arXiv subjects

Sebastian Franco

Publications and source records attributed to Sebastian Franco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Iterative Gauging is Deconstruction

A recent construction showed that iteratively gauging symmetries of a quantum field theory can generate an emergent extra spatial dimension. Here we identify the precise mechanism underlying this phenomenon: it is dimensional deconstruction, the procedure by which an extra dimension is encoded in the structure of a quiver gauge theory. We demonstrate this by showing that the standard deconstruction action, upon dualizing the Goldstone fields on the Higgs branch, is exactly equivalent to the action produced by iterative gauging. The dictionary is transparent: quiver nodes correspond to gauge fields, and quiver links correspond to the gauge fields introduced to couple to magnetic symmetries. We further show that starting by gauging the electric rather than the magnetic symmetry produces the deconstructed theory written in the dual variables, with all coupling constants inverted.

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arXiv2025

Relevant Deformations, Brane Brick Models and Triality

We extend the study of relevant deformations connecting 2d (0,2) gauge theories on D1-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds beyond pure mass deformations. The underlying geometry provides powerful insights when field-theoretic tools are still lacking. We observe that the volume of the Sasaki-Einstein base of the Calabi-Yau 4-fold grows towards the IR, signaling the relevance of deformations. We exploit the map between gauge theory fields and GLSM fields to compute scaling dimensions directly from divisor volumes, allowing for a sharper determination of whether terms in the Lagrangian are relevant or irrelevant. Moreover, this map provides a systematic way to determine the precise set of terms needed to realize a given deformation. We also explore the interplay between general relevant deformations and triality, studying cases where non-mass deformations are mapped to mass deformations in a dual theory, and resolving puzzles that seem to require non-holomorphic couplings in one of the dual phases. Finally, we present evidence that when the Hilbert series of the mesonic moduli space is refined only under the U(1) R-symmetry, it becomes invariant even under non-mass relevant deformations of the brane brick models corresponding to toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds related by a birational transformation, extending previous results to a broader class of deformations.

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arXiv2024

Generalized Symmetries in 2D from String Theory: SymTFTs, Intrinsic Relativeness, and Anomalies of Non-invertible Symmetries

Generalized global symmetries, in particular non-invertible and categorical symmetries, have become a focal point in the recent study of quantum field theory (QFT). In this paper, we investigate aspects of symmetry topological field theories (SymTFTs) and anomalies of non-invertible symmetries for 2D QFTs from a string theory perspective. Our primary focus is on an infinite class of 2D QFTs engineered on D1-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 4-fold singularities. We derive 3D SymTFTs from the topological sector of IIB supergravity and discuss the resulting 2D QFTs, which can be intrinsically relative or absolute. For intrinsically relative QFTs, we propose a sufficient condition for them to exist. For absolute QFTs, we show that they exhibit non-invertible symmetries with an elegant brane origin. Furthermore, we find that these non-invertible symmetries can suffer from anomalies, which we discuss from a top-down perspective. Explicit examples are provided, including theories for $Y^{(p,k)}(\mathbb{P}^2)$, $Y^{(2,0)}(\mathbb{P}^1\times \mathbb{P}^1)$, and $\mathbb{C}^4/\mathbb{Z}_4$ geometries.

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arXiv2023

Quiver Tails and Brane Webs

A new type of quiver theories, denoted twin quivers, was recently introduced for studying $5d$ SCFTs engineered by webs of 5-branes ending on 7-branes. Twin quivers provide an alternative perspective on various aspects of such webs, including Hanany-Witten moves and the $s$-rule. More ambitiously, they can be regarded as a first step towards the construction of combinatorial objects, generalizing brane tilings, encoding the corresponding BPS quivers. This paper continues the investigation of twin quivers, focusing on their non-uniqueness, which stems from the multiplicity of toric phases for a given toric Calabi-Yau 3-fold. We find that the different twin quivers are necessary for describing what we call quiver tails, which in turn correspond to certain sub-configurations in the webs. More generally, the multiplicity of twin quivers captures the roots of the Higgs branch in the extended Coulomb branch of $5d$ theories.

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arXiv2023

Mass Deformations of Brane Brick Models

We investigate a class of mass deformations that connect pairs of 2d (0,2) gauge theories associated to different toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. These deformations are generalizations to 2d of the well-known Klebanov-Witten deformation relating the 4d gauge theories for the C^2/Z_2 x C orbifold and the conifold. We investigate various aspects of these deformations, including their connection to brane brick models and the relation between the change in the geometry and the pattern of symmetry breaking triggered by the deformation. We also explore how the volume of the Sasaki-Einstein 7-manifold at the base of the Calabi-Yau 4-fold varies under deformation, which leads us to conjecture that it quantifies the number of degrees of freedom of the gauge theory and its dependence on the RG scale.

