scholarly journals Three-dimensional 𝒩 = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories and partition functions on Seifert manifolds: A review

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (23) ◽  
pp. 1930011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril Closset ◽  
Heeyeon Kim

We give a pedagogical introduction to the study of supersymmetric partition functions of 3D [Formula: see text] supersymmetric Chern–Simons-matter theories (with an [Formula: see text]-symmetry) on half-BPS closed three-manifolds — including [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and any Seifert three-manifold. Three-dimensional gauge theories can flow to nontrivial fixed points in the infrared. In the presence of 3D [Formula: see text] supersymmetry, many exact results are known about the strongly-coupled infrared, due in good part to powerful localization techniques. We review some of these techniques and emphasize some more recent developments, which provide a simple and comprehensive formalism for the exact computation of half-BPS observables on closed three-manifolds (partition functions and correlation functions of line operators). Along the way, we also review simple examples of 3D infrared dualities. The computation of supersymmetric partition functions provides exceedingly precise tests of these dualities.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masazumi Honda ◽  
Naotaka Kubo

Abstract It has been conjectured that duality cascade occurs in the $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 3 supersymmetric Yang-Mills Chern-Simons theory with the gauge group U(N)k × U(N + M)−k coupled to two bi-fundamental hypermultiplets. The brane picture suggests that this duality cascade can be generalized to a class of 3d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 3 supersymmetric quiver gauge theories coming from so-called Hanany-Witten type brane configurations. In this paper we perform non-perturbative tests of the duality cascades using supersymmetry localization. We focus on S3 partition functions and prove predictions from the duality cascades. We also discuss that our result can be applied to generate new dualities for more general theories which include less supersymmetric theories and theories without brane constructions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Kapustin ◽  
Brian Willett ◽  
Itamar Yaakov

Abstract We use localization techniques to study several duality proposals for supersymmetric gauge theories in three dimensions reminiscent of Seiberg duality. We compare the partition functions of dual theories deformed by real mass terms and FI parameters. We find that Seiberg-like duality for $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 3 Chern-Simons gauge theories proposed by Giveon and Kutasov holds on the level of partition functions and is closely related to level-rank duality in pure Chern-Simons theory. We also clarify the relationship between the Giveon-Kutasov duality and a duality in theories of fractional M2 branes and propose a generalization of the latter. Our analysis also confirms previously known results concerning decoupled free sectors in $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 gauge theories realized by monopole operators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Minahan ◽  
Anton Nedelin

Abstract We consider supersymmetric gauge theories on S5 with a negative Yang-Mills coupling in their large N limits. Using localization we compute the partition functions and show that the pure SU(N) gauge theory descends to an SU(N/2)+N/2× SU(N/2)−N/2× SU(2) Chern-Simons gauge theory as the inverse ’t Hooft coupling is taken to negative infinity for N even. The Yang-Mills coupling of the SU(N/2)±N/2 is positive and infinite, while that on the SU(2) goes to zero. We also show that the odd N case has somewhat different behavior. We then study the SU(N/2)N/2 pure Chern-Simons theory. While the eigenvalue density is only found numerically, we show that its width equals 1 in units of the inverse sphere radius, which allows us to find the leading correction to the free energy when turning on the Yang-Mills term. We then consider USp(2N) theories with an antisymmetric hypermultiplet and Nf< 8 fundamental hypermultiplets and carry out a similar analysis. Along the way we show that the one-instanton contribution to the partition function remains exponentially suppressed at negative coupling for the SU(N) theories in the large N limit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naotaka Kubo

Abstract It is known that matrix models computing the partition functions of three-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 4 superconformal Chern-Simons theories described by circular quiver diagrams can be written as the partition functions of ideal Fermi gases when all the nodes have equal ranks. We extend this approach to rank deformed theories. The resulting matrix models factorize into factors depending only on the relative ranks in addition to the Fermi gas factors. We find that this factorization plays a critical role in showing the equality of the partition functions of dual theories related by the Hanany-Witten transition. Furthermore, we show that the inverses of the density matrices of the ideal Fermi gases can be simplified and regarded as quantum curves as in the case without rank deformations. We also comment on four nodes theories using our results.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Jockers ◽  
Peter Mayr ◽  
Urmi Ninad ◽  
Alexander Tabler

Abstract We study the algebra of Wilson line operators in three-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 2 supersymmetric U(M ) gauge theories with a Higgs phase related to a complex Grassmannian Gr(M, N ), and its connection to K-theoretic Gromov-Witten invariants for Gr(M, N ). For different Chern-Simons levels, the Wilson loop algebra realizes either the quantum cohomology of Gr(M, N ), isomorphic to the Verlinde algebra for U(M ), or the quantum K-theoretic ring of Schubert structure sheaves studied by mathematicians, or closely related algebras.


1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 2643-2660 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E. GAMBOA SARAVÍ ◽  
G.L. ROSSINI ◽  
F.A. SCHAPOSNIK

We study parity violation in (2+1)-dimensional gauge theories coupled to massive fermions. Using the ζ function regularization approach we evaluate the ground state fermion current in an arbitrary gauge field background, showing that it gets two different contributions which violate parity invariance and induce a Chern–Simons term in the gauge field effective action. One is related to the well-known classical parity breaking produced by a fermion mass term in three dimensions; the other, already present for massless fermions, is related to peculiarities of gauge-invariant regularization in odd-dimensional spaces.


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