arXiv subjects

Ilka Brunner

Publications and source records attributed to Ilka Brunner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum Elliptic Cohomology From Four-Dimensional Minimal Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

In this paper, we study non-perturbative vortex partition functions of four-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories on the space-time geometry $T^2 \times D^2$, and we propose that these partition functions offer a notion of quantum elliptic cohomology. For particular U(1)-gauge theories we calculate these partition functions explicitly by applying equivariant localization methods to Handsaw quiver varieties that realize for this particular class of U(1)-gauge theories the moduli spaces of the non-perturbative vortex sectors. The determined vortex partition functions are annihilated by difference operators, which are interpreted as Ward identities among N=(0,2) BPS surface defects. Compared to lower dimensional gauge theories with four supercharges, anomalies play an essential role for a consistent formulation of the four-dimensional partition functions. In our proposal towards a mathematical formulation of the vortex partition functions in terms of equivariant elliptic cohomology, the gauge theory anomalies relate to geometric properties of the Thom sheaves corresponding to the relevant quasimap moduli spaces. Motivated by the explicit computations we reflect on the existence of a `virtual structure sheaf' on the moduli space of quasimaps for a general mathematical theory of quantum elliptic cohomology.

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arXiv2024

Defects and Phases of Higher Rank Abelian GLSMs

We construct defects describing the transition between different phases of gauged linear sigma models with higher rank abelian gauge groups, as well as defects embedding these phases into the GLSMs. Our construction refers entirely to the sector protected by B-type supersymmetry, decoupling the gauge sector. It relies on an abstract characterization of such transition defects and does not involve an actual perturbative analysis. It turns out that the choices that are required to characterize consistent transition defects match with the homotopy classes of paths between different phases. Our method applies to non-anomalous as well as anomalous GLSMs, and we illustrate both cases with examples. This includes the GLSM associated to the resolution of the $A_N$ singularity and one describing the entire parameter space of $N = 2$ minimal models, in particular, the relevant flows between them. Via fusion with boundary conditions, the defects we construct yield functors describing the transport of D-branes on parameter space. We find that our results match with known results on D-brane transport.

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arXiv2023

Truncated affine Rozansky--Witten models as extended defect TQFTs

We apply the cobordism hypothesis with singularities to the case of affine Rozansky--Witten models, providing a construction of extended TQFTs that includes all line and surface defects. On a technical level, this amounts to proving that the associated homotopy 2-category is pivotal, and to systematically employing its 3-dimensional graphical calculus. This in particular allows us to explicitly calculate state spaces for surfaces with arbitrary defect networks. As specific examples we discuss symmetry defects which can be used to model non-trivial background gauge fields, as well as boundary conditions.

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arXiv2022

Holomorphic boundary conditions for topological field theories via branes in twisted supergravity

Three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric field theories admit a natural class of chiral half-BPS boundary conditions that preserve $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ supersymmetry. While such boundary conditions are not compatible with topological twists, deformations that define boundary conditions for the topological theories were recently introduced by Costello and Gaiotto. Not all $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ boundary conditions admit such deformations. We revisit this construction, working directly in the setting of the holomorphically twisted theory and viewing the topological twists as further deformations. Properties of the construction are explained both purely in the context of holomorphic field theory and also by engineering the holomorphic theory on the worldvolume of a D-brane. Our brane engineering approach combines the intersecting brane configurations of Hanany-Witten with recent work of Costello and Li on twisted supergravity. The latter approach allows to realize holomorphically and topologically twisted field theories directly as worldvolume theories in deformed supergravity backgrounds, and we make extensive use of this.

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arXiv2022

Truncated affine Rozansky--Witten models as extended TQFTs

We construct extended TQFTs associated to Rozansky--Witten models with target manifolds $T^*\mathbb{C}^n$. The starting point of the construction is the 3-category whose objects are such Rozansky--Witten models, and whose morphisms are defects of all codimensions. By truncation, we obtain a (non-semisimple) 2-category $\mathcal{C}$ of bulk theories, surface defects, and isomorphism classes of line defects. Through a systematic application of the cobordism hypothesis we construct a unique extended oriented 2-dimensional TQFT valued in $\mathcal{C}$ for every affine Rozansky--Witten model. By evaluating this TQFT on closed surfaces we obtain the infinite-dimensional state spaces (graded by flavour and R-charges) of the initial 3-dimensional theory. Furthermore, we explicitly compute the commutative Frobenius algebras that classify the restrictions of the extended theories to circles and bordisms between them.

