We study the $m$-graded quiver theories associated to CY $(m+2)$-folds and their order $(m+1)$ dualities. We investigate how monodromies give rise to mutation invariants, which in turn can be formulated as Diophantine equations characterizing the space of dual theories associated to a given geometry. We discuss these ideas in general and illustrate them in the case of orbifold theories. Interestingly, we observe that even in this simple context the corresponding Diophantine equations may admit an infinite number of seeds for $m\geq 2$, which translates into an infinite number of disconnected duality webs. Finally, we comment on the possible generalization of duality cascades beyond $m=1$.
We consider the Higgs branch of 5d fixed points engineered using brane webs with an O7$^+$-plane. We use the brane construction to propose a set of rules to extract the corresponding magnetic quivers. Such magnetic quivers are generically framed non-simply-laced quivers containing unitary as well as special unitary gauge nodes. We compute the Coulomb branch Hilbert series of the proposed magnetic quivers. In some specific cases, an alternative magnetic quiver can be obtained either using an ordinary brane web or a brane web with an O5-plane. In these cases, we find a match at the level of the …
We study the Higgs branch of 5d superconformal theories engineered from brane webs with orientifold five-planes. We propose a generalization of the rules to derive magnetic quivers from brane webs pioneered in arXiv:2004.04082, by analyzing theories that can be described with a brane web with and without O5 planes. Our proposed magnetic quivers include novel features, such as hypermultiplets transforming in the fundamental-fundamental representation of two gauge nodes, antisymmetric matter, and $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge nodes. We test our results by computing the Coulomb and Higgs branch Hilbert se…
We discuss 3d brane webs and effective Chern-Simons levels for 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories. We find that turning on real masses for chiral multiplets leads to various equivalent brane webs that are related by flipping positions of D5-branes. We interpret flips as $ST$-transformations for chiral multiplets. $ST$-transformations could turn abelian theories into dual theories with mixed Chern-Simons levels that are interpreted as quiver matrices $C_{ij}$ encoding DT-invariants. We notice that each brane web corresponds to a quiver matrix. $ST$-transformations of holomorphic blocks are discu…
A graded quiver with superpotential is a quiver whose arrows are assigned degrees $c\in \{0, 1, \cdots, m\}$, for some integer $m \geq 0$, with relations generated by a superpotential of degree $m-1$. Ordinary quivers ($m=1)$ often describe the open string sector of D-brane systems; in particular, they capture the physics of D3-branes at local Calabi-Yau (CY) 3-fold singularities in type IIB string theory, in the guise of 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric quiver gauge theories. It was pointed out recently that graded quivers with $m=2$ and $m=3$ similarly describe systems of D-branes at CY 4-f…
Magnetic quivers have led to significant progress in the understanding of gauge theories with 8 supercharges at UV fixed points. For a given low-energy gauge theory realised via a Type II brane construction, there exist magnetic quivers for the Higgs branches at finite and infinite gauge coupling. Comparing these moduli spaces allows to study the non-perturbative effects when transitioning to the fixed point. For 5d $\mathcal{N}=1$ SQCD, 5-brane webs have been an important tool for deriving magnetic quivers. In this work, the emphasis is placed on 5-brane webs with orientifold 5-planes which g…
We consider equivariant dimensional reduction of Yang-Mills theory on K"ahler manifolds of the form M times CP^1 times CP^1. This induces a rank two quiver gauge theory on M which can be formulated as a Yang-Mills theory of graded connections on M. The reduction of the Yang-Mills equations on M times CP^1 times CP^1 induces quiver gauge theory equations on M and quiver vortex equations in the BPS sector. When M is the noncommutative space R_theta^{2n} both BPS and non-BPS solutions are obtained, and interpreted as states of D-branes. Using the graded connection formalism, we assign D0-brane ch…
We present a number of investigations of 5d ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetric gauge theories that make use of 5-brane web constructions and the 5d superconformal index. These include an observation of enhanced global symmetry in the 5d fixed point theory corresponding to $SU(N)$ gauge theory with Chern-Simons level $\pm N$, enhanced global symmetries in quiver theories, and dualities between quiver theories and non-quiver theories. Instanton contributions play a crucial role throughout.
