In this note we study IR limits of pure two-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories with semisimple non-simply-connected gauge groups including SU(k)/Z_k, SO(2k)/Z_2, Sp(2k)/Z_2, E_6/Z_3, and E_7/Z_2 for various discrete theta angles, both directly in the gauge theory and also in nonabelian mirrors, extending a classification begun in previous work. We find in each case that there are supersymmetric vacua for precisely one value of the discrete theta angle, and no supersymmetric vacua for other values, hence supersymmetry is broken in the IR for most discrete theta angles. Furthermore, for the one distinguished value of the discrete theta angle for which supersymmetry is unbroken, the theory has as many twisted chiral multiplet degrees of freedom in the IR as the rank. We take this opportunity to further develop the technology of nonabelian mirrors to discuss how the mirror to a G gauge theory differs from the mirror to a G/K gauge theory for K a subgroup of the center of G. In particular, the discrete theta angles in these cases are considerably more intricate than those of the pure gauge theories studied in previous papers, so we discuss the realization of these more complex discrete theta angles in the mirror construction. We find that discrete theta angles, both in the original gauge theory and their mirrors, are intimately related to the descriptions of centers of universal covering groups as quotients of weight lattices by root sublattices. We perform numerous consistency checks, comparing results against basic group-theoretic relations as well as with decomposition, which describes how two-dimensional theories with one-form symmetries (such as pure gauge theories with nontrivial centers) decompose into disjoint unions, in this case of pure gauge theories with quotiented gauge groups and discrete theta angles.
We refine a previous proposal for obtaining the multi-instanton partition function from the supersymmetric index of the 1d supersymmetric gauge theory on the worldline of D0-branes. We provide examples where the refinements are crucial for obtaining the correct result.
In this note we extend the Pasti-Sorokin-Tonin formalism for chiral bosons in two dimensions to $N=(1,1)$ and $N=(2,2)$ superspace. In the latter case the formalism is developed for chiral, twisted chiral and semi-chiral superfields.
The geometric models of N=4 supersymmetric mechanics with $(2d.2d)_{\DC}$-dimensional phase space are proposed, which can be viewed as one-dimensional counterparts of two-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric sigma-models by Alvarez-Gaumé and Freedman. The related construction of supersymmetric mechanics whose phase space is a Kähler supermanifold is considered. Also, its relation with antisymplectic geometry is discussed.
In this short note we review the main features of open-string orbifolds with a quantised flux for the NS-NS antisymmetric tensor in the context of the open descendants of non-supersymmetric asymmetric orbifolds with a vanishing cosmological constant.
We analyze in an effective Lagrangian framework the connection between Super QCD (Super Yang Mills) and QCD (Yang Mills) by highlighting the crucial role that the zero modes play in the process of decoupling gluinos and squarks.
In these notes we review Klimcik's construction of noncommutative gauge theory on the fuzzy supersphere. This theory has an exact SUSY gauge symmetry with a finite number of degrees of freedom and thus in principle it is amenable to the methods of matrix models and Monte Carlo numerical simulations. We also write down in this article a novel fuzzy supersymmetric scalar action on the fuzzy supersphere.
Motivated by the AdS_6/CFT_5 correspondence, we study general supersymmetric solutions of massive type IIA supergravity, consisting of a warped product of six-dimensional anti-de Sitter space AdS_6 with a four-dimensional Riemannian manifold M_4, and fluxes compatible with the SO(5,2) symmetry. We find that the only local solution of this form is the warped AdS_6 x_w S^4 solution, originally discovered by Brandhuber and Oz. We discuss the supersymmetric properties of this solution.
We consider the infrared (IR) limit of the nonlinear integral equations (NLIEs) for the boundary supersymmetric sine-Gordon (BSSG) model, previously obtained from the NLIEs for the inhomogeneous open spin-1 XXZ quantum spin chain with general integrable boundary terms, for values of the boundary parameters which satisfy a certain constraint. In particular, we compute the boundary S matrix and determine the "lattice - IR" relation for the BSSG parameters.
In this paper we investigate how various equivalences between effective field theories of $N=2$ SUSY Yang-Mills theory with matter can be understood through Higgs breaking, i.e. by giving expectation values to squarks. We give explicit expressions for the flat directions for a wide class of examples.
We examine the BRS invariance of the open pure spinor superstring in the presence of background superfields on a Dp-brane. It is shown that the BRS invariance leads not only to boundary conditions on the spacetime spinors, but also to supersymmetric DBI equations of motion for the background superfields on the Dp-brane. These DBI equations are consistent with the supersymmetric DBI equations for a D9-brane.
