Given the recent geometrical classification of 6d $(1,0)$ SCFTs, a major question is how to compute for this large class their elliptic genera. The latter encode the refined BPS spectrum of the SCFTs, which determines geometric invariants of the associated elliptic non-compact Calabi-Yau threefolds. In this paper we establish for all 6d $(1,0)$ SCFTs in the atomic classification blowup equations that fix these elliptic genera to large extent. The latter fall into two types: the unity- and the vanishing blowup equations. For almost all rank one theories, we find unity blowup equations which determine the elliptic genera completely. We develop several techniques to compute elliptic genera and BPS invariants from the blowup equations, including a recursion formula with respect to the number of strings, a Weyl orbit expansion, a refined BPS expansion and an $ε_1,ε_2$ expansion. For higher-rank theories, we propose a gluing rule to obtain all their blowup equations based on those of rank one theories. For example, we explicitly give the elliptic blowup equations for the three higher-rank non-Higgsable clusters, ADE chain of $-2$ curves and conformal matter theories. We also give the toric construction for many elliptic non-compact Calabi-Yau threefolds which engineer 6d $(1,0)$ SCFTs with various matter representations.
We propose novel functional equations for the BPS partition functions of 6d (1,0) SCFTs, which can be regarded as an elliptic version of Gottsche-Nakajima-Yoshioka's K-theoretic blowup equations. From the viewpoint of geometric engineering, these are the generalized blowup equations for refined topological strings on certain local elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds. We derive recursion formulas for elliptic genera of self-dual strings on the tensor branch from these functional equations and in this way obtain a universal approach for determining refined BPS invariants. As examples, we study in det…
We establish the elliptic blowup equations for E-strings and M-strings and solve elliptic genera and refined BPS invariants from them. Such elliptic blowup equations can be derived from a path integral interpretation. We provide toric hypersurface construction for the Calabi-Yau geometries of M-strings and those of E-strings with up to three mass parameters turned on, as well as an approach to derive the perturbative prepotential directly from the local description of the Calabi-Yau threefolds. We also demonstrate how to systematically obtain blowup equations for all rank one 5d SCFTs from E-s…
The building blocks of 6d $(1,0)$ SCFTs include certain rank one theories with gauge group $G=SU(3),SO(8),F_4,E_{6,7,8}$. In this paper, we propose a universal recursion formula for the elliptic genera of all such theories. This formula is solved from the elliptic blowup equations introduced in our previous paper. We explicitly compute the elliptic genera and refined BPS invariants, which recover all previous results from topological string theory, modular bootstrap, Hilbert series, 2d quiver gauge theories and 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal $H_{G}$ theories. We also observe an intriguing r…
We propose a systematic approach to computing the BPS spectra of any 5d/6d supersymmetric quantum field theory in Coulomb phases, which admits either gauge theory descriptions or geometric descriptions, based on the Nakajima-Yoshioka's blowup equations. We provide a significant generalization of the blowup equation approach in terms of both properly quantized magnetic fluxes on the blowup $\hat{\mathbb{C}}^2$ and the effective prepotential for 5d/6d field theories on the Omega background which is uniquely determined by the Chern-Simons couplings on their Coulomb branches. We employ our method …
On non-relativistic integrable models and 4d SCFTs
Technion（以色列理工学院）；C.N.Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook University（纽约州立大学石溪分校杨振宁理论物理研究所）；Department of Physics, POSTECH（浦项科技大学物理系）；Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, POSTECH（浦项科技大学亚太理论物理中心）
The elliptic genera of two-dimensional N=2 superconformal field theories can be twisted by the action of the integral Heisenberg group if their U(1) charges are fractional. The basic properties of the resulting twisted elliptic genera and the associated twisted Witten indices are investigated with due attention to their behaviors in orbifoldization. Our findings are illustrated by and applied to several concrete examples. We give a better understanding of the duality phenomenon observed long before for certain Landau-Ginzburg models. We revisit and prove an old conjecture of Witten which state…
We study strings associated with minimal 6d SCFTs, which by definition have only one string charge and no Higgs branch. These theories are labelled by a number n with 1 <= n <= 8 or n = 12. Quiver theories have previously been proposed which describe strings of SCFTs for n = 1, 2. For n > 2 the strings interact with the bulk gauge symmetry. In this paper we find a quiver description for the n = 4 string using Sen's limit of F-theory and calculate its elliptic genus with localization techniques. This result is checked using the duality of F-theory with M-theory and topological string theory who…