It is widely considered that the classical Higgs branch of 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ SQCD is a well understood object. However there is no satisfactory understanding of its structure. There are two complications: (1) the Higgs branch chiral ring contains nilpotent elements, as can easily be checked in the case of $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ with 1 flavour. (2) the Higgs branch as a geometric space can in general be decomposed into two cones with nontrivial intersection, the baryonic and mesonic branches. To study the second point in detail we use the recently developed tool of magnetic quivers for five-brane we…
The open string sector of the topological B-model on CY $(m+2)$-folds is described by $m$-graded quivers with superpotentials. This correspondence generalizes the connection between CY $(m+2)$-folds and gauge theories on the worldvolume of D$(5-2m)$-branes for $m=0,\ldots,3$ to arbitrary $m$. In this paper we introduce the Calabi-Yau product, a new algorithm that starting from the known quiver theories for a pair of toric CY$_{m+2}$ and CY$_{n+2}$ produces the quiver theory for a related CY$_{m+n+3}$. This method significantly supersedes existing ones, enabling the simple determination of quiv…
The open string sector of the topological B-model model on CY $(m+2)$-folds is described by $m$-graded quivers with superpotentials. This correspondence extends to general $m$ the well known connection between CY $(m+2)$-folds and gauge theories on the worldvolume of D$(5-2m)$-branes for $m=0,\ldots, 3$. We introduce $m$-dimers, which fully encode the $m$-graded quivers and their superpotentials, in the case in which the CY $(m+2)$-folds are toric. Generalizing the well known $m=1,2$ cases, $m$-dimers significantly simplify the connection between geometry and $m$-graded quivers. A key result o…
We study four-dimensional N=1 gauge theories which arise from D3-brane probes of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds. There are some standing paradoxes in the literature regarding relations among (p,q)-webs, toric diagrams and various phases of the gauge theories, we resolve them by proposing and carefully distinguishing between two kinds of (p,q)-webs: toric and quiver (p,q)-webs. The former has a one to one correspondence with the toric diagram while the latter can correspond to multiple gauge theories. The key reason for this ambiguity is that a given quiver (p,q)-web can not capture non-chiral mat…
We study various duality webs involving the 3d FT[SU(N)] theory, a close relative of the T[SU(N)] quiver tail. We first map the partition functions of FT[SU(N)] and its 3d spectral dual to a pair of spectral dual q-Toda conformal blocks. Then we show how to obtain the FT[SU(N)] partition function by Higgsing a 5d linear quiver gauge theory, or equivalently from the refined topological string partition function on a certain toric Calabi-Yau three-fold. 3d spectral duality in this context descends from 5d spectral duality. Finally we discuss the 2d reduction of the 3d spectral dual pair and stud…
This is a companion paper of arXiv:1601.03586. We study Coulomb branches of unframed and framed quiver gauge theories of type $ADE$. In the unframed case they are isomorphic to the moduli space of based rational maps from ${\mathbb C}P^1$ to the flag variety. In the framed case they are slices in the affine Grassmannian and their generalization. In the appendix, written jointly with Joel Kamnitzer, Ryosuke Kodera, Ben Webster, and Alex Weekes, we identify the quantized Coulomb branch with the truncated shifted Yangian.
We explore the properties of five-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories living on $5$-brane webs in orientifold $5$-plane backgrounds. This allows constructing quiver gauge theories with alternating $USp(2N)$ and $SO(N)$ gauge groups with fundamental matter, and thus leads to the existence of new $5d$ fixed point theories. The web description can be further used to study non-perturbative phenomena such as enhancement of symmetry and duality. We further suggest that one can use these systems to engineer $5d$ $SO$ group with spinor matter. We present evidence for this claim.
We describe configurations of 5-branes and 7-branes which realize, when compactified on a circle, new isolated four-dimensional N=2 superconformal field theories recently constructed by Gaiotto. Our diagrammatic method allows to easily count the dimensions of Coulomb and Higgs branches, with the help of a generalized s-rule. We furthermore show that superconformal field theories with E6, E7, E8 flavor symmetry can be analyzed in a uniform manner in this framework; in particular we realize these theories at infinitely strongly-coupled limits of quiver theories with SU gauge groups.
