Related papers: Little String Origin of Surface Defects

We study the 2d N = 4 gauge theory descriptions of little strings on type II NS5- branes. The IIB strings on N NS5-branes are described by the N = (4,4) gauge theories, whose Higgs branch CFTs on U(N) instanton moduli spaces are relevant.…

We show that two-dimensional SO(N) and Sp(N) Yang-Mills theories without fermions can be interpreted as closed string theories. The terms in the 1/N expansion of the partition function on an orientable or nonorientable manifold M can be…

We test the spectrum of string theory on AdS_5 x S^5 derived in hep-th/0305052 against that of single-trace gauge invariant operators in free N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. Masses of string excitations at critical tension are derived by…

We identify the 2d topological theory underlying the N=2 4d superconformal index with an explicit model: q-deformed 2d Yang-Mills. By this route we are able to evaluate the index of some strongly-coupled 4d SCFTs, such as Gaiotto's T_N…

Type IIB string theory on spacetimes that are asymptotically AdS$_5\times$S$^5$ can be defined using four dimensional ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory. Six of the dimensions of the string theory are holographically reconstructed in the…

Membrane/fivebrane duality in D=11 implies Type IIA string/Type IIA fivebrane duality in D=10, which in turn implies Type IIA string/heterotic string duality in D=6. To test the conjecture, we reproduce the corrections to the 3-form field…

We perform a series of dimensional reductions of the 6d, $\mathcal{N}=(2,0)$ SCFT on $S^2\times\Sigma\times I\times S^1$ down to 2d on $\Sigma$. The reductions are performed in three steps: (i) a reduction on $S^1$ (accompanied by a…

We study families of deformed ADE surfaces by probing them with a D2-brane in Type IIA string theory. The geometry of the total space $X$ of such a family can be encoded in a scalar field $\Phi$, which lives in the corresponding ADE algebra…

We show that the large $N$ limit of certain conformal field theories in various dimensions include in their Hilbert space a sector describing supergravity on the product of Anti-deSitter spacetimes, spheres and other compact manifolds. This…

We study type IIB supergravity solutions that are dual to two-dimensional superconformal defects in $d=4$ SCFTs which preserve $\mathcal{N}=(0,2)$ supersymmetry. We consider solutions dual to defects in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory that have…

A careful treatment of closed string BRST cohomology shows that there are more discrete states and associated symmetries in $D=2$ string theory than has been recognized hitherto. The full structure, at the $SU(2)$ radius, has a natural…

We describe some recent progress in understanding and formulating string theory which is based on extensive studies of strings in lower (D=2) dimension. At the center is a large $W_{\infty}$ symmetry that appears most simply in the matrix…

N=2 string amplitudes, when required to have the Lorentz covariance of the equivalent N=4 string, describe a self-dual form of N=4 super Yang-Mills in 2+2 dimensions. Spin-independent couplings and the ghost nature of SO(2,2) spacetime make…

These lecture notes begin with a review of the first nonleading contributions to the derivative expansion of the M theory effective action compactified on a two-torus. The form of these higher-derivative interactions is shown to follow from…

We describe the structure of string vacuum states in the supersymmetric matrix model for M theory compactified on a circle in the large-N limit. We show that the theory admits topological instanton field configurations which at…

It is well known that by using the infinite dimensional symmetries that issue from string theories, one can build 2D geometric field theories. These 2D field theories can be identified with gravitational and gauge anomalies that arise in…

Some time ago, Sezgin, Bars and Nishino have proposed super Yang-Mills theories (SYM's) in $D=11+3$ and beyond. Using the "Magic Star" projection of $\mathfrak{e}_{8(-24)}$, we show that the geometric structure of SYM's in $11+3$ and $12+4$…

We study Little String Theories (LST) with ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ supersymmetry arising, in a suitable double scaling limit, from 5-branes in heterotic string theory or in the heterotic-like type II/$(-)^{F_L}\times {\rm shift}$. The limit in…

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…

Based on the result of string/string duality, we construct the six dimensional Yang monopole in terms of Type IIA wrapped D-branes. In particular, we show that all the information of such a magnetic solution can be encoded in the K3 surface…