We study supersymmetric Wilson loop operators in four-dimensional N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. We show that the contour of a supersymmetric Wilson loop is either an orbit of some conformal transformation of the space-time (case I), or an arbitrary contour in the subspace where local superalgebra generator is a pure spinor (case II). In the more interesting case II we find and classify all pairs (Q,W) of the supercharges and the corresponding operators modulo the action of the global symmetry group.
We discuss a class of supersymmetric type II non-relativistic solutions with exact or asymptotic scale invariance. As already emerged from previous investigations, we find a clear correspondence between anisotropic d-dimensional vacua and relativistic solutions in (d + 1)-dimensions. We will show that supersymmetric four-dimensional Poincare' invariant backgrounds in type IIB can descend to analogous solutions with anisotropic scaling in t and (x, y). This result can be applied to scale invariant theories, domain walls interpolating between four-dimensional Lifshitz vacua and more general solu…
This is an expanded version of the notes to a course taught by the first author at the 1995 Les Houches Summer School. Constraints on a tentative reconciliation of quantum theory and general relativity are reviewed. It is explained what supersymmetric quantum theory teaches us about differential topology and geometry. Non-commutative differential topology and geometry are developed in some detail. As an example, the non-commutative torus is studied. An introduction to string theory and $M$(atrix) models is provided, and it is outlined how tools of non-commutative geometry can be used to explor…
By using O(7,7) transformations, to deform D6-branes, we obtain half-supersymmetric bound state solutions of type IIA supergravity, containing D6, D4, D2, D0, F1-branes and waves. We lift the solutions to M-theory which gives half-supersymmetric M-theory bound states, e.g. KK6-M5-M5-M5-M2-M2-M2-MW. We also take near horizon limits for the type IIA solutions, which gives supergravity duals of 7-dimensional non-commutative open string theory (with space-time and space-space non-commutativity), non-commutative Yang-Mills theory (with space-space and light-like non-commutativity) and an open D4-br…
We study the Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) action with one linear and one non-linear supersymmetry in the presence of a constant Fayet-Iliopoulos (FI) D-term added explicitly or through a deformation of supersymmetry transformations. The linear supersymmetry appears to be spontaneously broken since the D auxiliary field gets a non-vanishing vacuum expectation value and an extra term proportional to the FI parameter involving fermions emerges in the non-linear formulation of the action written recently. However in this note, we show that on-shell this action is equivalent to a standard supersymmetric…
We study one loop corrections to $N=\frac{1}{2}$ supersymmetric $SU(N)\times U(1)$ pure gauge theory. We calculate divergent contributions of the 1PI graphs contain the non-anti-commutative parameter $C$ up to one loop corrections. We find the disagreement between component formalism and superspace formalism is because of the field redefinition in component case. We modify gaugino field redefinition and lagrangian. We show extra terms of lagrangian have been generated by $λ$ redefinition and are necessary for the renormalisation of the theory. Finally we prove $N = \frac{1}{2}$ supersymmetric …
We investigate consistency conditions for supersymmetric gauge theories in higher dimensions. First, we give a survey of Seiberg's necessary conditions for the existence of such theories with simple groups in five and six dimensions. We then make some comments on how theories in different dimensions are related. In particular, we discuss how the Landau pole can be avoided in theories that are not asymptotically free in four dimensions, and the mixing of tensor and vector multiplets in dimensional reduction from six dimensions.
Classical BRST invariance in the pure spinor formalism for the open superstring is shown to imply the supersymmetric Born-Infeld equations of motion for the background fields. These equations are obtained by requiring that the left and right-moving BRST currents are equal on the worldsheet boundary in the presence of the background. The Born-Infeld equations are expressed in N=1 D=10 superspace and include all abelian contributions to the low-energy equations of motion, as well as the leading non-abelian contributions.
