English

Black holes and higher depth mock modular forms

High Energy Physics - Theory 2025-07-14 v3 Mathematical Physics Algebraic Geometry math.MP Number Theory

Abstract

By enforcing invariance under S-duality in type IIB string theory compactified on a Calabi-Yau threefold, we derive modular properties of the generating function of BPS degeneracies of D4-D2-D0 black holes in type IIA string theory compactified on the same space. Mathematically, these BPS degeneracies are the generalized Donaldson-Thomas invariants counting coherent sheaves with support on a divisor D\cal D, at the large volume attractor point. For D\cal D irreducible, this function is closely related to the elliptic genus of the superconformal field theory obtained by wrapping M5-brane on D\cal D and is therefore known to be modular. Instead, when D\cal D is the sum of nn irreducible divisors Di{\cal D}_i, we show that the generating function acquires a modular anomaly. We characterize this anomaly for arbitrary nn by providing an explicit expression for a non-holomorphic modular completion in terms of generalized error functions. As a result, the generating function turns out to be a (mixed) mock modular form of depth n1n-1.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1808.08479,
  title  = {Black holes and higher depth mock modular forms},
  author = {Sergei Alexandrov and Boris Pioline},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1808.08479},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

43+35 pages, 11 figures; v2: various cosmetic changes, index of notations added to aid the reader; v3: minor corrections and clarifications, added refs and new prop. 9 on the shadow of the completion

R2 v1 2026-06-23T03:43:51.775Z