arXiv subjects

K. Intriligator

Publications and source records attributed to K. Intriligator.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2002

A Geometric Unification of Dualities

We study the dynamics of a large class of N=1 quiver theories, geometrically realized by type IIB D-brane probes wrapping cycles of local Calabi-Yau threefolds. These include N=2 (affine) A-D-E quiver theories deformed by superpotential terms, as well as chiral N=1 quiver theories obtained in the presence of vanishing 4-cycles inside a Calabi-Yau. We consider the various possible geometric transitions of the 3-fold and show that they correspond to Seiberg-like dualities (represented by Weyl reflections in the A-D-E case or `mutations' of bundles in the case of vanishing 4-cycles) or large N dualities involving gaugino condensates (generalized conifold transitions). Also duality cascades are naturally realized in these classes of theories, and are related to the affine Weyl group symmetry in the A-D-E case.

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arXiv2001

A Large N Duality via a Geometric Transition

We propose a large N dual of 4d, N=1 supersymmetric, SU(N) Yang-Mills with adjoint field Φand arbitrary superpotential W(Φ). The field theory is geometrically engineered via D-branes partially wrapped over certain cycles of a non-trivial Calabi-Yau geometry. The large N, or low-energy, dual arises from a geometric transition of the Calabi-Yau, where the branes have disappeared and have been replaced by suitable fluxes. This duality yields highly non-trivial exact results for the gauge theory. The predictions indeed agree with expected results in cases where it is possible to use standard techniques for analyzing the strongly coupled, supersymmetric gauge theories. Moreover, the proposed large N dual provides a simpler and more unified approach for obtaining exact results for this class of supersymmetric gauge theories.

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arXiv1997

Aspects of N=2 Supersymmetric Gauge Theories in Three Dimensions

We consider general aspects of N=2 gauge theories in three dimensions, including their multiplet structure, anomalies and non-renormalization theorems. For U(1) gauge theories, we discuss the quantum corrections to the moduli space, and their relation to ``mirror symmetries'' of 3d N=4 theories. Mirror symmetry is given an interpretation in terms of vortices. For SU(N_c) gauge groups with N_f fundamental flavors, we show that, depending on the number of flavors, there are quantum moduli spaces of vacua with various phenomena near the origin.

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arXiv1997

Five-Dimensional Supersymmetric Gauge Theories and Degenerations of Calabi-Yau Spaces

We discuss five-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories. An anomaly renders some theories inconsistent and others consistent only upon including a Wess-Zumino type Chern-Simons term. We discuss some necessary conditions for existence of nontrivial renormalization group fixed points and find all possible gauge groups and matter content which satisfy them. In some cases, the existence of these fixed points can be inferred from string duality considerations. In other cases, they arise from M-theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds. We explore connections between aspects of the gauge theory and Calabi-Yau geometry. A consequence of our classification of field theories with nontrivial fixed points is a fairly complete classification of a class of singularities of Calabi-Yau threefolds which generalize the ``del Pezzo contractions'' and occur at higher codimension walls of the Kähler cone.

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arXiv1996

Mirror Symmetry in Three Dimensional Gauge Theories

We discuss non-trivial fixed points of the renormalization group with dual descriptions in $N=4$ gauge theories in three dimensions. This new duality acts as mirror symmetry, exchanging the Higgs and Coulomb branches of the theories. Quantum effects on the Coulomb branch arise classically on the Higgs branch of the dual theory. We present examples of dual theories whose Higgs/Coulomb branch are the ALE spaces and whose Coulomb/Higgs branches are the moduli space of instantons of the corresponding $ADE$ gauge group. In particular, we show that in three dimensions small $E_8$ instantons in string theory are described by a local quantum field theory.

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arXiv1996

Geometric Singularities and Enhanced Gauge Symmetries

Using ``Tate's algorithm,'' we identify loci in the moduli of F-theory compactifications corresponding to enhanced gauge symmetry. We apply this to test the proposed F-theory/heterotic dualities in six dimensions. We recover the perturbative gauge symmetry enhancements of the heterotic side and the physics of small $SO(32)$ instantons, and discover new mixed perturbative/non-perturbative gauge symmetry enhancements. Upon further toroidal compactification to 4 dimensions, we derive the chain of Calabi-Yau threefolds dual to various Coulomb branches of heterotic strings.

