arXiv subjects

Sujay K. Ashok

Publications and source records attributed to Sujay K. Ashok.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Aspects of Hecke Symmetry: Anomalies, Curves, and Chazy Equations

We study various relations governing quasi-automorphic forms associated to discrete subgroups of ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{R}) $ called Hecke groups. We show that the Eisenstein series associated to a Hecke group ${\rm H}(m)$ satisfy a set of $m$ coupled linear differential equations, which are natural analogues of the well-known Ramanujan identities for quasi-modular forms of ${\rm SL}(2,\mathbb{Z})$. Each Hecke group is then associated to a (hyper-)elliptic curve, whose coefficients are determined by an anomaly equation. For the $m=3$ and $4$ cases, the Ramanujan identities admit a natural geometric interpretation as a Gauss-Manin connection on the parameter space of the elliptic curve. The Ramanujan identities also allow us to associate a nonlinear differential equation of order $ m $ to each Hecke group. These equations are higher-order analogues of the Chazy equation, and we show that they are solved by the quasi-automorphic Eisenstein series $E_2^{(m)}$ associated to ${\rm H}(m) $ and its orbit under the Hecke group. We conclude by demonstrating that these nonlinear equations possess the Painlevé property.

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arXiv2019

Topological Open/Closed String Dualities: Matrix Models and Wave Functions

We sharpen the duality between open and closed topological string partition functions for topological gravity coupled to matter. The closed string partition function is a generalised Kontsevich matrix model in the large dimension limit. We integrate out off-diagonal degrees of freedom associated to one source eigenvalue, and find an open/closed topological string partition function, thus proving open/closed duality. We match the resulting open partition function to the generating function of intersection numbers on moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces with boundaries and boundary insertions. Moreover, we connect our work to the literature on a wave function of the KP integrable hierarchy and clarify the role of the extended Virasoro generators that include all time variables as well as the coupling to the open string observable.

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arXiv2019

Surface operators in N=2 SQCD and Seiberg Duality

We study half-BPS surface operators in N=2supersymmetric asymptotically conformal gauge theories in four dimensions with SU(N) gauge group and 2N fundamental flavours using localization methods and coupled 2d/4d quiver gauge theories. We show that contours specified by a particular Jeffrey-Kirwan residue prescription in the localization analysis map to particular realizations of the surface operator as flavour defects. Seiberg duality of the 2d/4d quivers is mapped to contour deformations of the localization integral which in this case involves a residue at infinity. This is reflected as a modified Seiberg duality rule that shifts the Lagrangian of the purported dual theory by non-perturbative terms. The new rules, that depend on the 4d gauge coupling, lead to a match between the low energy effective twisted chiral superpotentials for any pair of dual 2d/4d quivers.

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arXiv2018

A Duality in Two-Dimensional Gravity

We demonstrate an equivalence between two integrable flows defined in a polynomial ring quotiented by an ideal generated by a polynomial. This duality of integrable systems allows us to systematically exploit the Korteweg-de Vries hierarchy and its tau-function to propose amplitudes for non-compact topological gravity on Riemann surfaces of arbitrary genus. We thus quantise topological gravity coupled to non-compact topological matter and demonstrate that this phase of topological gravity at N=2 matter central charge larger than three is equivalent to the phase with matter of central charge smaller than three.

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arXiv2016

Exact WKB Analysis of N = 2 Gauge Theories

We study N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories with gauge group SU(2) coupled to fundamental flavours, covering all asymptotically free and conformal cases. We re-derive, from the conformal field theory perspective, the differential equations satisfied by omega deformed instanton partition functions. We confirm their validity at leading order in one of the deformation parameters via a saddle-point analysis of the partition function. In the semi-classical limit we show that these differential equations take a form amenable to exact WKB analysis. We compute the monodromy group associated to the differential equations in terms of deformed and Borel resummed Seiberg-Witten data. For each case, we study pairs of Stokes graphs that are related by flips and pops, and show that the monodromy groups allow one to confirm the Stokes automorphisms that arise as the phase of the deformation parameter is varied. Finally, we relate the Borel resummed monodromies with the traditional Seiberg-Witten variables in the semi-classical limit.

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arXiv2014

Localization and real Jacobi forms

We calculate the elliptic genus of two dimensional abelian gauged linear sigma models with (2,2) supersymmetry using supersymmetric localization. The matter sector contains charged chiral multiplets as well as Stueckelberg fields coupled to the vector multiplets. These models include theories that flow in the infrared to non-linear sigma models with target spaces that are non-compact Kahler manifolds with U(N) isometry and with an asymptotically linear dilaton direction. The elliptic genera are the modular completions of mock Jacobi forms that have been proposed recently using complementary arguments. We also compute the elliptic genera of models that contain multiple Stueckelberg fields from first principles.

