We study invariants of bosonic and fermionic (Grassmann-valued) matrices under the adjoint action of $U(N)$, weighted by the fermion number. Such models naturally appear as the supersymmetric indices of supersymmetric gauge theories and are captured by $U(N)$ matrix models. We discuss two features of the fermionic models that are qualitatively different from bosonic models. Firstly, the $2N^\text{th}$ power of a Grassmann matrix vanishes, which gives rise to many new trace relations. Secondly, trace relations in models involving fermions could cause an increase in the supersymmetric index as $N$ decreases, in contrast with purely bosonic models. We focus on a simple model involving one fermion and one derivative that corresponds to a $\frac14$-BPS supersymmetric index in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory, in which we find that the index is independent of $N$. We prove this rank-independence analytically, and experimentally study the cancellations between bosonic and fermionic trace relations that lead to it. Based on these observations, we make some conjectures on resulting algebraic structures, including the analogue of the polarized Cayley-Hamilton identities and the Second Fundamental Theorem of invariants in the presence of Grassmann matrices. Finally, we present various (smooth and singular) limits of the most general supersymmetric index in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory, and study some patterns in their behavior as a function of $N$.
We compute supersymmetric indices which count local operators at certain half-BPS interfaces and quarter-BPS junctions of interfaces in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ Super Yang-Mills theory. We use the indices as very stringent tests of a variety of string theory-inspired conjectures about the action of S-duality on such defects.
We compute supersymmetric indices to test mirror symmetry of three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ gauge theories and dualities of half-BPS enriched boundary conditions and interfaces in four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ Super Yang-Mills theory. We find the matching of indices as strong evidences for various dualities of the 3d interfaces conjectured by Gaiotto and Witten under the action of S-duality in Type IIB string theory.
We study three-dimensional ${\mathcal N}=2$ supersymmetric gauge theories on ${Σ_g \times S^1}$ with a topological twist along $Σ_g$, a genus-$g$ Riemann surface. The twisted supersymmetric index at genus $g$ and the correlation functions of half-BPS loop operators on $S^1$ can be computed exactly by supersymmetric localization. For $g=1$, this gives a simple UV computation of the 3d Witten index. Twisted indices provide us with a clean derivation of the quantum algebra of supersymmetric Wilson loops, for any Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons-matter theory, in terms of the associated Bethe equations for…
Enhancement of global symmetry and supersymmetry in the infrared is one of the most intriguing phenomena in quantum field theory. We investigate such phenomena in a large class of three dimensional superconformal field theories, known as the S-fold SCFTs. Supersymmetric indices are computed for a number of theories containing small rank gauge groups. It is found that indices of several models exhibit enhancement of supersymmetry at the superconformal fixed point in the infrared. Dualities between S-fold theories that have different quiver descriptions are also analysed. We explore a new class …
We compute the supersymmetric partition function of $\mathcal{N}{=}1$ supersymmetric gauge theories with an $R$-symmetry on $\mathcal{M}_4 \cong \mathcal{M}_{g,p}\times S^1$, a principal elliptic fiber bundle of degree $p$ over a genus-$g$ Riemann surface, $Σ_g$. Equivalently, we compute the generalized supersymmetric index $I_{\mathcal{M}_{g,p}}$, with the supersymmetric three-manifold ${\mathcal{M}_{g,p}}$ as the spatial slice. The ordinary $\mathcal{N}{=}1$ supersymmetric index on the round three-sphere is recovered as a special case. We approach this computation from the point of view of a…
Building upon known supersymmetric backgrounds, we derive novel half-BPS fermionic solutions in three-dimensional supergravity. By virtue of an essential dependence on fermionic degrees of freedom, they possess no purely bosonic analogue. In the Anti de Sitter case this notably includes nonsingular solutions for which the corresponding Chern-Simons gauge field $\mathcal{A}=ω\pm e/L$ vanishes, providing access to configurations which are ordinarily singular in pure gravity.
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University（京都大学汤川理论物理研究所）；School of Physics and Shing-Tung Yau Center, Southeast University（东南大学物理学院及陈省身数学中心）
We compute the contribution to the anomalous dimension of the twist-2 operators in N=4 SYM theory, which is proportional to the number of fermion loops inside Feynman diagrams or, formally, to the number of fermions. The result was obtained by the method based on the calculation of critical indices at the critical point by analogy with previous similar computations in scalar theories and in QCD. The obtained result is much simpler with compare to analogous results in QCD and almost satisfies the maximal transcedentality principle. A possible relation between the obtained result and integrabili…
Center for Gravitational Physics and Quantum Information, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University（京都大学汤川理论物理研究所引力物理与量子信息中心）；School of Physics and Shing-Tung Yau Center, Southeast University（东南大学物理学院及陈省身数学中心）
Inspired by the tachyon-free non-supersymmetric heterotic SO(16)xSO(16) string we consider a special class of non-supersymmetric field theories: Those that can be obtained from supersymmetric field theories by supersymmetry breaking twists. We argue that such theories, like their supersymmetric counter parts, may still possess some fermionic symmetries as left-overs of the super gauge transformations and have special one-loop non-renormalization properties due to holomorphicity. In addition, we extend the supergraph techniques to these theories to calculate some explicit supersymmetry-breaking…
We propose a supersymmetric quantum field theory with exotic symmetry related to fracton phases. We use superfield formalism and write down the action of a supersymmetric version of the $φ$ theory in 3+1 dimensions. It contains a large number of ground states due to the fermionic higher pole subsystem symmetry. Its residual entropy is proportional to the area instead of the volume. This theory has a self-duality similar to that of the $φ$ theory. We also write down the action of a supersymmetric version of a tensor gauge theory, and discuss BPS fractons.