We characterize the global symmetries for the conjecturally complete collection of six dimensional superconformal field theories (6D SCFTs) which are realizable in F-theory and have no frozen singularities. We provide comprehensive checks of earlier 6D SCFT classification results via an alternative geometric approach yielding new restrictions which eliminate certain theories. We achieve this by directly constraining elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau (CY) threefold Weierstrass models. This allows bypassing all anomaly cancellation machinery and reduces the problem of classifying the 6D SCFT gauge…
Dualities, symmetries and the elliptic genus of 2d (0,2) SCFTs
Technion, Israel Institute of Technology（以色列理工学院）；University of Haifa at Oranim（奥拉尼姆海法大学）；Haifa Research Center for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Haifa（海法大学理论物理与天体物理研究中心）
We apply the modular approach to computing the topological string partition function on non-compact elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau 3-folds with higher Kodaira singularities in the fiber. The approach consists in making an ansatz for the partition function at given base degree, exact in all fiber classes to arbitrary order and to all genus, in terms of a rational function of weak Jacobi forms. Our results yield, at given base degree, the elliptic genus of the corresponding non-critical 6d string, and thus the associated BPS invariants of the 6d theory. The required elliptic indices are determi…
We show that the non-gravitational sectors of certain 6d and 5d supergravity theories can be decomposed into superconformal field theories (SCFTs) which are coupled together by pairwise identifying and gauging mutual global symmetries. In the case of 6d supergravity, we consider F-theory on compact elliptic Calabi-Yau 3-folds with base $B=T^4/\mathbb{Z}_n\times \mathbb{Z}_m$ and we show in many examples that the non-gravitational field theory sectors can be described as configurations of coupled 6d $(1,0)$ SCFTs. We also conjecture that the effective 2d $(0,4)$ SCFTs living on the self-dual st…
We study the twisted elliptic genera of 2d $(0,4)$ SCFTs associated with the BPS strings in the twisted circle compactification of 6d rank-one $(1,0)$ SCFTs. Such objects can arise when the 6d gauge algebra allows outer automorphism, thus are classified by twisted affine Lie algebras. We study several fascinating aspects of the twisted elliptic genera including 2d localization, twisted elliptic blowup equations, Higgsing and spectral flow symmetry. We derive a recursion formula with respect to the number of strings to exactly compute the twisted elliptic genera. We also investigate the modular…
We propose a graph-based approach to 5d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) based on their realization as M-theory compactifications on singular elliptic Calabi--Yau threefolds. Field-theoretically, these 5d SCFTs descend from 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ SCFTs by circle compactification and mass deformations. We derive a description of these theories in terms of graphs, so-called Combined Fiber Diagrams, which encode salient features of the partially resolved Calabi--Yau geometry, and provides a combinatorial way of characterizing all 5d SCFTs that descend from a given 6d theory. Remarkably, thes…
Invariance under modular transformations and spectral flow restrict the possible spectra of superconformal field theories (SCFT). This paper presents a technique to calculate the number of constraints on the polar spectra of N=(2,2) and N=(4,0) SCFT's by analyzing the elliptic genus. The polar spectrum corresponds to the principal part of a Laurent expansion derived from the elliptic genus. From the point of view of the AdS_3/CFT_2 correspondence, these are the states which lie below the cosmic censorship bound in classical gravity. The dimension of the space of elliptic genera is obtained as …
This paper gives a classification of rank one 5d $\mathcal{N}=1$ and 6d $(1,0)$ SCFTs. The idea is to compactify 5d theory on $S^1$ and 6d theory on $T^2$ to get effective 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ theory. These compactified theories all have a 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ Coulomb branch whose solution can be described by mixed Hodge module (MHM). In the rank one case every Coulomb branch solution is related to rational elliptic surface with a section, whose classification is complete. So the classification is then reduced to pick up a subset from the data base of rational elliptic surface by imposing various …
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…
We compute the partition function for 6d $\mathcal{N}=1$ $SO(2N)$ gauge theories compactified on a circle with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ outer automorphism twist. We perform the computation based on 5-brane webs with two O5-planes using topological vertex with two O5-planes. As representative examples, we consider 6d $SO(8)$ and $SU(3)$ gauge theories with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ twist. We confirm that these partition functions obtained from the topological vertex with O5-planes indeed agree with the elliptic genus computations.