The question of whether BPS invariants are protected in maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories is investigated from the point of view of algebraic renormalisation theory. The protected invariants are those whose cohomology type differs from that of the action. It is confirmed that one-half BPS invariants ($F^4$) are indeed protected while the double-trace one-quarter BPS invariant ($d^2F^4$) is not protected at two loops in D=7, but is protected at three loops in D=6 in agreement with recent calculations. Non-BPS invariants, i.e. full superspace integrals, are also shown to be unprotecte…
We study supersymmetric Sp(N) gauge theories with an antisymmetric tensor and degree n+1 tree level superpotential. The generalized Konishi anomaly equations derived in hep-th/0304119 and hep-th/0304138 are used to compute the low energy superpotential of the theory. This is done by imposing a certain integrality condition on the periods of a meromorphic one form. Explicit computations for Sp(2), Sp(4), Sp(6) and Sp(8) with cubic superpotential are done and full agreement with the results of the dynamically generated superpotential approach is found. As a byproduct, we find a very precise map …
We point out that pure supergravity theories in $AdS$ with enough supersymmetry lead, upon taking the large radius limit, to flat space quantum gravities with a nonperturbatively exact global symmetry, and are therefore in the Swampland. The argument applies to any $AdS$ supergravity with gauged R-symmetry group, including truncations of most well known examples, such as $AdS_5$ without the $S^5$ or $AdS_4$ without the $S^7$. This demonstrates that extreme scale separation, at least with enough supersymmetry, is not realizable. Moreover pure $AdS$ theories are also in conflict with some other …
We show how any asymptotically flat supersymmetric solution of minimal d=5 supergravity with flat base space can be deformed into another supersymmetric asymptotically-Godel solution and apply this procedure to the recently found supersymmetric black-ring and black-string solutions.
The thermodynamics of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories is studied by computing the two-loop correction to the canonical free energy and to the equation of state for theories with 16, 8 and 4 supercharges in any dimension $4\leq d\leq 10$, and in two dimensions at finite volume. In the four-dimensional case we also evaluate the first non-analytic contribution in the 't Hooft coupling to the free energy, arising from the resummation of ring diagrams. To conclude, we discuss some applications to the study of the Hagedorn transition in string theory in the context of Matrix strings and speculate…
An off-shell manifestly (8,0) worldsheet supersymmetric formulation of a multiplet describing physical chiral fermions is given. The multiplet can be used to complete the doubly supersymmetric (twistor-like) action for the heterotic string. Correction of technical errors.
We clarify certain aspects of instanton operators in five-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories. In particular, we show how, in the pointlike limit, they become supersymmetric and provide the natural bridge with the instantonic states contributing to the index as well as with the zero mode counting leading to broken current multiplets.
In this technical note we introduce a manifestly gauge-invariant and supersymmetric procedure to regularize and renormalize one-loop divergences of chiral multiplets in two-dimensional N=(2,2) theories in curved spacetime. We apply the method, a version of Pauli-Villars regularization, to known examples of supersymmetric localization and demonstrate that the partition functions are renormalized. An accompanying ancillary file, a Mathematica notebook, implements the relevant supergravity transformations.
This paper provides a more detailed background to the results of arXiv:1004.2692 concerning properties of multi-loop amplitudes in a pure spinor formulation of field theories with maximal supersymmetry. This involves the development of a first quantised field theory version of the non-minimal pure spinor formalism originally designed for describing superstring amplitudes. In addition to superspace world-line fields, the formalism involves a set of world-line ghost fields that are required for implementing BRST invariance with a composite b ghost. In particular, we show that BRST invariance req…
Four dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ Argyres-Douglas theories have been recently conjectured to be described by $\mathcal{N}=1$ Lagrangian theories. Such models, once reduced to 3d, should be mirror dual to Lagrangian $\mathcal{N}=4$ theories. This has been numerically checked through the matching of the partition functions on the three sphere. In this article, we provide an analytic derivation for this result in the $A_n$ case via hyperbolic hypergeometric integrals. We study the $D_4$ case as well, commenting on some open questions and possible resolutions. In the second part of the paper we dis…
We construct a supermatrix model whose classical background gives two-dimensional noncommutative supersphere. Quantum fluctuations around it give the supersymmetric gauge theories on the fuzzy supersphere constructed by Klimcik. This model has a parameter $β$ which can tune masses of the particles in the model and interpolate various supersymmetric gauge theories on sphere.
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…
Using the ambitwistor string, we complete the list of celestial OPE coefficients for supersymmetric theories. This uses the ambitwistor string worldsheet CFT to dynamically generate the OPE coefficients for maximally supersymmetric gauge theory, gravity and Einstein-Yang-Mills theories, including all helicity and orientation configurations. This extends previous purely bosonic results to include supersymmetry and provides explicit formulas which are, to the best of our knowledge, not in the literature. We also examine how the supersymmetric infinite dimensional soft algebras behave compared to…
We examine the M-theory version of SQCD which is known as MQCD. In the IIA limit, this theory appears to have a supersymmetry-breaking brane configuration which corresponds to the meta-stable state of N=1 SU(Nc) SQCD. However, the behavior at infinity of this non-supersymmetric brane construction differs from that of the supersymmetric ground state of MQCD. We interpret this to mean that it is not a meta-stable state in MQCD, but rather a state in another theory. This provides a concrete example of the fact that, while MQCD accurately describes the supersymmetric features of SCQD, it fails to …
In this note we show that a simple modification of supersymmetric quantum mechanics involving a mass term for half the fermions naturally leads to a derivation of the integral formula for the chi_y genus, a quantity that interpolates between the Euler characteristic and arithmetic genus. We note that this modification naturally arises in the moduli space dynamics of monopoles or instantons in theories with 16 supercharges partially broken to 8 supercharges by mass terms.