Fermionic T-duality transformation is studied for the N=1 supersymmetric solutions of massive type IIA supergravity with the metric AdS_{10-k} x M_k for k=3 and 5. We derive the Killing spinors of these backgrounds and use them as an input for the fermionic T-duality transformation. The resulting dual solutions form a large family of supersymmetric deformations of the original solutions by complex valued RR fluxes. We observe that the Romans mass parameter does not change under fermionic T-duaity, and prove its invariance in the k=3 case.
We construct a purely fermionic system with spontaneously broken supersymmetry that shares the common feature with a fracton phase of matter. Our model is gapless due to the Nambu-Goldstone mechanism. It shows a ground-state degeneracy with the "Area-law" entropy due to fermionic subsystem symmetries. In the strongly coupled limit, it becomes a variant of the Nicolai model, and the ground-state degeneracy shows the "Volume-law" entropy. Gauging the fermionic subsystem symmetry has an t'Hooft anomaly by itself, but the would-be gauged theory may possess a fermionic defect that is immobile in ce…
It is known previously that the operator product expansion (OPE) between the first ${\cal N}=3 $ multiplet and itself contains the second ${\cal N}=3$ multiplet in the supersymmetric coset model. In this paper, by using their realizations in terms of various fermions, we compute the four kinds of OPEs between the first and the second ${\cal N}=3$ multiplets for fixed $N$ and $M$ where the group of the coset contains $SU(N+M)$. By supersymmetrizing the above OPEs in ${\cal N}=3$ superspace and using the various Jacobi identities between the currents, we determine the ${\cal N}=3$ supersymmetric…
We study three dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric theories on $I \times M_2$ with 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ boundary conditions at the boundaries $\partial (I \times M_2)=M_2 \sqcup M_2$, where $M_2=\mathbb{C}$ or $ T^2$. We introduce supersymmetric indices of three dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ theories on $I \times T^2$ that couple to elliptic genera of 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ theories at the two boundaries. We evaluate the $I \times T^2$ indices in terms of supersymmetric localization and study dualities on the $I \times M_2$. We consider the dimensional reduction of $I \times T^2$ to $I …
This thesis studies the algebro-geometric aspects of supersymmetric abelian gauge theories in three dimensions. The supersymmetric vacua are demonstrated to exhibit a window phenomenon in Chern-Simons levels, which is analogous to the window phenomenon in quantum K-theory with level structures. This correspondence between three-dimensional gauge theories and quantum K-theory is investigated from the perspectives of semi-classical vacua, twisted chiral rings, and twisted indices. In particular, the twisted index admits an algebro-geometric interpretation as the supersymmetric index of an effect…
The excitations referred to as oscillons are long-lived time-dependent field configurations which emerge dynamically from non-linear field theories. Such long-lived solutions are of interest in applications that include systems of Condensed Matter Physics, the Standard Model of Particle Physics, Lorentz-symmetry violating scenarios and Cosmology. In this work, we show how oscillons may be accommodated in a supersymmetric scenario. We adopt as our framework simple ($\mathcal{N}=1$) supersymmetry in $D=1+1$ dimensions. We focus on the bosonic sector with oscillon configurations and their (classi…
Proposals are made to describe 1D, N = 4 supersymmetrical systems that extend SYK models by compactifying from 4D, N = 1 supersymmetric Lagrangians involving chiral, vector, and tensor supermultiplets. Quartic fermionic vertices are generated via integrals over the whole superspace, while 2(q-1)-point fermionic vertices are generated via superpotentials. The coupling constants in the superfield Lagrangians are arbitrary, and can be chosen to be Gaussian random. In that case, these 1D, N = 4 supersymmetric SYK models would exhibit Wishart-Laguerre randomness, which share the same feature among …
We study the fermionic zero modes around 1 instanton operators for 5d supersymmetric gauge theories of type USp, SO and the exceptional groups. The major motivation is to try to understand the global symmetry enhancement pattern in these theories.
We consider the gauged free fermionic matrix model, for a single fermionic matrix. In the large $N$ limit this system describes a $c=1/2$ chiral fermion in $1+1$ dimensions. The Gauss' law constraint implies that to obtain a physical state, indices of the fermionic matrices must be fully contracted, to form a singlet. There are two ways in which this can be achieved: one can consider a trace basis formed from products of traces of fermionic matrices or one can consider a Schur function basis, labeled by Young diagrams. The Schur polynomials for the fermions involve a twisted character, as a co…