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arXiv2021

Defects and phase transitions to geometric phases of abelian GLSMs

We consider gauged linear sigma models with gauge group U(1) that exhibit a geometric as well as a Landau Ginzburg phase. We construct defects that implement the transport of D-branes from the Landau-Ginzburg phase to the geometric phase. Through their fusion with boundary conditions these defects in particular provide functors between the respective D-brane categories. The latter map (equivariant) matrix factorizations to coherent sheaves and can be formulated explicitly in terms of complexes of matrix factorizations.

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arXiv2021

Phase transitions in GLSMs and defects

In this paper, we construct defects (domain walls) that connect different phases of two-dimensional gauged linear sigma models (GLSMs), as well as defects that embed those phases into the GLSMs. Via their action on boundary conditions these defects give rise to functors between the D-brane categories, which respectively describe the transport of D-branes between different phases, and embed the D-brane categories of the phases into the category of D-branes of the GLSMs.

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arXiv2020

Topological defects and SUSY RG flow

We study the effect of bulk perturbations of N=(2,2) superconformal minimal models on topological defects. In particular, symmetries and more general topological defects which survive the flow to the IR are identified. Our method is to consider the topological subsector and make use of the Landau-Ginzburg formulation to describe RG flows and topological defects in terms of matrix factorizations.

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arXiv2019

Boundaries and supercurrent multiplets in 3D Landau-Ginzburg models

Theories with 3D $\mathcal{N}=2$ bulk supersymmetry may preserve a 2D $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ subalgebra when a boundary is introduced, possibly with localized degrees of freedom. We propose generalized supercurrent multiplets with bulk and boundary parts adapted to such setups. Using their structure, we comment on implications for the $\overline{Q}_+$-cohomology. As an example, we apply the developed framework to Landau-Ginzburg models. In these models, we study the role of boundary degrees of freedom and matrix factorizations. We verify our results using quantization.

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arXiv2018

Bootstrapping Non-commutative Gauge Theories from L$_\infty$ algebras

Non-commutative gauge theories with a non-constant NC-parameter are investigated. As a novel approach, we propose that such theories should admit an underlying L$_\infty$ algebra, that governs not only the action of the symmetries but also the dynamics of the theory. Our approach is well motivated from string theory. We recall that such field theories arise in the context of branes in WZW models and briefly comment on its appearance for integrable deformations of AdS$_5$ sigma models. For the SU(2) WZW model, we show that the earlier proposed matrix valued gauge theory on the fuzzy 2-sphere can be bootstrapped via an L$_\infty$ algebra. We then apply this approach to the construction of non-commutative Chern-Simons and Yang-Mills theories on flat and curved backgrounds with non-constant NC-structure. More concretely, up to the second order, we demonstrate how derivative and curvature corrections to the equations of motion can be bootstrapped in an algebraic way from the L$_\infty$ algebra. The appearance of a non-trivial A$_\infty$ algebra is discussed, as well.

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arXiv2016

Reflection and transmission of conformal perturbation defects

We consider reflection and transmission of interfaces which implement renormalisation group flows between conformal fixed points in two dimensions. Such an RG interface is constructed from the identity defect in the ultraviolet CFT by perturbing the theory on one side of the defect line. We compute reflection and transmission coefficients in perturbation theory to third order in the coupling constant and check our calculations against exact constructions of RG interfaces between coset models.

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arXiv2016

Entanglement and topological interfaces

In this paper we consider entanglement entropies in two-dimensional conformal field theories in the presence of topological interfaces. Tracing over one side of the interface, the leading term of the entropy remains unchanged. The interface however adds a subleading contribution, which can be interpreted as a relative (Kullback-Leibler) entropy with respect to the situation with no defect inserted. Reinterpreting boundaries as topological interfaces of a chiral half of the full theory, we rederive the left/right entanglement entropy in analogy with the interface case. We discuss WZW models and toroidal bosonic theories as examples.