Starting from 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs) realized via F-theory, we show how reduction on a circle leads to a uniform perspective on the phase structure of the resulting 5D theories, and their possible conformal fixed points. Using the correspondence between F-theory reduced on a circle and M-theory on the corresponding elliptically fibered Calabi--Yau threefold, we show that each 6D SCFT with minimal supersymmetry directly reduces to a collection of between one and four 5D SCFTs. Additionally, we find that in most cases, reduction of the tensor branch of a 6D SCFT yields a 5D gen…
We initiate the systematic investigation of non-flat resolutions of non-minimal singularities in elliptically fibered Calabi--Yau threefolds. Compactification of M-theory on these geometries provides an alternative approach to studying phases of five-dimensional superconformal field theories (5d SCFTs). We argue that such resolutions capture non-trivial holonomies in the circle reduction of the 6d conformal matter theory that is the F-theory interpretation of the singular fibration. As these holonomies become mass deformations in the 5d theory, non-flat resolutions furnish a novel method in th…
In theories with extended supersymmetry the protected observables of UV superconformal fixed points are found in a number of contexts to be encoded in the BPS solitons along an IR Coulomb-like phase. For six-dimensional SCFTs such a role is played by the BPS strings on the tensorial Coulomb branch. In this paper we develop a uniform description of the worldsheet theories of a BPS string for rank-one 6d SCFTs. These strings are the basic constituents of the BPS string spectrum of arbitrary rank six-dimensional models, which they generate by forming bound states. Motivated by geometric engineeri…
We study ${\mathcal N}=(1,0)$ six-dimensional theories living on defects of non-geometric backgrounds of the $E_8\times E_8$ and the $\text{Spin}(32)/{\mathbb Z}_2$ heterotic strings. Such configurations can be analyzed by dualizing to F-theory on elliptic K3-fibered non-compact Calabi-Yau threefolds. The majority of the resulting dual threefolds turn out to contain singularities which do not admit a crepant resolution. When the singularities can be resolved crepantly, the theories living on the defect are explicitly determined and reveal a form of duality in which distinct defects are describ…
Quantum curves arise from Seiberg-Witten curves associated to 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories by promoting coordinates to non-commutative operators. In this way the algebraic equation of the curve is interpreted as an operator equation where a Hamiltonian acts on a wave-function with zero eigenvalue. We find that this structure generalises when one considers torus-compactified 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ SCFTs. The corresponding quantum curves are elliptic in nature and hence the associated eigenvectors/eigenvalues can be expressed in terms of Jacobi forms. In this paper we focus on the class of …
Six-dimensional N=(1,0) superconformal field theories can be engineered geometrically via F-theory on elliptically-fibered Calabi-Yau 3-folds. We include torsional sections in the geometry, which lead to a finite Mordell-Weil group. This allows us to identify the full non-Abelian group structure rather than just the algebra. The presence of torsion also modifies the center of the symmetry groups and the matter representations that can appear. This in turn affects the tensor branch of these theories. We analyze this change for a large class of superconformal theories with torsion and explicitly…
We discuss supersymmetric defects in 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ SCFTs with $\mathrm{SO}(N_c)$ gauge group and $N_c-8$ fundamental flavors. The codimension 2 and 4 defects are engineered by coupling the 6d gauge fields to charged free fields in four and two dimensions, respectively. We find that the partition function in the presence of the codimension 2 defect on $\mathbb{R}^4\times \mathbb{T}^2$ in the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit satisfies an elliptic difference equation which quantizes the Seiberg-Witten curve of the 6d theory. The expectation value of the codimension 4 defect appearing in the di…
We investigate global symmetries for 6D SCFTs and LSTs having a single "unpaired" tensor, that is, a tensor with no associated gauge symmetry. We verify that for every such theory built from F-theory whose tensor has Dirac self-pairing equal to -1, the global symmetry algebra is a subalgebra of $\mathfrak{e}_8$. This result is new if the F-theory presentation of the theory involves a one-parameter family of nodal or cuspidal rational curves (i.e., Kodaira types $I_1$ or $II$) rather than elliptic curves (Kodaira type $I_0$). For such theories, this condition on the global symmetry algebra appe…
We calculate the $\mathcal{S}$-multiplets for two-dimensional Euclidean $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ and $\mathcal{N} = (2,2)$ superconformal field theories under the $T\overline{T}$ deformation at leading order of perturbation theory in the deformation coupling. Then, from these $\mathcal{N} = (0, 2)$ deformed multiplets, we calculate two- and three-point correlators. We show the $\mathcal{N} = (0,2)$ chiral ring's elements do not flow under the $T\overline{T}$ deformation. Specializing to integrable supersymmetric seed theories, such as $\mathcal{N} = (2,2)$ Landau-Ginzburg models, we use the thermod…
We study elliptic genera of ADE-type M-strings in 6d (2,0) SCFTs from their modularity and explore the relation to topological string partition functions. We find a novel kinematical constraint that elliptic genera should follow, which determines elliptic genera at low base degrees and helps us to conjecture a vanishing bound for the refined Gopakumar-Vafa invariants of related geometries. Using this, we can bootstrap the elliptic genera to arbitrary base degree, including D/E-type theories for which explicit formulas are only partially known. We utilize our results to obtain the 6d Cardy form…
We explore the supersymmetric partition functions of 6d SCFTs on $\mathbb{R}^4\times T^2$ with non-vanishing charges for compatible global symmetries. We utilize the elliptic genera for self-dual strings and compute the free energy of 6d SCFTs in the Cardy limit. For a 6d (2,0) theory on $N$ M5-brane, we obtain the free energy proportional to $N^3$. We find that the origin of $N^3$ comes from the condensation of the self-dual strings, whose total number is proportional to ${N^3-N\over 6}$. We further extend our analysis to the general E-string theory and obtain its Cardy free energy.