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arXiv2014

Higher Poles and Crossing Phenomena from Twisted Genera

We demonstrate that Appell-Lerch sums with higher order poles as well as their modular covariant completions arise as partition functions in the cigar conformal field theory with worldsheet supersymmetry. The modular covariant derivatives of the elliptic genus of the cigar give rise to operator insertions corresponding to (powers of) right-moving momentum, left-moving fermion number, as well as a term corresponding to an ordinary zero mode partition sum. To show this, we demonstrate how the right-moving supersymmetric quantum mechanics (and in particular the Hamiltonian and spectral density) depend on the imaginary part of the chemical potential for angular momentum. As a consequence of our analysis we find that varying the imaginary part of the chemical potential for angular momentum on the cigar gives rise to a wall-crossing phenomenon in the bound state contribution to the elliptic genus, while the full elliptic genus is a continuous function of the chemical potential.

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arXiv2014

Elliptic genera and real Jacobi forms

We construct real Jacobi forms with matrix index using path integrals. The path integral expressions represent elliptic genera of two-dimensional N=(2,2) supersymmetric theories. They arise in a family labeled by two integers N and k which determine the central charge of the infrared fixed point through the formula c=3N(1+ 2N/k). We decompose the real Jacobi form into a mock modular form and a term arising from the continuous spectrum of the conformal field theory. We argue that the Jacobi form represents the elliptic genus of a theory defined on a 2N dimensional background with U(N) isometry, containing a complex projective space section, a circle fiber and a linear dilaton direction. We also present formulas for the elliptic genera of orbifolds of these models.

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arXiv2013

Counting Strings, Wound and Bound

We analyze zero mode counting problems for Dirac operators that find their origin in string theory backgrounds. A first class of quantum mechanical models for which we compute the number of ground states arises from a string winding an isometric direction in a geometry, taking into account its energy due to tension. Alternatively, the models arise from deforming marginal bound states of a string winding a circle, and moving in an orthogonal geometry. After deformation, the number of bound states is again counted by the zero modes of a Dirac operator. We count these bound states in even dimensional asymptotically linear dilaton backgrounds as well as in Euclidean Taub-NUT. We show multiple pole behavior in the fugacities keeping track of a U(1) charge. We also discuss a second class of counting problems that arises when these backgrounds are deformed via the application of a heterotic duality transformation. We discuss applications of our results to Appell-Lerch sums and the counting of domain wall bound states.

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arXiv2012

Elliptic Genera of Non-compact Gepner Models and Mirror Symmetry

We consider tensor products of N=2 minimal models and non-compact conformal field theories with N=2 superconformal symmetry, and their orbifolds. The elliptic genera of these models give rise to a large and interesting class of real Jacobi forms. The tensor product of conformal field theories leads to a natural product on the space of completed mock modular forms. We exhibit families of non-compact mirror pairs of orbifold models with c=9 and show explicitly the equality of elliptic genera, including contributions from the long multiplet sector. The Liouville and cigar deformed elliptic genera transform into each other under the mirror transformation.

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arXiv2011

A Twisted Non-compact Elliptic Genus

We give a detailed path integral derivation of the elliptic genus of a supersymmetric coset conformal field theory, further twisted by a global U(1) symmetry. It gives rise to a Jacobi form in three variables, which is the modular completion of a mock modular form. The derivation provides a physical interpretation to the non-holomorphic part as arising from a difference in spectral densities for the continuous part of the right-moving bosonic and fermionic spectrum. The spectral asymmetry can also be read off directly from the reflection amplitudes of the theory. By performing an orbifold, we show how our twisted elliptic genus generalizes an existing example.

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arXiv2010

On the Classification of Residues of the Grassmannian

We study leading singularities of scattering amplitudes which are obtained as residues of an integral over a Grassmannian manifold. We recursively do the transformation from twistors to momentum twistors and obtain an iterative formula for Yangian invariants that involves a succession of dualized twistor variables. This turns out to be useful in addressing the problem of classifying the residues of the Grassmannian. The iterative formula leads naturally to new coordinates on the Grassmannian in terms of which both composite and non-composite residues appear on an equal footing. We write down residue theorems in these new variables and classify the independent residues for some simple examples. These variables also explicitly exhibit the distinct solutions one expects to find for a given set of vanishing minors from Schubert calculus.

