arXiv subjects

Jiakang Bao

Publications and source records attributed to Jiakang Bao.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Mahler Measure for a Quiver Symphony

Adopting the Mahler measure from number theory, we introduce it to toric quiver gauge theories, and study some of its salient features and physical implications. We propose that the Mahler measure is a universal measure for the quiver, encoding its dynamics with the monotonic behaviour along a so-called Mahler flow including two special points at isoradial and tropical limits. Along the flow, the amoeba, from tropical geometry, provides geometric interpretations for the dynamics of the quiver. In the isoradial limit, the maximization of Mahler measure is shown to be equivalent to $a$-maximization. The Mahler measure and its derivative are closely related to the master space, leading to the property that the specular duals have the same functions as coefficients in their expansions, hinting the emergence of a free theory in the tropical limit. Moreover, they indicate the existence of phase transition. We also find that the Mahler measure should be invariant under Seiberg duality.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Polytopes and Machine Learning

We introduce machine learning methodology to the study of lattice polytopes. With supervised learning techniques, we predict standard properties such as volume, dual volume, reflexivity, etc, with accuracies up to 100%. We focus on 2d polygons and 3d polytopes with Plücker coordinates as input, which out-perform the usual vertex representation.

math.CO↗

arXiv2021

Some Open Questions in Quiver Gauge Theory

Quivers, gauge theories and singular geometries are of great interest in both mathematics and physics. In this note, we collect a few open questions which have arisen in various recent works at the intersection between gauge theories, representation theory, and algebraic geometry. The questions originate from the study of supersymmetric gauge theories in different dimensions with different supersymmetries. Although these constitute merely the tip of a vast iceberg, we hope this guide can give a hint of possible directions in future research. This is an invited contribution to a special volume of Proyecciones, E. Gasparim, Ed., and it is the hope that the questions are specific enough for research projects aimed at PhD students.

hep-th↗

arXiv2021

Dessins d'Enfants, Seiberg-Witten Curves and Conformal Blocks

We show how to map Grothendieck's dessins d'enfants to algebraic curves as Seiberg-Witten curves, then use the mirror map and the AGT map to obtain the corresponding 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric instanton partition functions and 2d Virasoro conformal blocks. We explicitly demonstrate the 6 trivalent dessins with 4 punctures on the sphere. We find that the parametrizations obtained from a dessin should be related by certain duality for gauge theories. Then we will discuss that some dessins could correspond to conformal blocks satisfying certain rules in different minimal models.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Chiral Rings, Futaki Invariants, Plethystics, and Groebner Bases

We study chiral rings of 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric gauge theories via the notion of K-stability. We show that when using Hilbert series to perform the computations of Futaki invariants, it is not enough to only include the test symmetry information in the former's denominator. We discuss a way to modify the numerator so that K-stability can be correctly determined, and a rescaling method is also applied to simplify the calculations involving test configurations. All of these are illustrated with a host of examples, by considering vacuum moduli spaces of various theories. Using Gröbner basis and plethystic techniques, many non-complete intersections can also be addressed, thus expanding the list of known theories in the literature.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Quiver Gauge Theories: Beyond Reflexivity

Reflexive polygons have been extensively studied in a variety of contexts in mathematics and physics. We generalize this programme by looking at the 45 different lattice polygons with two interior points up to SL(2,$\mathbb{Z}$) equivalence. Each corresponds to some affine toric 3-fold as a cone over a Sasaki-Einstein 5-fold. We study the quiver gauge theories of D3-branes probing these cones, which coincide with the mesonic moduli space. The minimum of the volume function of the Sasaki-Einstein base manifold plays an important role in computing the R-charges. We analyze these minimized volumes with respect to the topological quantities of the compact surfaces constructed from the polygons. Unlike reflexive polytopes, one can have two fans from the two interior points, and hence give rise to two smooth varieties after complete resolutions, leading to an interesting pair of closely related geometries and gauge theories.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Quiver Mutations, Seiberg Duality and Machine Learning

We initiate the study of applications of machine learning to Seiberg duality, focusing on the case of quiver gauge theories, a problem also of interest in mathematics in the context of cluster algebras. Within the general theme of Seiberg duality, we define and explore a variety of interesting questions, broadly divided into the binary determination of whether a pair of theories picked from a series of duality classes are dual to each other, as well as the multi-class determination of the duality class to which a given theory belongs. We study how the performance of machine learning depends on several variables, including number of classes and mutation type (finite or infinite). In addition, we evaluate the relative advantages of Naive Bayes classifiers versus Convolutional Neural Networks. Finally, we also investigate how the results are affected by the inclusion of additional data, such as ranks of gauge/flavor groups and certain variables motivated by the existence of underlying Diophantine equations. In all questions considered, high accuracy and confidence can be achieved.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Lectures on the Calabi-Yau Landscape

In these lecture notes, we survey the landscape of Calabi-Yau threefolds, and the use of machine learning to explore it. We begin with the compact portion of the landscape, focusing in particular on complete intersection Calabi-Yau varieties (CICYs) and elliptic fibrations. Non-compact Calabi-Yau manifolds are manifest in Type II superstring theories, they arise as representation varieties of quivers, used to describe gauge theories in the bulk familiar four dimensions. Finally, given the huge amount of Calabi-Yau data, whether and how machine learning can be applied to algebraic geometry and string landscape is also discussed. These notes are directed to the beginning graduate student interested in mathematics and in physics, and are based on lectures given by the 2nd author at the 2019 PIMS Summer School on Algebraic Geometry in High-Energy Physics at the University of Saskatchewan.

hep-th↗