arXiv subjects

Boris Pioline

Publications and source records attributed to Boris Pioline.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Theta series, wall-crossing and quantum dilogarithm identities

Motivated by mathematical structures which arise in string vacua and gauge theories with N=2 supersymmetry, we study the properties of certain generalized theta series which appear as Fourier coefficients of functions on a twisted torus. In Calabi-Yau string vacua, such theta series encode instanton corrections from $k$ Neveu-Schwarz five-branes. The theta series are determined by vector-valued wave-functions, and in this work we obtain the transformation of these wave-functions induced by Kontsevich-Soibelman symplectomorphisms. This effectively provides a quantum version of these transformations, where the quantization parameter is inversely proportional to the five-brane charge $k$. Consistency with wall-crossing implies a new five-term relation for Faddeev's quantum dilogarithm $Φ_b$ at $b=1$, which we prove. By allowing the torus to be non-commutative, we obtain a more general five-term relation valid for arbitrary $b$ and $k$, which may be relevant for the physics of five-branes at finite chemical potential for angular momentum.

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arXiv2016

Multiple D3-instantons and mock modular forms I

We study D3-instanton corrections to the hypermultiplet moduli space in type IIB string theory compactified on a Calabi-Yau threefold. In a previous work, consistency of D3-instantons with S-duality was established at first order in the instanton expansion, using the modular properties of the M5-brane elliptic genus. We extend this analysis to the two-instanton level, where wall-crossing phenomena start playing a role. We focus on the contact potential, an analogue of the Kahler potential which must transform as a modular form under S-duality. We show that it can be expressed in terms of a suitable modification of the partition function of D4-D2-D0 BPS black holes, constructed out of the generating function of MSW invariants (the latter coincide with Donaldson-Thomas invariants in a particular chamber). Modular invariance of the contact potential then requires that, in case where the D3-brane wraps a reducible divisor, the generating function of MSW invariants must transform as a vector-valued mock modular form, with a specific modular completion built from the MSW invariants of the constituents. Physically, this gives a powerful constraint on the degeneracies of BPS black holes. Mathematically, our result gives a universal prediction for the modular properties of Donaldson-Thomas invariants of pure two-dimensional sheaves.

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arXiv2016

One-Loop BPS amplitudes as BPS-state sums

Recently, we introduced a new procedure for computing a class of one-loop BPS-saturated amplitudes in String Theory, which expresses them as a sum of one-loop contributions of all perturbative BPS states in a manifestly T-duality invariant fashion. In this paper, we extend this procedure to all BPS-saturated amplitudes of the form \int_F Γ_{d+k,d} Φ, with Φ being a weak (almost) holomorphic modular form of weight -k/2. We use the fact that any such Φ can be expressed as a linear combination of certain absolutely convergent Poincaré series, against which the fundamental domain F can be unfolded. The resulting BPS-state sum neatly exhibits the singularities of the amplitude at points of gauge symmetry enhancement, in a chamber-independent fashion. We illustrate our method with concrete examples of interest in heterotic string compactifications.

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arXiv2016

On the Rankin-Selberg method for higher genus string amplitudes

Closed string amplitudes at genus $h\leq 3$ are given by integrals of Siegel modular functions on a fundamental domain of the Siegel upper half-plane. When the integrand is of rapid decay near the cusps, the integral can be computed by the Rankin-Selberg method, which consists of inserting an Eisenstein series $E_h(s)$ in the integrand, computing the integral by the orbit method, and finally extracting the residue at a suitable value of $s$. String amplitudes, however, typically involve integrands with polynomial or even exponential growth at the cusps, and a renormalization scheme is required to treat infrared divergences. Generalizing Zagier's extension of the Rankin-Selberg method at genus one, we develop the Rankin-Selberg method for Siegel modular functions of degree 2 and 3 with polynomial growth near the cusps. In particular, we show that the renormalized modular integral of the Siegel-Narain partition function of an even self-dual lattice of signature $(d,d)$ is proportional to a residue of the Langlands-Eisenstein series attached to the $h$-th antisymmetric tensor representation of the T-duality group $O(d,d,Z)$.