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arXiv1996

Massless Monopoles Via Confining Phase Superpotentials

We discuss how the structure of massless monopoles in supersymmetric theories with a Coulomb phase can be obtained from effective superpotentials for a phase with a confined photon. To illustrate the technique, we derive effective superpotentials which can be used to derive the curves which describe the Coulomb phase of $N=2$, $SU(N_c)$ gauge theory with $N_f<N_c$ flavors.

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arXiv1995

Lectures on supersymmetric gauge theories and electric-magnetic duality

We review some of the recent work on the dynamics of four dimensional, supersymmetric gauge theories. The kinematics are largely determined by holomorphy and the dynamics are governed by duality. The results shed light on the phases of gauge theories. Some results and interpretations which have not been published before are also included.

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arXiv1995

New Examples of Duality in Chiral and Non-Chiral Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

We present evidence for renormalization group fixed points with dual magnetic descriptions in fourteen new classes of four-dimensional $N=1$ supersymmetric models. Nine of these classes are chiral and many involve two or three gauge groups. These theories are generalizations of models presented earlier by Seiberg, by Kutasov and Schwimmer, and by the present authors. The different classes are interrelated; one can flow from one class to another using confinement or symmetry breaking.

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arXiv1995

Phases of $N=1$ Supersymmetric Gauge Theories and Electric-Magnetic Triality

We discuss the phases of four dimensional gauge theories and demonstrate them in solvable examples. Some of our simple examples exhibit confinement and oblique confinement. The theory has dual magnetic and dual dyonic descriptions in which these phenomena happen at weak coupling. Combined with the underlying electric theory, which gives a weak coupling description of the Higgs phase, we have electric-magnetic-dyonic triality. In an appendix we clarify some points regarding the use of 1PI superpotentials in these theories.

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arXiv1995

New RG Fixed Points and Duality in Supersymmetric SP(N_c) and SO(N_c) Gauge Theories

We present evidence for new, non-trivial RG fixed points with dual magnetic descriptions in $N=1$ supersymmetric $SP(N_c)$ and $SO(N_c)$ gauge theories. The $SP(N_c)$ case involves matter $X$ in the antisymmetric tensor representation and $N_f$ flavors of quarks $Q$ in the fundamental representation. The $SO(N_c)$ case involves matter $X$ in the symmetric tensor representation and $N_f$ flavors of quarks $Q$ in the vector representation of $SO(N_c)$. Perturbing these theories by superpotentials $W(X)$, we find a variety of interesting RG fixed points with dual descriptions. The duality in these theories is similar to that found by Kutasov and by Kutasov and Schwimmer in $SU(N_c)$ with adjoint $X$ and $N_f$ quarks in the fundamental.

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arXiv1995

Exact Superpotentials, Quantum Vacua and Duality in Supersymmetric SP(N_c) Gauge Theories

We study $N=1$ supersymmetric $SP(N_c)$ gauge theories with $N_f$ flavors of quarks in the fundamental representation. Depending on $N_f$ and $N_c$, we find exact, dynamically generated superpotentials, smooth quantum moduli spaces of vacua, quantum moduli spaces of vacua with additional massless composites at strong coupling, confinement without chiral symmetry breaking, non-trivial fixed points of the renormalization group, and massless magnetic quarks and gluons.