6d SCFTs compactified on a circle can often be studied from nonperturbative 5d super-Yang-Mills theories, using instanton solitons. However, the 5d Yang-Mills theories with 6d UV fixed points frequently have too many hypermultiplet matters, which makes it difficult to use the ADHM techniques for instantons. With the examples of 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ SCFTs with $Sp(N)$ gauge symmetry and $2N+8$ fundamental hypermultiplets, we show that one can still make rigorous studies of these 5d-6d relations in the `fractional D-brane sectors'. We test the recently proposed 5d duals given by $Sp(N+1)$ gaug…
We study the elliptic genera of 6d strings based on their modular properties. They are weak Jacobi forms of weight 0, whose indices are determined from the 2d chiral anomalies. We propose the ansatz for the elliptic genera which reflects the analytic structure of instanton partition functions. Given a finite amount of initial BPS data, we completely determine the elliptic genera of 6d strings in various 6d SCFTs. We also apply our ansatz to study $\mathcal{N}=(2,0)$ and $(1,1)$ little strings as well as $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ heterotic little strings, for which T-duality of little string theories…
M5 branes probing D-type singularities give rise to 6d (1,0) SCFTs with $SO \times SO$ flavor symmetry known as D-type conformal matter theories. Gauging the diagonal $SO$-flavor symmetry leads to a little string theory with an intrinsic scale which can be engineered in F-theory by compactifying on a doubly-elliptic Calabi-Yau manifold. We derive Seiberg-Witten curves for these little string theories which can be interpreted as mirror curves for the corresponding Calabi-Yau manifolds. Under fiber-base duality these models are mapped to D-type quiver gauge theories and we check that their Seibe…
We systematically analyze the local combinations of gauge groups and matter that can arise in 6D F-theory models over a fixed base. We compare the low-energy constraints of anomaly cancellation to explicit F-theory constructions using Weierstrass and Tate forms, and identify some new local structures in the "swampland' of 6D supergravity and SCFT models that appear consistent from low-energy considerations but do not have known F-theory realizations. In particular, we classify and carry out a local analysis of all enhancements of the irreducible gauge and matter contributions from "non-Higgsab…
We develop a self-consistent approach to study the spectral properties of a class of quantum mechanical operators by using the knowledge about monodromies of $2\times 2$ linear systems (Riemann-Hilbert correspondence). Our technique applies to a variety of problems, though in this paper we only analyse in detail two examples. First we review the case of the (modified) Mathieu operator, which corresponds to a certain linear system on the sphere and makes contact with the Painlevé $\mathrm{III}_3$ equation. Then we extend the analysis to the 2-particle elliptic Calogero-Moser operator, which cor…
We study renormalization group flows between six-dimensional superconformal field theories (SCFTs) using their geometric realizations as singular limits of F-theory compactified on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds. There are two general types of flows: One corresponds to giving expectation values to scalars in the tensor multiplets (tensor branch flow) realized as resolving the base of the geometry. The other corresponds to giving expectation values to hypermultiplets (Higgs branch flow) realized as complex structure deformations of the geometry. To corroborate this physical picture …
We propose new ADHM-like methods to compute the Coulomb branch instanton partition functions of 5d and 6d supersymmetric gauge theories, with certain exceptional gauge groups or exceptional matters. We study $G_2$ theories with $n_{\bf 7}\leq 3$ matters in ${\bf 7}$, and $SO(7)$ theories with $n_{\bf 8}\leq 4$ matters in the spinor representation ${\bf 8}$. We also study the elliptic genera of self-dual instanton strings of 6d SCFTs with exceptional gauge groups or matters, including all non-Higgsable atomic SCFTs with rank $2$ or $3$ tensor branches. Some of them are tested with topological v…
We propose a method for determining the flavor charge lattice of the continuous flavor symmetry of rank-1 4d N = 2 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) and IR free gauge theories from topological invariants of the special Kähler structure of the mass-deformed Coulomb branches (CBs) of the theories. The method is based on the middle homology of the total space of the elliptic fibration over the CB, and is a generalization of the F-theory string web description of flavor charge lattices. The resulting lattices, which we call 'string web lattices', contain not only information about the flavor s…