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arXiv2016

A Theta lift representation for the Kawazumi-Zhang and Faltings invariants of genus-two Riemann surfaces

The Kawazumi-Zhang invariant $φ$ for compact genus-two Riemann surfaces was recently shown to be a eigenmode of the Laplacian on the Siegel upper half-plane, away from the separating degeneration divisor. Using this fact and the known behavior of $φ$ in the non-separating degeneration limit, it is shown that $φ$ is equal to the Theta lift of the unique (up to normalization) weak Jacobi form of weight $-2$. This identification provides the complete Fourier-Jacobi expansion of $φ$ near the non-separating node, gives full control on the asymptotics of $φ$ in the various degeneration limits, and provides a efficient numerical procedure to evaluate $φ$ to arbitrary accuracy. It also reveals a mock-type holomorphic Siegel modular form of weight $-2$ underlying $φ$. From the general relation between the Faltings invariant, the Kawazumi-Zhang invariant and the discriminant for hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces, a Theta lift representation for the Faltings invariant in genus two readily follows.

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arXiv2015

Infrared divergences and harmonic anomalies in the two-loop superstring effective action

We analyze the pertubative contributions to the $D^4 R^4$ and $D^6 R^4$ couplings in the low-energy effective action of type II string theory compactified on a torus $T^d$, with particular emphasis on two-loop corrections. In general, it is necessary to introduce an infrared cut-off $Λ$ to separate local interactions from non-local effects due to the exchange of massless states. We identify the degenerations of the genus-two Riemann surface which are responsible for power-like dependence on $Λ$, and give an explicit prescription for extracting the $Λ$-independent effective couplings. These renormalized couplings are then shown to be eigenmodes of the Laplace operator with respect to the torus moduli, up to computable anomalous source terms arising in the presence of logarithmic divergences, in precise agreement with predictions from U-duality. Our results for the two-loop $D^6 R^4$ contribution also probe essential properties of the Kawazumi-Zhang invariant

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arXiv2015

Threshold corrections, generalised prepotentials and Eichler integrals

We continue our study of one-loop integrals associated to BPS-saturated amplitudes in $\mathcal{N}=2$ heterotic vacua. We compute their large-volume behaviour, and express them as Fourier series in the complexified volume, with Fourier coefficients given in terms of Niebur-Poincaré series in the complex structure modulus. The closure of Niebur-Poincaré series under modular derivatives implies that such integrals derive from holomorphic prepotentials $f_n$, generalising the familiar prepotential of $\mathcal{N}=2$ supergravity. These holomorphic prepotentials transform anomalously under T-duality, in a way characteristic of Eichler integrals. We use this observation to compute their quantum monodromies under the duality group. We extend the analysis to modular integrals with respect to Hecke congruence subgroups, which naturally arise in compactifications on non-factorisable tori and freely-acting orbifolds. In this case, we derive new explicit results including closed-form expressions for integrals involving the ${\varGamma}_0(N)$ Hauptmodul, a full characterisation of holomorphic prepotentials including their quantum monodromies, as well as concrete formulae for holomorphic Yukawa couplings.

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arXiv2015

$D^6 R^4$ amplitudes in various dimensions

Four-graviton couplings in the low energy effective action of type II string vacua compactified on tori are strongly constrained by supersymmetry and U-duality. While the $R^4$ and $D^4 R^4$ couplings are known exactly in terms of Langlands-Eisenstein series of the U-duality group, the $D^6 R^4$ couplings are not nearly as well understood. Exploiting the coincidence of the U-duality group in $D=6$ with the T-duality group in $D=5$, we propose an exact formula for the $D^6 R^4$ couplings in type II string theory compactified on $T^4$, in terms of a genus-two modular integral plus a suitable Eisenstein series. The same modular integral computes the two-loop correction to $D^6 R^4$ in 5 dimensions, but here provides the non-perturbative completion of the known perturbative terms in $D=6$. This proposal hinges on a systematic re-analysis of the weak coupling and large radius of the $D^6 R^4$ in all dimensions $D\geq 3$, which fills in some gaps and resolves some inconsistencies in earlier studies.

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arXiv2015

Quantum hypermultiplet moduli spaces in N=2 string vacua: a review

The hypermultiplet moduli space M_H in type II string theories compactified on a Calabi-Yau threefold X is largely constrained by supersymmetry (which demands quaternion-Kählerity), S-duality (which requires an isometric action of SL(2, Z)) and regularity. Mathematically, M_H ought to encode all generalized Donaldson-Thomas invariants on X consistently with wall-crossing, modularity and homological mirror symmetry. We review recent progress towards computing the exact metric on M_H, or rather the exact complex contact structure on its twistor space.