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arXiv2015

Entanglement entropy through conformal interfaces in the 2D Ising model

We consider the entanglement entropy for the 2D Ising model at the conformal fixed point in the presence of interfaces. More precisely, we investigate the situation where the two subsystems are separated by a defect line that preserves conformal invariance. Using the replica trick, we compute the entanglement entropy between the two subsystems. We observe that the entropy, just like in the case without defects, shows a logarithmic scaling behavior with respect to the size of the system. Here, the prefactor of the logarithm depends on the strength of the defect encoded in the transmission coefficient. We also comment on the supersymmetric case.

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arXiv2014

Discrete torsion defects

Orbifolding two-dimensional quantum field theories by a symmetry group can involve a choice of discrete torsion. We apply the general formalism of `orbifolding defects' to study and elucidate discrete torsion for topological field theories. In the case of Landau-Ginzburg models only the bulk sector had been studied previously, and we re-derive all known results. We also introduce the notion of `projective matrix factorisations', show how they naturally describe boundary and defect sectors, and we further illustrate the efficiency of the defect-based approach by explicitly computing RR charges. Roughly half of our results are not restricted to Landau-Ginzburg models but hold more generally, for any topological field theory. In particular we prove that for a pivotal bicategory, any two objects of its orbifold completion that have the same base are orbifold equivalent. Equivalently, from any orbifold theory (including those based on nonabelian groups) the original unorbifolded theory can be obtained by orbifolding via the `quantum symmetry defect'.

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arXiv2014

Orbifolds and topological defects

We study orbifolds of two-dimensional topological field theories using defects. If the TFT arises as the twist of a superconformal field theory, we recover results on the Neveu-Schwarz and Ramond sectors of the orbifold theory as well as bulk-boundary correlators from a novel, universal perspective. This entails a structure somewhat weaker than ordinary TFT, which however still describes a sector of the underlying conformal theory. The case of B-twisted Landau-Ginzburg models is discussed in detail, where we compute charge vectors and superpotential terms for B-type branes. Our construction also works in the absence of supersymmetry and for generalised "orbifolds" that need not arise from symmetry groups. In general this involves a natural appearance of Hochschild (co)homology in a 2-categorical setting, in which among other things we provide simple presentations of Serre functors and a further generalisation of the Cardy condition.

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arXiv2014

Calabi's diastasis as interface entropy

We show that the entropy of certain conformal interfaces between $N=(2,2)$ sigma models that belong to the same moduli space, has a natural geometric interpretation in the large volume limit as Calabi's diastasis function. This is an extension of the well-known relation between the quantum Kähler potential and the overlap of canonical Ramond-Ramond ground states in $N=(2,2)$ models.

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arXiv2013

A quick guide to defect orbifolds

We provide a lightning review of the construction of (generalised) orbifolds [arXiv:0909.5013, arXiv:1210.6363] of two-dimensional quantum field theories in terms of topological defects, along the lines of [arXiv:1307.3141]. This universal perspective has many applications, some of which we sketch in the examples of 2d Yang-Mills theory, Landau-Ginzburg models, and rational CFT.

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arXiv2013

A worldsheet extension of O(d,d;Z)

We study superconformal interfaces between N=(1,1) supersymmetric sigma models on tori, which preserve a u(1)^{2d} current algebra. Their fusion is non-singular and, using parallel transport on CFT deformation space, it can be reduced to fusion of defect lines in a single torus model. We show that the latter is described by a semi-group extension of O(d,d;Q), and that (on the level of Ramond charges) fusion of interfaces agrees with composition of associated geometric integral transformations. This generalizes the well-known fact that T-duality can be geometrically represented by Fourier-Mukai transformations. Interestingly, we find that the topological interfaces between torus models form the same semi-group upon fusion. We argue that this semi-group of orbifold equivalences can be regarded as the α' deformation of the continuous O(d,d) symmetry of classical supergravity.

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