In this note we study the preservation of the classical pure spinor BRST constraints under super T-duality transformations. We also determine the invariance of the one-loop conformal invariance and of the local gauge and Lorentz anomalies under the super T-dualities.
We discuss instantons in dimensions higher than four. A generalized self-dual or anti-self-dual instanton equation in n-dimensions can be defined in terms of a closed (n-4) form $Ω$ and it was recently employed as a topological gauge fixing condition in higher dimensional generalizations of cohomological Yang-Mills theory. When $Ω$ is a calibration which is naturally introduced on the manifold of special holomony, we argue that higher dimensional instanton may be locally characterized as a family of four dimensional instantons over a supersymmetric (n-4) cycle $Σ$ with respect to the calibrati…
We discuss an analysis presented by N. Berkovits in [arXiv:0712.0324] in the context of classical mechanics and perform its extension to the case of pure spinor string in general background.
We compute the exact effective action for \cN=3 U(N)_k and \cN=4,6 U(N)_k\times U(N')_{-k} Chern-Simons theories with minimal matter content in the 't Hooft vector model limit under which N and k go to infinity holding N/k, N' fixed. We also extend this calculation to \cN=4,6 mass deformed case. We show those large N effective actions except mass-deformed \cN=6 case precisely reduce to that of \cN=2 U(N)_k Chern-Simons theory with one fundamental chiral field up to overall multiple factor. By using this result we argue the thermal free energy and self-duality of the \cN=3,4,6 Chern-Simons theo…
We study the conditions to have supersymmetric D-branes on general {\cal N}=1 backgrounds with Ramond-Ramond fluxes. These conditions can be written in terms of the two pure spinors associated to the SU(3)\times SU(3) structure on T_M\oplus T^\star_M, and can be split into two parts each involving a different pure spinor. The first involves the integrable pure spinor and requires the D-brane to wrap a generalised complex submanifold with respect to the generalised complex structure associated to it. The second contains the non-integrable pure spinor and is related to the stability of the brane…
Four-dimensional supersymmetric type II string theory vacua can be described elegantly in terms of pure spinors on the generalized tangent bundle T+T*. In this paper, we apply the same techniques to any ten-dimensional supersymmetric solution (not necessarily involving a factor with an AdS4 or Minkowski4 metric) in type II theories. We find a system of differential equations in terms of a form describing a "generalized ISpin(7) structure". This system is equivalent to unbroken supersymmetry, in both IIA and IIB. One of the equations reproduces in one fell swoop all the pure spinors equations f…
In the pure spinor formalism for the superstring and supermembrane, supersymmetric invariants are constructed by integrating over five $θ$'s in d=10 and over nine $θ$'s in d=11. This pure spinor superspace is easily explained using the superform (or ''ectoplasm'') method developed by Gates and collaborators, and generalizes the standard chiral superspace in d=4. The ectoplasm method is also useful for constructing d=10 and d=11 supersymmetric invariants in curved supergravity backgrounds.
We explore the dynamics of a simple class of two-dimensional models with $(0,1)$ supersymmetry, namely sigma-models with target $S^3$ and the minimal possible set of fields. For any nonzero value of the Wess--Zumino coupling $k$, we describe a superconformal fixed point to which we conjecture that the model flows in the infrared. For $k=0$, we conjecture that the model spontaneously breaks supersymmetry. We further explore the question of whether this model can be continuously connected to one that spontaneously breaks supersymmetry by "flowing up and down the renormalization group trajectorie…
We consider the supersymmetric vector multiplet in a purely quantum framework. We obtain some discrepancies with respect to the literature in the expression of the super-propagator and we prove that the model is consistent only for positive mass. The gauge structure is constructed purely deductive and leads to the necessity of introducing scalar ghost superfields, in analogy to the usual gauge theories. The construction of a consistent supersymmetric gauge theory based on the vector model depends crucially one the definition of gauge invariance. We find some significant difficulties to impose …
The classical pure spinor version of the heterotic superstring in a supergravity and super Yang-Mills background is considered. We obtain the BRST transformations of the world-sheet fields. They are consistent with the constraints obtained from the nilpotence of the BSRT charge and the holomorphicity of the BRST current.