Little string theories (LSTs) are UV complete non-local 6D theories decoupled from gravity in which there is an intrinsic string scale. In this paper we present a systematic approach to the construction of supersymmetric LSTs via the geometric phases of F-theory. Our central result is that all LSTs with more than one tensor multiplet are obtained by a mild extension of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs) in which the theory is supplemented by an additional, non-dynamical tensor multiplet, analogous to adding an affine node to an ADE quiver, resulting in a negative semidefinite Dirac pairi…
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University（杜伦大学数学科学系）；Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford（牛津大学数学研究所）；Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, Stony Brook University（石溪大学西蒙斯几何与物理中心）
We explore 6d (1,0) superconformal field theories with SU(3) and SU(2) gauge symmetries which cascade after Higgsing to the E-string theory on a single M5 near an $E_8$ wall. Specifically, we study the 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ gauge theories which describe self-dual strings of these 6d theories. The self-dual strings can be also viewed as instanton string solitons of 6d Yang-Mills theories. We find the 2d anomaly-free gauge theories for self-dual strings, amending the naive ADHM gauge theories which are anomalous, and calculate their elliptic genera. While these 2d theories respect the flavor sy…
We study the stringy genus one partition function of $N=2$ SCFT's. It is shown how to compute this using an anomaly in decoupling of BRST trivial states from the partition function. A particular limit of this partition function yields the partition function of topological theory coupled to topological gravity. As an application we compute the number of holomorphic elliptic curves over certain Calabi-Yau manifolds including the quintic threefold. This may be viewed as the first application of mirror symmetry at the string quantum level.
According to a recent classification of 6d (1,0) theories within F-theory there are only six "pure" 6d gauge theories which have a UV superconformal fixed point. The corresponding gauge groups are $SU(3),SO(8),F_4,E_6,E_7$, and $E_8$. These exceptional models have BPS strings which are also instantons for the corresponding gauge groups. For $G$ simply-laced, we determine the 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ worldsheet theories of such BPS instanton strings by a simple geometric engineering argument. These are given by a twisted $S^2$ compactification of the 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories of type $H_2, D_4,…
The conformal field theoretic elliptic genus, an invariant for N=(2,2) superconformal field theories, counts the BPS states in any such theory with signs, according to their bosonic or fermionic nature. For K3 theories, this invariant is the source of the Mathieu Moonshine phenomenon. There, the net number of quarter BPS states is positive for any conformal dimension above the massless threshold, but it may arise after cancellation of the contributions of an equal number of bosonic and fermionic BPS states present in non-generic theories, as is the case for the class of Z2-orbifolds of toroida…
The simplest non-trivial 5d superconformal field theories (SCFT) are the famous rank-one theories with $E_n$ flavour symmetry. We study their $U$-plane, which is the one-dimensional Coulomb branch of the theory on $\mathbb{R}^4 \times S^1$. The total space of the Seiberg-Witten (SW) geometry -- the $E_n$ SW curve fibered over the $U$-plane -- is described as a rational elliptic surface with a singular fiber of type $I_{9-n}$ at infinity. A classification of all possible Coulomb branch configurations, for the $E_n$ theories and their 4d descendants, is given by Persson's classification of ratio…
One of the hallmarks of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs) is that on a partial tensor branch, all known theories resemble quiver gauge theories with links comprised of 6D conformal matter, a generalization of weakly coupled hypermultiplets. In this paper we construct 4D quiverlike gauge theories in which the links are obtained from compactifications of 6D conformal matter on Riemann surfaces with flavor symmetry fluxes. This includes generalizations of super QCD with exceptional gauge groups and quarks replaced by 4D conformal matter. Just as in super QCD, we find evidence for a conform…