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arXiv2015

Fivebrane instantons, topological wave functions and hypermultiplet moduli spaces

We investigate quantum corrections to the hypermultiplet moduli space M in Calabi-Yau compactifications of type II string theories, with particular emphasis on instanton effects from Euclidean NS5-branes. Based on the consistency of D- and NS5-instanton corrections, we determine the topology of the hypermultiplet moduli space at fixed string coupling, as previewed in arXiv:1009.3026. On the type IIB side, we compute corrections from (p,k)-fivebrane instantons to the metric on M (specifically, the correction to the complex contact structure on its twistor space Z) by applying S-duality to the D-instanton sum. For fixed fivebrane charge k, the corrections can be written as a non-Gaussian theta series, whose summand for k=1 reduces to the topological A-model amplitude. By mirror symmetry, instanton corrections induced from the chiral type IIA NS5-brane are similarly governed by the wave function of the topological B-model. In the course of this investigation we clarify charge quantization for coherent sheaves and find hitherto unnoticed corrections to the Heisenberg, monodromy and S-duality actions on M, as well as to the mirror map for Ramond-Ramond fields and D-brane charges.

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arXiv2015

Wall-crossing, Rogers dilogarithm, and the QK/HK correspondence

When formulated in twistor space, the D-instanton corrected hypermultiplet moduli space in N=2 string vacua and the Coulomb branch of rigid N=2 gauge theories on $R^3 \times S^1$ are strikingly similar and, to a large extent, dictated by consistency with wall-crossing. We elucidate this similarity by showing that these two spaces are related under a general duality between, on one hand, quaternion-Kahler manifolds with a quaternionic isometry and, on the other hand, hyperkahler manifolds with a rotational isometry, further equipped with a hyperholomorphic circle bundle with a connection. We show that the transition functions of the hyperholomorphic circle bundle relevant for the hypermultiplet moduli space are given by the Rogers dilogarithm function, and that consistency across walls of marginal stability is ensured by the motivic wall-crossing formula of Kontsevich and Soibelman. We illustrate the construction on some simple examples of wall-crossing related to cluster algebras for rank 2 Dynkin quivers. In an appendix we also provide a detailed discussion on the general relation between wall-crossing and the theory of cluster algebras.

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arXiv2015

$R^3$ index for four-dimensional $N=2$ field theories

In theories with $N=2$ supersymmetry on $R^{3,1}$, BPS bound states can decay across walls of marginal stability in the space of Coulomb branch parameters, leading to discontinuities in the BPS indices $Ω(γ,u)$. We consider a supersymmetric index $I$ which receives contributions from 1/2-BPS states, generalizing the familiar Witten index $Tr (-1)^F e^{-βH}$. We expect $I$ to be smooth away from loci where massless particles appear, thanks to contributions from the continuum of multi-particle states. Taking inspiration from a similar phenomenon in the hypermultiplet moduli space of $N=2$ string vacua, we conjecture a formula expressing $I$ in terms of the BPS indices $Ω(γ,u)$, which is continuous across the walls and exhibits the expected contributions from single particle states at large $β$. This gives a universal prediction for the contributions of multi-particle states to the index $I$. This index is naturally a function on the moduli space after reduction on a circle, closely related to the canonical hyperkähler metric and hyperholomorphic connection on this space.

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arXiv2015

Wall-crossing made smooth

In $D=4,N=2$ theories on $R^{3,1}$, the index receives contributions not only from single-particle BPS states, counted by the BPS indices, but also from multi-particle states made of BPS constituents. In a recent work [arXiv:1406.2360], a general formula expressing the index in terms of the BPS indices was proposed, which is smooth across walls of marginal stability and reproduces the expected single-particle contributions. In this note, I analyze the two-particle contributions predicted by this formula, and show agreement with the spectral asymmetry of the continuum of scattering states in the supersymmetric quantum mechanics of two non-relativistic, mutually non-local dyons. This provides a physical justification for the error function profile used in the mathematics literature on indefinite theta series, and in the physics literature on black hole partition functions.