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arXiv2010

Conformal Current Algebra in Two Dimensions

We construct a non-chiral current algebra in two dimensions consistent with conformal invariance. We show that the conformal current algebra is realized in non-linear sigma-models on supergroup manifolds with vanishing dual Coxeter number, with or without a Wess-Zumino term. The current algebra is computed using two distinct methods. First we exploit special algebraic properties of supergroups to compute the exact two- and three-point functions of the currents and from them we infer the current algebra. The algebra is also calculated by using conformal perturbation theory about the Wess-Zumino-Witten point and resumming the perturbation series. We also prove that these models realize a non-chiral Kac-Moody algebra and construct an infinite set of commuting operators that is closed under the action of the Kac-Moody generators. The supergroup models that we consider include models with applications to statistical mechanics, condensed matter and string theory. In particular, our results may help to systematically solve and clarify the quantum integrability of PSU(n|n) models and their cosets, which appear prominently in string worldsheet models on anti-deSitter spaces.

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arXiv2010

Supersymmetric Electromagnetic Waves on Giants and Dual-Giants

We set up the BPS equations for a D3-brane moving in AdS_5 \times S^5 which preserves two supercharges and with all bosonic fields turned on in the world-volume theory. By solving these, we find generalizations of Mikhailov giants and wobbling dual-giants that include electromagnetic waves propagating on their world-volume. For these giants (dual-giants) we show that the BPS field strength is the real part of the pull-back of a holomorphic 2-form in the ambient space C^3 (C^{1,2}) onto the world-volume.

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arXiv2009

Asymptotic Symmetries of String Theory on AdS3 X S3 with Ramond-Ramond Fluxes

String theory on AdS3 space-times with boundary conditions that allow for black hole states has global asymptotic symmetries which include an infinite dimensional conformal algebra. Using the conformal current algebra for sigma-models on PSU(1,1|2), we explicitly construct the R-symmetry and Virasoro charges in the worldsheet theory describing string theory on AdS3 X S3 with Ramond-Ramond fluxes. We also indicate how to construct the full boundary superconformal algebra. The boundary superconformal algebra plays an important role in classifying the full spectrum of string theory on AdS3 with Ramond-Ramond fluxes, and in the microscopic entropy counting in D1-D5 systems.

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arXiv2008

Counting Wobbling Dual-Giants

We derive the BPS equations for D3-branes embedded in AdS_5 X S^5 that preserve at least two supercharges. These are given in terms of conditions on the pullbacks of some space-time differential four-forms. Solutions to our equations are shown to describe all the known giant and dual-giant gravitons in AdS_5 X S^5. We then argue that the configuration spaces of dual-giants can be mapped to non-compact hyperbolic versions of complex projective spaces, in contrast with the giants, whose configuration spaces have been mapped to complex projective spaces. We quantize the configuration space of the 1/8-BPS dual-giants with two angular momenta in AdS_5 and one angular momentum in S^5 and find agreement with the partition function in the literature obtained both from counting appropriate 1/8-BPS configurations of giants and the boundary gauge theory considerations.

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arXiv2007

Non-compact Gepner Models, Landau-Ginzburg Orbifolds and Mirror Symmetry

We study non-compact Gepner models that preserve sixteen or eight supercharges in type II string theories. In particular, we develop an orbifolded Landau-Ginzburg description of these models analogous to the Landau-Ginzburg formulation of compact Gepner models. The Landau-Ginzburg description provides an easy and direct access to the geometry of the singularity associated to the non-compact Gepner models. Using these tools, we are able to give an intuitive account of the chiral rings of the models, and of the massless moduli in particular. By studying orbifolds of the singular linear dilaton models, we describe mirror pairs of non-compact Gepner models by suitably adapting the Greene-Plesser construction of mirror pairs for the compact case. For particular models, we take a large level, low curvature limit in which we can analyze corrections to a flat space orbifold approximation of the non-compact Gepner models. This gives rise to a counting of moduli which differs from the toric counting in a subtle way.

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arXiv2007

D-branes in Unoriented Non-critical Strings and Duality in SO(N) and Sp(N) Gauge Theories

We exhibit exact conformal field theory descriptions of SO(N) and Sp(N) pairs of Seiberg-dual gauge theories within string theory. The N=1 gauge theories with flavour are realized as low energy limits of the worldvolume theories on D-branes in unoriented non-critical superstring backgrounds. These unoriented backgrounds are obtained by constructing exact crosscap states in the SL(2,R)/U(1) coset conformal field theory using the modular bootstrap method. Seiberg duality is understood by studying the behaviour of the boundary and crosscap states under monodromy in the closed string parameter space.

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