters on the different segments of the boundary.
We propose an SL(2,R) Chern-Simons description of Liouville field theory (LFT), whose correlation function duals to partition function of N=2 SU(2) gauge theories. We give the dual expressions for conformal blocks, fusion rules, and Wilson loop operators in Chern-Simons theory. By realizing Wilson loop operator in Liouville as a Hopf link in S^3 on which lives an SL(2,R) Chern-Simons theory, we obtain an alternative description of monodromy of this loop operator in Liouville field theory as the ratio of link invariants. We show how to calculate t'Hooft loops in the simplest example -- the N=4 …
In this paper we show that there exists a new class of topological field theories, whose correlators are intersection numbers of cohomology classes in a constrained moduli space. Our specific example is a formulation of 2D topological gravity. The constrained moduli-space is the Poincare' dual of the top Chern-class of the bundle $E_\rightarrow {\cal M}_g$, whose sections are the holomorphic differentials. Its complex dimension is $2g-3$, rather then $3g-3$. We derive our model by performing the A-topological twist of N=2 supergravity, that we identify with N=2 Liouville theory, whose rheonomi…