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arXiv2022

Brane Brick Models for the Sasaki-Einstein 7-Manifolds Y^{p,k}(CP^1 x CP^1) and Y^{p,k}(CP^2)

The 2d (0,2) supersymmetric gauge theories corresponding to the classes of Y^{p,k}(CP^1 x CP^1) and Y^{p,k}(CP^2) manifolds are identified. The complex cones over these Sasaki-Einstein 7-manifolds are non-compact toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. These infinite families of geometries are the largest ones for Sasaki-Einstein 7-manifolds whose metrics, toric diagrams, and volume functions are known explicitly. This work therefore presents the largest classification of 2d (0,2) supersymmetric gauge theories corresponding to Calabi-Yau 4-folds with known metrics.

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arXiv2022

Fano 3-Folds, Reflexive Polytopes and Brane Brick Models

Reflexive polytopes in n dimensions have attracted much attention both in mathematics and theoretical physics due to their connection to Fano n-folds and mirror symmetry. This work focuses on the 18 regular reflexive polytopes corresponding to smooth Fano 3-folds. For the first time, we show that all 18 regular reflexive polytopes have corresponding 2d (0,2) gauge theories realized by brane brick models. These 2d gauge theories can be considered as the worldvolume theories of D1-branes probing the toric Calabi-Yau 4-singularities whose toric diagrams are given by the associated regular reflexive polytopes. The generators of the mesonic moduli space of the brane brick models are shown to form a lattice of generators due to the charges under the rank 3 mesonic flavor symmetry. It is shown that the lattice of generators is the exact polar dual reflexive polytope to the corresponding toric diagram of the brane brick model. This duality not only highlights the close relationship between the geometry and 2d gauge theory, but also opens up pathways towards new discoveries in relation to reflexive polytopes and brane brick models.

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arXiv2022

Quivers, Lattice Gauge Theories and Fractons

We argue that quiver gauge theories with $SU(N)$ gauge groups give rise to lattice gauge theories with matter possessing fractonic properties, where the lattice is the quiver itself. This idea extends a recent proposal by Razamat. This class of theories exhibit a $\mathbb{Z}_N$ 1-form global symmetry that can be used to classify their phases. The order parameter of this transition is the expectation value of Wilson loops, which correspond to mesonic operators in the underlying quiver gauge theory. We discuss how this perspective naturally fits with the deconstruction of a higher dimensional theory.

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arXiv2020

On the Classification of Duality Webs for Graded Quivers

We study the $m$-graded quiver theories associated to CY $(m+2)$-folds and their order $(m+1)$ dualities. We investigate how monodromies give rise to mutation invariants, which in turn can be formulated as Diophantine equations characterizing the space of dual theories associated to a given geometry. We discuss these ideas in general and illustrate them in the case of orbifold theories. Interestingly, we observe that even in this simple context the corresponding Diophantine equations may admit an infinite number of seeds for $m\geq 2$, which translates into an infinite number of disconnected duality webs. Finally, we comment on the possible generalization of duality cascades beyond $m=1$.

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arXiv2019

"Lagrangian Disks" in M-theory

While the study of bordered (pseudo-)holomorphic curves with boundary on Lagrangian submanifolds has a long history, a similar problem that involves (special) Lagrangian submanifolds with boundary on complex surfaces appears to be largely overlooked in both physics and math literature. We relate this problem to geometry of coassociative submanifolds in $G_2$ holonomy spaces and to $Spin(7)$ metrics on 8-manifolds with $T^2$ fibrations. As an application to physics, we propose a large class of brane models in type IIA string theory that generalize brane brick models on the one hand and 2d theories $T[M_4]$ on the other.

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arXiv2018

Graded quivers and B-branes at Calabi-Yau singularities

A graded quiver with superpotential is a quiver whose arrows are assigned degrees $c\in \{0, 1, \cdots, m\}$, for some integer $m \geq 0$, with relations generated by a superpotential of degree $m-1$. Ordinary quivers ($m=1)$ often describe the open string sector of D-brane systems; in particular, they capture the physics of D3-branes at local Calabi-Yau (CY) 3-fold singularities in type IIB string theory, in the guise of 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric quiver gauge theories. It was pointed out recently that graded quivers with $m=2$ and $m=3$ similarly describe systems of D-branes at CY 4-fold and 5-fold singularities, as 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ and 0d $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories, respectively. In this work, we further explore the correspondence between $m$-graded quivers with superpotential, $Q_{(m)}$, and CY $(m+2)$-fold singularities, ${\mathbf X}_{m+2}$. For any $m$, the open string sector of the topological B-model on ${\mathbf X}_{m+2}$ can be described in terms of a graded quiver. We illustrate this correspondence explicitly with a few infinite families of toric singularities indexed by $m \in \mathbb{N}$, for which we derive "toric" graded quivers associated to the geometry, using several complementary perspectives. Many interesting aspects of supersymmetric quiver gauge theories can be formally extended to any $m$; for instance, for one family of singularities, dubbed $C(Y^{1,0}(\mathbb{P}^m))$, that generalizes the conifold singularity to $m>1$, we point out the existence of a formal "duality cascade" for the corresponding graded quivers.

