Related papers: Surface defects as transfer matrices
We use the F-theory realization of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs) to study the corresponding spectrum of stringlike, i.e. surface defects. On the tensor branch, all of the stringlike excitations pick up a finite tension, and there…
4d $\mathcal N=4$ SYM admits half-BPS boundaries, defects and interfaces as well as compactifications to 3d $\mathcal N\,{=}\,4$ SCFTs, realized as intersections of D3, D5 and NS5 branes. We explore operators with large R-charge. We…
N=2 four dimensional gauge theories admit interesting half BPS surface operators preserving a (2,2) two dimensional SUSY algebra. Typical examples are (2,2) 2d sigma models with a flavor symmetry which is coupled to the 4d gauge fields.…
Recently there was a substantial progress in understanding of supersymmetric theories (in particular, their BPS spectrum) in space-times of different dimensions due to the exact computation of superconformal indices and partition functions…
It has recently been argued by Alday et al that the inclusion of surface operators in 4d N=2 SU(2) quiver gauge theories should correspond to insertions of certain degenerate operators in the dual Liouville theory. So far only the insertion…
We present special classes of orientifold models involving supersymmetry breaking via branes at angles. Type II superstring theories are compactified on a two torus times a four-dimensional orbifold. Combining worldsheet parity with a…
We consider five-dimensional brane worlds with N=2 gauged supergravity in the bulk coupled supersymmetrically to two boundary branes at the fixed points of a Z_2 symmetry. We analyse two mechanisms that break supersymmetry either by…
In this letter we study topological open string field theory on D--branes in a IIB background given by non compact CY geometries ${\cal O}(n)\oplus{\cal O}(-2-n)$ on $\P1$ with a singular point at which an extra fiber sits. We wrap $N$…
We analyze four-dimensional (4d) $N=1$ superconformal field theories (SCFTs) obtained as deformations of 4d $N=2$ SCFTs on S-folds by tilting 7-branes. Geometric compatibility with the structures of S-folds constrains the forms of T-branes.…
We describe the higher-form and non-invertible symmetries of 4d $\mathcal N= 3$ S-folds using the brane dynamics of their holographic duals. In cases with enhancement to $\mathcal N=4$ supersymmetry, our analysis reproduces the known field…
We discuss 3d brane webs and effective Chern-Simons levels for 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauge theories. We find that turning on real masses for chiral multiplets leads to various equivalent brane webs that are related by flipping positions of…
Surface operators in N=2 four-dimensional gauge theories are interesting half-BPS objects. These operators inherit the connection of gauge theory with the Liouville conformal field theory, which was discovered by Alday, Gaiotto and…
We demonstrate that twisted equivariant differential K-theory of transverse complex curves accommodates exotic charges of the form expected of codimension=2 defect branes, such as of D7-branes in IIB/F-theory on A-type orbifold…
We consider 3d N=2 non-abelian Hanany-Witten brane setups with chiral flavor symmetry. We propose that the associated field theories are quivers with improved bifundamentals, instead of standard bifundamentals. The improved bifundamental is…
We use supersymmetric localization to compute the partition function of N=2 super-Yang-Mills on S^4 in the presence of a gauged linear sigma model surface defect on a S^2 subspace. The result takes the form of a standard partition function…
We study $\mathrm{AdS}_3\times S^3/\mathbb{Z}_k\times {\tilde S}^3/\mathbb{Z}_{k'}$ solutions to M-theory preserving $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ supersymmetries, arising as near-horizon limits of M2-M5 brane intersections ending on M5'-branes, with…
We study a new duality which pairs 4d N=1 supersymmetric quiver gauge theories. They are represented by brane tilings and are worldvolume theories of D3 branes at Calabi-Yau 3-fold singularities. The new duality identifies theories which…
We construct a $\mathcal{Q}=1$ supersymmetry and $U(1)^5$ global symmetry preserving deformation of the type IIB matrix model. This model, without orbifold projection, serves as a nonperturbative regularization for $\mathcal{N}=4$…
This paper focuses on the analysis of $4d$ $\mathcal{N}=4$ superconformal theories in the presence of a defect from the point of view of the conformal bootstrap. We will concentrate first on the case of codimension one, where the defect is…
We study supersymmetric embeddings of D-brane probes of different dimensionality in the AdS_5xL^{abc} background of type IIB string theory. In the case of D3-branes, we recover the known three-cycles dual to the dibaryonic operators of the…