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arXiv · 1702.03330

Surface defects and instanton-vortex interaction

A. Gorsky·B. Le Floch·A. Milekhin·N. Sopenko
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Abstract

We propose a simple formula for the 4d-2d partition function of half-BPS surface defects in $d=4,\ \mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories: $Z^{\text{4d-2d}}=\langle Z^{\text{2d}} \rangle_{\text{4d}}$. Our results are applicable for any surface defect obtained by gauging a 2d flavour symmetry using a 4d gauge group. For defects obtained via the Higgsing procedure, our formula reproduces the recent calculation by Pan and Peelaers. For Gukov-Witten defects our results reproduce the orbifold calculation by Kanno and Tachikawa. We emphasize the role of "negative vortices" which are realized as negative D0 branes.

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A. Gorsky, B. Le Floch, A. Milekhin, N. Sopenko. 2017-08-03. Surface defects and instanton-vortex interaction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2017.04.010

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