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arXiv2014

Matching the $D^6 {\cal R}^4$ interaction at two-loops

The coefficient of the $D^6 {\cal R}^4$ interaction in the low energy expansion of the two-loop four-graviton amplitude in type II superstring theory is known to be proportional to the integral of the Zhang-Kawazumi (ZK) invariant over the moduli space of genus-two Riemann surfaces. We demonstrate that the ZK invariant is an eigenfunction with eigenvalue 5 of the Laplace-Beltrami operator in the interior of moduli space. Exploiting this result, we evaluate the integral of the ZK invariant explicitly, finding agreement with the value of the two-loop $D^6 {\cal R}^4$ interaction predicted on the basis of S-duality and supersymmetry. A review of the current understanding of the $D^{2p} {\cal R}^4$ interactions in type II superstring theory compactified on a torus $T^d$ with $p \leq 3$ and $d \leq 4$ is included.

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arXiv2014

Rankin-Selberg methods for closed string amplitudes

After integrating over supermoduli and vertex operator positions, scattering amplitudes in superstring theory at genus $h\leq 3$ are reduced to an integral of a Siegel modular function of degree $h$ on a fundamental domain of the Siegel upper half plane. A direct computation is in general unwieldy, but becomes feasible if the integrand can be expressed as a sum over images under a suitable subgroup of the Siegel modular group: if so, the integration domain can be extended to a simpler domain at the expense of keeping a single term in each orbit -- a technique known as the Rankin-Selberg method. Motivated by applications to BPS-saturated amplitudes, Angelantonj, Florakis and I have applied this technique to one-loop modular integrals where the integrand is the product of a Siegel-Narain theta function times a weakly, almost holomorphic modular form. I survey our main results, and take some steps in extending this method to genus greater than one.

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arXiv2014

$R^4$ couplings and automorphic unipotent representations

Four-graviton, eight-derivative couplings in the low energy effective action of toroidal type II string compactifications are tightly constrained by U-duality invariance and by supersymmetry. In this note, we revisit earlier proposals for the automorphic form governing these couplings in dimension D=3,4,5,6, and propose that the correct automorphic form is the minimal theta series for the corresponding U-duality group. Evidence for this proposal comes from i) the matching of infinitesimal characters, ii) the fact that the Fourier coefficients have support on 1/2-BPS charges and iii) decompactification limits. In particular, we show that non-perturbative effects can be interpreted as 1/2-BPS instantons, or 1/2-BPS particles in one dimension higher (together with Taub-NUT instantons in the D=3 case). Based on similar considerations, we also conjecture the form of 1/4-BPS saturated couplings such as $\nabla^4 R^4$ couplings in the same dimensions.

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arXiv2014

N=2 Heterotic-Type II duality and bundle moduli

Heterotic string compactifications on a $K3$ surface $\mathfrak{S}$ depend on a choice of hyperkähler metric, anti-self-dual gauge connection and Kalb-Ramond flux, parametrized by hypermultiplet scalars. The metric on hypermultiplet moduli space is in principle computable within the $(0,2)$ superconformal field theory on the heterotic string worldsheet, although little is known about it in practice. Using duality with type II strings compactified on a Calabi-Yau threefold, we predict the form of the quaternion-Kähler metric on hypermultiplet moduli space when $\mathfrak{S}$ is elliptically fibered, in the limit of a large fiber and even larger base. The result is in general agreement with expectations from Kaluza-Klein reduction, in particular the metric has a two-stage fibration structure, where the $B$-field moduli are fibered over bundle and metric moduli, while bundle moduli are themselves fibered over metric moduli. A more precise match must await a detailed analysis of $R^2$-corrected ten-dimensional supergravity.

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arXiv2013

Generalized quiver mutations and single-centered indices

Quiver quantum mechanics is invariant under Seiberg duality. A mathematical consequence is that the cohomology of the Higgs branch moduli space is invariant under mutations of the quiver. The Coulomb branch formula, on the other hand, conjecturally expresses the Poincaré / Dolbeault polynomial of the Higgs branch moduli space in terms of certain quantities known as single-centered indices. In this work we determine the transformations of these single-centered indices under mutations. Moreover, we generalize these mutations to quivers whose nodes carry single-centered indices different from unity. Although the Higgs branch description of these generalized quivers is currently unknown, the Coulomb branch formula is conjectured to be invariant under generalized mutations.

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