We propose a systematic approach to computing the BPS spectrum 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 $$ \hat{\mathrm{\mathbb{C}}} $$
 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 to compute BPS spectra of all rank-1 and rank-2 5d Kaluza-Klein (KK) theories descending from 6d $$ \mathcal{N} $$
 = (1, 0) superconformal field theories (SCFTs) compactified on a circle with/without twist. We also discuss various 5d SCFTs and KK theories of higher ranks, which include a few exotic cases such as new rank-1 and rank-2 5d SCFTs engineered with frozen singularity as well as the 5d SU(3)8 gauge theory currently having neither a brane web nor a smooth shrinkable geometric description. The results serve as non-trivial checks for a large class of non-trivial dualities among 5d theories and also as independent evidences for the existence of certain exotic theories.

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Bootstrapping BPS spectra of 5d/6d field theories

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 rational elliptic surfaces. We show that the global form of the flavour symmetry group is encoded in the Mordell-Weil group of the SW elliptic fibration. We study in detail many special points in parameters space, such as points where the flavour symmetry enhances, and/or where Argyres-Douglas and Minahan-Nemeschansky theories appear. In a number of important instances, including in the massless limit, the $U$-plane is a modular curve, and we use modularity to investigate aspects of the low-energy physics, such as the spectrum of light particles at strong coupling and the associated BPS quivers. We also study the gravitational couplings on the $U$-plane, matching the infrared expectation for the couplings $A(U)$ and $B(U)$ to the UV computation using the Nekrasov partition function. 

/pdf/the-u-plane-of-rank-one-4d-mathcal-n-2-kk-theories-i9d2mjgz.pdf

The $U$-plane of rank-one 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ KK theories

We generalize Nakajima-Yoshioka’s blowup formula to calculate the partition functions counting the spectrum of bound states to half-BPS Wilson loop operators in 5d (and 6d) supersymmetric field theories. The partition function in the presence of a Wilson loop operator on the Ω-background is factorized when put on the blowup $$ \hat{\mathbb{C}} $$
 2 into two Wilson loop partition functions under the localization. This structure provides a set of blowup equations for Wilson loop operators. We explain how to formulate the blowup equations and solve them to compute the partition functions of Wilson loop operators. We test this idea by explicitly calculating the Wilson loop partition functions in various 5d/6d field theories and comparing them against known results and expected dualities.

/pdf/5d-6d-wilson-loops-from-blowups-3qb7mltfu9.pdf

5d/6d Wilson loops from blowups

The relation between supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions and quantum spin systems is exploited to find an explicit formula for the Jost function of the $N$ site $\mathfrak{sl}_{2}$ $XXX$ spin chain (for infinite dimensional complex spin representations), as well as the $SL_N$ Gaudin system, which reduces, in a limiting case, to that of the $N$-particle periodic Toda chain. Using the non-perturbative Dyson-Schwinger equations of the supersymmetric gauge theory we establish relations between the spin chain commuting Hamiltonians with the twisted chiral ring of gauge theory. Along the way we explore the chamber dependence of the supersymmetric partition function, also the expectation value of the surface defects, giving new evidence for the AGT conjecture.

/pdf/quantum-spin-systems-and-supersymmetric-gauge-theories-i-nbjqnouly4.pdf

Quantum Spin Systems and Supersymmetric Gauge Theories, I

We describe how the geometry of the Higgs branch of 5d superconformal field theories is transformed under movement along the extended Coulomb branch. Working directly with the (unitary) magnetic quiver, we demonstrate a correspondence between Fayet-Iliopoulos deformations in 3d and 5d mass deformations. When the Higgs branch has multiple cones, characterised by a collection of magnetic quivers, the mirror map is not globally well-defined, however we are able to utilize the correspondence to establish a local version of mirror symmetry. We give several detailed examples of deformations, including decouplings and weak-coupling limits, in $(D_n,D_n)$ conformal matter theories, $T_N$ theory and its parent $P_N$, for which we find new Lagrangian descriptions given by quiver gauge theories with fundamental and anti-symmetric matter.