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arXiv2018

Bipartite field theories and D-brane instantons

We study D-brane instantons in systems of D3-branes at toric CY 3-fold singularities. The instanton effect can be described as a backreaction modifying the geometry of the mirror configuration, in which the breaking of $U(1)$ symmetries by the instanton translates into the recombination of gauge D-branes, which also directly generates the instanton-induced charged field theory operator. In this paper we describe the D-brane instanton backreaction in terms of a combinatorial operation in the bipartite dimer diagram of the original theory. Interestingly, the resulting theory is a general Bipartite Field Theory (BFT), defined by a bipartite graph tiling a general (possibly higher-genus) Riemann surface. This provides the first string theory realization of such general BFTs. We study the general properties of the resulting theories, including the construction of the higher-dimensional toric diagrams and the interplay between backreaction and Seiberg duality. In cases where the non-perturbative effects relate to complex deformations, we show that the procedure reproduces and explains earlier existing combinatorial recipes. The combinatorial operation and its properties generalize to an operation on the class of general BFTs, even including boundaries, relating BFTs defined on Riemann surfaces of different genus.

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arXiv2018

$3d$ Printing of $2d$ $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ Gauge Theories

We introduce $3d$ printing, a new algorithm for generating $2d$ $\mathcal{N}=(0, 2)$ gauge theories on D1-branes probing singular toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds using $4d$ $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories on D3-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds as starting points. Equivalently, this method produces brane brick models starting from brane tilings. $3d$ printing represents a significant improvement with respect to previously available tools, allowing a straightforward determination of gauge theories for geometries that until now could only be tackled using partial resolution. We investigate the interplay between triality, an IR equivalence between different $2d$ $\mathcal{N}=(0, 2)$ gauge theories, and the freedom in $3d$ printing given an underlying Calabi-Yau 4-fold. Finally, we present the first discussion of the consistency and reduction of brane brick models.

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arXiv2017

Higher Cluster Categories and QFT Dualities

We present a unified mathematical framework that elegantly describes minimally SUSY gauge theories in even dimension, ranging from $6d$ to $0d$, and their dualities. This approach combines recent developments on graded quiver with potentials, higher Ginzburg algebras and higher cluster categories (also known as $m$-cluster categories). Quiver mutations studied in the context of mathematics precisely correspond to the order $(m+1)$ dualities of the gauge theories. Our work suggests that these equivalences of quiver gauge theories sit inside an infinite family of such generalized dualities, whose physical interpretation is yet to be understood.

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arXiv2017

A Comprehensive Survey of Brane Tilings

An infinite class of $4d$ $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories can be engineered on the worldvolume of D3-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds. This kind of setup has multiple applications, ranging from the gauge/gravity correspondence to local model building in string phenomenology. Brane tilings fully encode the gauge theories on the D3-branes and have substantially simplified their connection to the probed geometries. The purpose of this paper is to push the boundaries of computation and to produce as comprehensive a database of brane tilings as possible. We develop efficient implementations of brane tiling tools particularly suited for this search. We present the first complete classification of toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds with toric diagrams up to area 8 and the corresponding brane tilings. This classification is of interest to both physicists and mathematicians alike.

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arXiv2017

Elliptic Genera of 2d (0,2) Gauge Theories from Brane Brick Models

We compute the elliptic genus of abelian 2d (0,2) gauge theories corresponding to brane brick models. These theories are worldvolume theories on a single D1-brane probing a toric Calabi-Yau 4-fold singularity. We identify a match with the elliptic genus of the non-linear sigma model on the same Calabi-Yau background, which is computed using a new localization formula. The matching implies that the quantum effects do not drastically alter the correspondence between the geometry and the 2d (0,2) gauge theory. In theories whose matter sector suffers from abelian gauge anomaly, we propose an ansatz for an anomaly cancelling term in the integral formula for the elliptic genus. We provide an example in which two brane brick models related to each other by Gadde-Gukov-Putrov triality give the same elliptic genus.

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arXiv2016

Quadrality for Supersymmetric Matrix Models

We introduce a new duality for $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric gauged matrix models. This $0d$ duality is an order 4 symmetry, namely an equivalence between four different theories, hence we call it Quadrality. Our proposal is motivated by mirror symmetry, but is not restricted to theories with a D-brane realization and holds for general $\mathcal{N}=1$ matrix models. We present various checks of the proposal, including the matching of: global symmetries, anomalies, deformations and the chiral ring. We also consider quivers and the corresponding quadrality networks. Finally, we initiate the study of matrix models that arise on the worldvolume of D(-1)-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 5-folds.

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arXiv2016

Orbifold Reduction and 2d (0,2) Gauge Theories

We introduce Orbifold Reduction, a new method for generating $2d$ $(0,2)$ gauge theories associated to D1-branes probing singular toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds starting from $4d$ $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories on D3-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 3-folds. The new procedure generalizes dimensional reduction and orbifolding. In terms of T-dual configurations, it generates brane brick models starting from brane tilings. Orbifold reduction provides an agile approach for generating $2d$ $(0,2)$ theories with a brane realization. We present three practical applications of the new algorithm: the connection between $4d$ Seiberg duality and $2d$ triality, a combinatorial method for generating theories related by triality and a $2d$ $(0,2)$ generalization of the Klebanov-Witten mass deformation.

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