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arXiv1995

Duality, Monopoles, Dyons, Confinement and Oblique Confinement in Supersymmetric SO(N_c) Gauge Theories

We study supersymmetric $SO(N_c)$ gauge theories with $N_f$ flavors of quarks in the vector representation. Among the phenomena we find are dynamically generated superpotentials with physically inequivalent branches, smooth moduli spaces of vacua, confinement and oblique confinement, confinement without chiral symmetry breaking, massless composites (glueballs, exotics, monopoles and dyons), non-trivial fixed points of the renormalization group and massless magnetic quarks and gluons. Our analysis sheds new light on a recently found duality in $N=1$ supersymmetric theories. The dual forms of some of the theories exhibit ``quantum symmetries'' which involve non-local transformations on the fields. We find that in some cases the duality has both $S$ and $T$ transformations generating $SL(2,Z)$ (only an $S_3$ quotient of which is realized non-trivially). They map the original non-Abelian electric theory to magnetic and dyonic non-Abelian theories. The magnetic theory gives a weak coupling description of confinement while the dyonic theory gives a weak coupling description of oblique confinement. Our analysis also shows that the duality in $N=1$ is a generalization of the Montonen-Olive duality of $N=4$ theories.

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arXiv1994

Proposal for a Simple Model of Dynamical SUSY Breaking

We discuss supersymmetric $SU(2)$ gauge theory with a single matter field in the $I=3/2$ representation. This theory has a moduli space of exactly degenerate vacua. Classically it is the complex plane with an orbifold singularity at the origin. There seem to be two possible candidates for the quantum theory at the origin. In both the global chiral symmetry is unbroken. The first is interacting quarks and gluons at a non-trivial infrared fixed point -- a non-Abelian Coulomb phase. The second, which we consider more likely, is a confining phase where the singularity is simply smoothed out. If this second, more likely, possibility is realized, supersymmetry will dynamically break when a tree level superpotential is added. This would be the simplest known gauge theory which dynamically breaks supersymmetry.

hep-ph↗

arXiv1994

Phases of N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions

We exhibit $N=1$ supersymmetric field theories in confining, Coulomb and Higgs phases. The superpotential and the gauge kinetic terms are holomorphic and can be determined exactly in the various phases. The Coulomb phase generically has points with massless monopoles. When they condense, the theory undergoes a phase transition to a confining phase. When there are points in the Coulomb phase with massless electric charges, their condensation leads to a transition to a Higgs phase. When the Higgs and confinement phases are distinct, we expect to find massless interacting gluons at the transition point between them.

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arXiv1994

Exact Superpotentials in Four Dimensions

Supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions can display interesting non-perturbative phenomena. Although the superpotential dynamically generated by these phenomena can be highly nontrivial, it can often be exactly determined. We discuss some general techniques for analyzing the Wilsonian superpotential and demonstrate them with simple but non-trivial examples.

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arXiv1992

Scattering and Thermodynamics of Integrable N=2 Theories

We study $N$=2 supersymmetric integrable theories with spontaneously-broken \Zn\ symmetry. They have exact soliton masses given by the affine $SU(n)$ Toda masses and fractional fermion numbers given by multiples of $1/n$. The basic such $N$=2 integrable theory is the $A_n$-type $N$=2 minimal model perturbed by the most relevant operator. The soliton content and exact S-matrices are obtained using the Landau-Ginzburg description. We study the thermodynamics of these theories and calculate the ground-state energies exactly, verifying that they have the correct conformal limits. We conjecture that the soliton content and S-matrices in other integrable \Zn\ $N$=2 theories are given by the tensor product of the above basic $N$=2 \Zn\ scattering theory with various $N$=0 theories. In particular, we consider integrable perturbations of $N$=2 Kazama-Suzuki models described by generalized Chebyshev potentials, $CP^{n-1}$ sigma models, and $N$=2 sine-Gordon and its affine Toda generalizations.

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arXiv1991

Scattering and Thermodynamics of Fractionally-Charged Supersymmetric Solitons

We show that there are solitons with fractional fermion number in integrable $N$=2 supersymmetric models. We obtain the soliton S-matrix for the minimal, $N$=2 supersymmetric theory perturbed in the least relevant chiral primary field, the $Φ_{(1,3)}$ superfield. The perturbed theory has a nice Landau-Ginzburg description with a Chebyshev polynomial superpotential. We show that the S-matrix is a tensor product of an associated ordinary $ADE$ minimal model S-matrix with a supersymmetric part. We calculate the ground-state energy in these theories and in the analogous $N$=1 case and $SU(2)$ coset models. In all cases, the ultraviolet limit is in agreement with the conformal field theory.

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