Related papers: A strange relationship between 2d CFT and 4d gauge…
A surprising connection between N=2 gauge theory instanton partition functions and conformal blocks has been recently proposed. We illustrate through simple examples the generalization to asymptotically free N=2 gauge theories
We discuss some aspects of the relation between dualities and gauge symmetries. Both of these ideas are of course multi-faceted, and we confine ourselves to making two points. Both points are about dualities in string theory, and both have…
We derive the precise relation between level matching condition and fractional instanton numbers in six dimensional, abelian and supersymmetric orbifolds of E8 x E8 heterotic string theory. The fractional part of the two E8 instanton…
The first part of these lectures contains an introductory review of the AdS/CFT duality and of its tests. Applications to thermal gauge theory are also discussed briefly. The second part is devoted to a review of gauge-string dualities…
Scattering amplitudes in gauge theories can be calculated either by bulk theories in 4d Minkowski space-time($Mink_4$), or perceived as the correlation functions in celestial CFT(CCFT) living in the celestial sphere at null infinity, where…
A quantitative prediction of Conformal Field Theory (CFT), which relates the second moment of the energy-density correlator away from criticality to the value of the central charge, is verified in the sine-Gordon model. By exploiting the…
There are two major ways of constructing 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories (SCFTs): the first one is putting a 6d $(2,0)$ theory on a punctured Riemann surface (class-S theory), and the second one is putting type IIB string…
We study various aspects of global symmetries in five-dimensional superconformal field theories. Whenever a supersymmetry-preserving relevant deformation is available, the infrared gauge theory description might exhibit a finite order mixed…
Motivated by the observation that $2+2=4$, we consider four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories on $S^2\times\Sigma$, turning on a suitable rigid supergravity background. On the one hand, reduction of a…
We propose correspondences between 4d quantum field theories with N=2,1,0 (super)conformal invariance and Type IIB string theory on various orbifolds. We argue using the spacetime string theory, and check using the beta functions (exactly…
The past few years have witnessed a remarkable crossover of string theoretical ideas from the abstract world of geometrical forms to the concrete experimental realm of condensed matter physics. The basis for this --- variously known as…
It is known, since the 70's, that the large N 't Hooft limit of gauge theories is related to string theories. In 1998, J. M. Maldacena identified precisely such a relation: the so-called AdS/CFT correspondence which speculates a duality…
During the last ten years, intriguing dualities between gauge and string theory have been found and explored. They provide a novel window on strongly coupled gauge physics, including QCD-like models. Based on a short historical review of…
Motivated by its potential use in constraining the structure of 6D renormalization group flows, we determine the low energy dilaton-axion effective field theory of conformal and global symmetry breaking in 6D conformal field theories…
We investigate the fractal structure of $2d$ quantum gravity coupled to matter by measuring the distributions of so-called baby universes. We demonstrate that the method works well as long as $c \leq 1$. For $c >1$ it is not clear what…
We investigate the fractal structure of $2d$ quantum gravity coupled to matter by measuring the distributions of so-called baby universes. We demonstrate that the method works well as long as $c \leq 1$. For $c >1$ it is not clear what…
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…
A_n-type AGT correspondence anticipates that conformal blocks of A_n Toda CFT are related to partition functions of a family of 4d N=2 SCFTs. We use gauge/vortex duality to both give a precise form of the correspondence, and to prove it.…
In this article I first give an abbreviated history of string theory and then describe the recently-conjectured field-string duality. This suggests a class of nonsupersymmetric gauge theories which are conformal (CGT) to leading order of…
This is a set of lectures on the gauge/string duality and non-critical strings, with a particular emphasis on the discretized, or matrix model, approach. After a general discussion of various points of view, I describe the recent…