On the monodromy of the deformed cubic oscillator

We study a second-order linear differential equation known as the deformed cubic oscillator, whose isomonodromic deformations are controlled by the first Painlevé equation. We use the generalised monodromy map for this equation to give solutions to the Riemann-Hilbert problems of (Bridgeland in Invent Math 216(1):69–124, 2019) arising from the Donaldson-Thomas theory of the A$$_2$$ 2 quiver. These are the first known solutions to such problems beyond the uncoupled case. The appendix by Davide Masoero contains a WKB analysis of the asymptotics of the monodromy map.

Null Kähler Geometry and Isomonodromic Deformations

We construct the normal forms of null-Kähler metrics: pseudo-Riemannian metrics admitting a compatible parallel nilpotent endomorphism of the tangent bundle. Such metrics are examples of non-Riemannian holonomy reduction, and (in the complexified setting) appear on the space of Bridgeland stability conditions on a Calabi–Yau threefold. Using twistor methods we show that, in dimension four—where there is a connection with dispersionless integrability—the cohomogeneity-one anti-self-dual null-Kähler metrics are generically characterised by solutions to Painlevé I or Painlevé II ODEs.

Intersecting defects in gauge theory, quantum spin chains, and Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations

We propose an interesting BPS/CFT correspondence playground: the correlation function of two intersecting half-BPS surface defects in four-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 2 supersymmetric SU(N) gauge theory with 2N fundamental hypermultiplets. We show it satisfies a difference equation, the fractional quantum T-Q relation. Its Fourier transform is the 5-point conformal block of the $$ {\hat{\mathfrak{sl}}}_N $$ sl ̂ N current algebra with one of the vertex operators corresponding to the N-dimensional $$ {\mathfrak{sl}}_N $$ sl N representation, which we demonstrate with the help of the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation. We also identify the correlator with a state of the $$ {XXX}_{{\mathfrak{sl}}_2} $$ XXX sl 2 spin chain of N Heisenberg-Weyl modules over Y ($$ {\mathfrak{sl}}_2 $$ sl 2 ). We discuss the associated quantum Lax operators, and connections to isomonodromic deformations.

Circular quiver gauge theories, isomonodromic deformations and $$W_N$$ fermions on the torus

We study the relation between class $$\mathcal {S}$$ S theories on punctured tori and isomonodromic deformations of flat SL(N) connections on the two-dimensional torus with punctures. Turning on the self-dual $$\Omega $$ Ω -background corresponds to a deautonomization of the Seiberg–Witten integrable system which implies a specific time dependence in its Hamiltonians. We show that the corresponding $$\tau $$ τ -function is proportional to the dual gauge theory partition function, the proportionality factor being a nontrivial function of the solution of the deautonomized Seiberg–Witten integrable system. This is obtained by mapping the isomonodromic deformation problem to $$W_N$$ W N free fermion correlators on the torus.

Isomonodromic Laplace transform with coalescing eigenvalues and confluence of Fuchsian singularities

We consider a Pfaffian system expressing isomonodromy of an irregular system of Okubo type, depending on complex deformation parameters $$u=(u_1,\ldots ,u_n)$$ u = ( u 1 , … , u n ) , which are eigenvalues of the leading matrix at the irregular singularity. At the same time, we consider a Pfaffian system of non-normalized Schlesinger-type expressing isomonodromy of a Fuchsian system, whose poles are the deformation parameters $$u_1,\ldots ,u_n$$ u 1 , … , u n . The parameters vary in a polydisc containing a coalescence locus for the eigenvalues of the leading matrix of the irregular system, corresponding to confluence of the Fuchsian singularities. We construct isomonodromic selected and singular vector solutions of the Fuchsian Pfaffian system together with their isomonodromic connection coefficients, so extending a result of Balser et al. (I SIAM J Math Anal 12(5): 691–721, 1981) and Guzzetti (Funkcial Ekvac 59(3): 383–433, 2016) to the isomonodromic case, including confluence of singularities. Then, we introduce an isomonodromic Laplace transform of the selected and singular vector solutions, allowing to obtain isomonodromic fundamental solutions for the irregular system, and their Stokes matrices expressed in terms of connection coefficients. These facts, in addition to extending (Balser et al. in I SIAM J Math Anal 12(5): 691–721, 1981; Guzzetti in Funkcial Ekvac 59(3): 383–433, 2016) to the isomonodromic case (with coalescences/confluences), allow to prove by means of Laplace transform the main result of Cotti et al. (Duke Math J arXiv:1706.04808, 2017), namely the analytic theory of non-generic isomonodromic deformations of the irregular system with coalescing eigenvalues.