Connecting 5d Higgs Branches via Fayet-Iliopoulos Deformations

We study circle compactifications of 6d superconformal field theories giving rise to 5d rank 1 and rank 2 Kaluza-Klein theories. We realise the resulting theories as M-theory compactifications on local Calabi-Yau 3-folds and match the prepotentials from geometry and field theory. One novelty in our approach is that we include explicit dependence on bare gauge couplings and mass parameters in the description which in turn leads to an accurate parametrisation of the prepotential including all parameters of the field theory. We find that the resulting geometries admit “fibre-base” duality which relates their six-dimensional origin with the purely five-dimensional quantum field theory interpretation. The fibre-base duality is realised simply by swapping base and fibre curves of compact surfaces in the local Calabi-Yau which can be viewed as the total space of the anti-canonical bundle over such surfaces. Our results show that such swappings precisely occur for surfaces with a zero self-intersection of the base curve and result in an exchange of the 6d and 5d pictures.

/pdf/fibre-base-duality-of-5d-kk-theories-252w0ux1kc.pdf

Fibre-base duality of 5d KK theories

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 6d SCFTs arising from M5 branes transverse to a ℂ2/ℤk singularity. In the limit where the compactified 2-torus has zero size, the corresponding 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$
 = 2 theories are known as class $$ {\mathcal{S}}_k $$
 . We explicitly show that the eigenvectors associated to the quantum curve are expectation values of codimension 2 surface operators, while the corresponding eigenvalues are codimension 4 Wilson surface expectation values.

/pdf/elliptic-quantum-curves-of-class-s-k-mathcal-s-k-77dh6vu331.pdf

Elliptic quantum curves of class S k $$ {\mathcal{S}}_k $$

We study circle compactifications of 6d superconformal field theories giving rise to 5d rank 1 and rank 2 Kaluza-Klein theories. We realise the resulting theories as M-theory compactifications on local Calabi-Yau 3-folds and match the prepotentials from geometry and field theory. One novelty in our approach is that we include explicit dependence on bare gauge couplings and mass parameters in the description which in turn leads to an accurate parametrisation of the prepotential including all parameters of the field theory. We find that the resulting geometries admit "fibre-base" duality which relates their six-dimensional origin with the purely five-dimensional quantum field theory interpretation. The fibre-base duality is realised simply by swapping base and fibre curves of compact surfaces in the local Calabi-Yau which can be viewed as the total space of the anti-canonical bundle over such surfaces. Our results show that such swappings precisely occur for surfaces with a zero self-intersection of the base curve and result in an exchange of the 6d and 5d pictures.

/pdf/fibre-base-duality-of-5d-kk-theories-2ow0bkdqk9.pdf

We study two-dimensional weighted $$ \mathcal{N} $$
 = (2) supersymmetric ℂℙ models with the goal of exploring their infrared (IR) limit. 𝕎ℂℙ(N, $$ \tilde{N} $$
 ) are simplified versions of world-sheet theories on non-Abelian strings in four-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
 = 2 QCD. In the gauged linear sigma model (GLSM) formulation, 𝕎ℂℙ(N, $$ \tilde{N} $$
 ) has N charges +1 and $$ \tilde{N} $$
 charges −1 fields. As well-known, at $$ \tilde{N} $$
 = N this GLSM is conformal. Its target space is believed to be a non-compact Calabi-Yau manifold. We mostly focus on the N = 2 case, then the Calabi-Yau space is a conifold. On the other hand, in the non-linear sigma model (NLSM) formulation the model has ultra-violet logarithms and does not look conformal. Moreover, its metric is not Ricci-flat. We address this puzzle by studying the renormalization group (RG) flow of the model. We show that the metric of NLSM becomes Ricci-flat in the IR. Moreover, it tends to the known metric of the resolved conifold. We also study a close relative of the 𝕎ℂℙ model — the so called zn model — which in actuality represents the world sheet theory on a non-Abelian semilocal string and show that this zn model has similar RG properties.

/pdf/long-way-to-ricci-flatness-k4xzd9g9tk.pdf

Jin Chen

Papers

Fibre-base duality of 5d KK theories

Elliptic quantum curves of class S k $$ {\mathcal{S}}_k $$

Fibre-base duality of 5d KK theories

Long way to Ricci flatness

E-string quantum curve