We extend the Sato equations of the N=(1|1) supersymmetric Toda lattice hierarchy by two new infinite series of fermionic flows and demonstrate that the algebra of the flows of the extended hierarchy is the Borel subalgebra of the N=(2|2) loop superalgebra.
In this note we study supersymmetric solutions of 11 dimensional SUGRA. Amongst others, we find a new solution, which preserves 3/8 of the original supersymmetry.
Previous studies have shown that supersymmetric partition function on $T^2 \times S^2$ is related to elliptic genus of two dimensional supersymmetric theory. In this short note we find a four dimensional supersymmetric theory, whose partition function on $T^2 \times S^2$ is the same as elliptic genera of $\mathcal{N}=2$ minimal models in two dimensions.
In this work, some aspects of the ambitwistor pure spinor string are investigated. The $b$ ghost is presented and its main properties are derived in a simple way, very similar to the usual pure spinor $b$ ghost construction. The heterotic case is also addressed with a new proposal for the BRST charge. The BRST cohomology is shown to correctly describe the heterotic supergravity spectrum and a semi-composite $b$ ghost is constructed.
We study the spin dependence of D-brane dynamics in the Green-Schwarz formalism of boundary states. In particular we show how to interpret insertion of supercharges on the boundary state as sources of non-universal spin effects in D-brane potentials. In this way we find for a generic (D)p-brane, potentials going like $v^{4-n}/r^{7-p+n}$ corresponding to interactions between the different components of the D-brane supermultiplet. From the eleven dimensional point of view, these potentials arise from the exchange of field strengths corresponding to the graviton and the three form, coupled non-mi…
We will discuss some properties of the pure spinor string on the AdS_5 x S_5 background. Using the classical Hamiltonian analysis we will show that the vertex operator for the massless state that is in the cohomology of the BRST charges describes on-shell fluctuations around AdS_5 x S_5 background.
The $D=11$ pure spinor superparticle has been shown to describe linearized $D=11$ supergravity in a manifestly covariant way. A number of authors have proposed that its correlation functions be used to compute amplitudes. The use of the scalar structure of the eleven-dimensional pure spinor top cohomology introduces a natural measure for computing such correlation functions. This prescription requires the construction of ghost number one and zero vertex operators. In these notes, we construct explicitly a ghost number one vertex operator but show the incompatibiliy of a ghost number zero verte…
The aim of these notes is to provide a short introduction to supersymmetric theories: supersymmetric quantum mechanics, Wess-Zumino models and supersymmetric gauge theories. A particular emphasis is put on the underlying structures and non-perturbative effects in N=1, N=2 and N=4 Yang-Mills theories. (Extended version of lectures given at the TROISIEME CYCLE DE LA PHYSIQUE EN SUISSE ROMANDE)
Recently a reformulation of the MHV diagram method in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in momentum twistor space was presented and was shown to be equivalent to the perturbative expansion of the expectation value of a supersymmetric Wilson loop in momentum twistor space. In this note we present related explicit Feynman rules in dual momentum space, which should have the interpretation of Wilson loop diagrams in dual momentum space. We show that these novel rules are completely equivalent to ordinary spacetime MHV rules and can be naturally viewed as their graph dual representation.
We reconsider the Abelian pure Chern-Simons theory in three dimensions by using our improved Batalin-Fradkin-Tyutin Hamiltonian formalism. As a result, we show several novel features, including the connection of the Dirac brackets. In particular, through the path integral quantization, we obtain the desired new type of the Wess-Zumino action.
We study the properties of the vertex operator for the beta-deformation of the superstring in AdS(5) x S(5) in the pure spinor formalism. We discuss the action of supersymmetry on the infinitesimal beta-deformation, the application of the homological perturbation theory, and the relation between the worldsheet description and the spacetime supergravity description.
We study a recently discovered family of 1/8-BPS supersymmetric Wilson loops in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory and their string theory duals. The operators are defined for arbitrary contours on a two-sphere in space-time, and they were conjectured to be captured perturbatively by 2d bosonic Yang-Mills theory. In the AdS dual, they are described by pseudo-holomorphic string surfaces living on a certain submanifold of AdS_5 x S^5. We show that the regularized area of these string surfaces is invariant under area preserving diffeomorphisms of the boundary loop, in agreement with the conjecture. Furt…