We explore nonrelativistic limits of $\mathcal{N}=1$ quiver gauge theories in 5d. The stringy counterpart of these SCFTs is characterised by torsional string Newton-Cartan (TSNC) sigma models those are defined over non-Lorentzian manifolds. We further show that under transverse T-duality, these TSNC sigma models are mapped into another new class of nonrelativistic sigma models those are defined over a T-dual TSNC background. Considering nonrelativistic limits of various field theory observables in a holographic set up, we further estimate corresponding entities in the TSNC limit of $ \mathcal{…
D3 branes stretching between webs of (p,q) 5branes provide an interesting class of 3d N=2 theories. For generic pq-webs however the low energy field theory is not known. We use 3d mirror symmetry and Type IIB S-duality to construct Abelian gauge theories corresponding to D3 branes ending on both sides of a pq-web made of many coincident NS5's intersecting one D5. These theories contain chiral monopole operators in the superpotential and enjoy a non trivial pattern of global symmetry enhancements. In the special case of the pq-web with one D5 and one NS5, the 3d low energy SCFT admits three dua…
This is a noncommutative-geometric study of the semiclassical dynamics of finite topological D-brane systems. Starting from the formulation in terms of A -infinity categories, I show that such systems can be described by the noncommutative symplectic supergeometry of Z2-graded quivers, and give a synthetic formulation of the boundary part of the generalized WDVV equations. In particular, a faithful generating function for integrated correlators on the disk can be constructed as a linear combination of quiver necklaces, i.e. a function on the noncommutative symplectic superspace defined by the …
We study a triangulated category of graded matrix factorizations for a polynomial of type ADE. We show that it is equivalent to the derived category of finitely generated modules over the path algebra of the corresponding Dynkin quiver. Also, we discuss a special stability condition for the triangulated category in the sense of T. Bridgeland, which is naturally defined by the grading.
Following Braverman-Finkelberg-Feigin-Rybnikov (arXiv:1008.3655), we study the convolution algebra of a handsaw quiver variety, a.k.a. a parabolic Laumon space, and a finite W-algebra of type A. This is a finite analog of the AGT conjecture on 4-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with surface operators. Our new observation is that the C^*-fixed point set of a handsaw quiver variety is isomorphic to a graded quiver variety of type A, which was introduced by the author in connection with the representation theory of a quantum affine algebra. As an application, simple modules of the W-a…
Using a reformulation of the method of (p,q) webs, we study the four-dimensional N=1 quiver theories from M-theory on seven-dimensional manifolds with G_2 holonomy. We first construct such manifolds as U(1) quotients of eight-dimensional toric hyper-Kähler manifolds, using N=4 supersymmetric sigma models. We show that these geometries, in general, are given by real cones on \bf S^2 bundles over complex two-dimensional toric varieties, \cal \bf V^2= {{\bf C}^{r+2}/ {{\bf C}^*}^r}. Then we discuss the connection between the physics content of M-theory on such G_2 manifolds and the method of (p,q…
We study the Higgs branch of the SCFT limit of 5d SO(6) and SO(8) gauge theory with hypermultiplets in the spinor and vector representations. In the case of SO(6) gauge theories, we contrast the magnetic quivers obtained with those of SU(4) gauge theory with hypermultiplets in the fundamental and second rank antisymmetric representations. Since SU(4) gauge theories admit several different values of the Chern-Simons level, we make some observations about how to distinguish those theories from the brane webs of the SO(6) theories. In the case of SO(8) gauge theories, we use SO(8) triality to pro…
We propose refined topological vertex formalism for 5-brane systems with ON-planes by introducing a new vertex associated with reflection over an ON-plane, which gives rise to new vertex and edge factors. We test our proposal against various 5d $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories which can be realized as 5-brane webs with ON-planes, which include $D$-type quiver theories. In particular, we compute the refined partition functions for 6d E-string theory on a circle as well as 5d SU(3) theory at the Chern-Simons level 9, which can be realized as 5-brane webs with two ON-planes. Our results completely …
5d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) can be obtained from 6d SCFTs by circle compactification and mass deformation. Successive decoupling of hypermultiplet matter and RG-flow generates a decoupling tree of descendant 5d SCFTs. In this paper we determine the magnetic quivers and Hasse diagrams, that encode the Higgs branches of 5d SCFTs, for entire decoupling trees. Central to this undertaking is the approach in arXiv:2008.05577, which, starting from the generalized toric polygons (GTPs) dual to 5-brane webs/tropical curves, provides a systematic and succinct derivation of magnetic quivers …
We present a unified mathematical framework that elegantly describes minimally SUSY gauge theories in even dimension, ranging from $6d$ to $0d$, and their dualities. This approach combines recent developments on graded quiver with potentials, higher Ginzburg algebras and higher cluster categories (also known as $m$-cluster categories). Quiver mutations studied in the context of mathematics precisely correspond to the order $(m+1)$ dualities of the gauge theories. Our work suggests that these equivalences of quiver gauge theories sit inside an infinite family of such generalized dualities, whos…
