Related papers: Weak Coupling Limits and Colliding Punctures in Cl…
A $Z_2$ symmetry that extends the weak interaction, $SU(2)_L \rightarrow SU(2)_L \times SU(2)'$, and the Higgs sector, $H(2) \rightarrow H(2,1) + H'(1,2)$, yields a Standard Model quartic coupling that vanishes at scale $v' = <H'>~\gg~<H>$.…
When N = 2 gauge theories are compactified on $S^4$, the large $N_c$ limit then selects a unique vacuum of the theory determined by saddle-point equations, which remains determined even in the flat-theory limit. We show that exactly the…
We establish a new weak coupling limit in F-theory. The new limit may be thought of as the process in which a local model bubbles off from the rest of the Calabi-Yau. The construction comes with a small deformation parameter $t$ such that…
A solution to the infinite coupling problem for N=2 conformal supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions is presented. The infinitely-coupled theories are argued to be interacting superconformal field theories (SCFTs) with weakly…
We classify 5d N=1 gauge theories carrying a simple gauge group that can arise by mass-deforming 5d SCFTs and 6d SCFTs (compactified on a circle, possibly with a twist). For theories having a 6d UV completion, we determine the tensor branch…
We construct classes of ${\cal N}=1$ superconformal theories elements of which are labeled by punctured Riemann surfaces. Degenerations of the surfaces correspond, in some cases, to weak coupling limits. Different classes are labeled by two…
We study 4D N=2 superconformal field theories that arise from the compactification of 6D N=(2,0) theories of type D_N on a Riemann surface, in the presence of punctures twisted by a Z_2 outer automorphism. Unlike the untwisted case, the…
We study $4D$ $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories that arise as the compactification of the six-dimensional $(2,0)$ theory of type $E_6$ on a punctured Riemann surface in the presence of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ outer-automorphism twists.…
In global supersymmetric Wess-Zumino models with minimal K\"ahler potentials, F-type supersymmetry breaking always yields instability or continuous degeneracy of non-supersymmetric vacua. As a generalization of the original O'Raifeartaigh's…
We study equilibrium statistical mechanics of classical point counter-ions, formulated on 2D Euclidean space with logarithmic Coulomb interactions (infinite number of particles) or on the cylinder surface (finite particle numbers), in the…
We consider the Sen limit of several global F-theory compactifications, some of which exhibit an MSSM-like spectrum. We show that these indeed have a consistent limit where they can be viewed as resulting from an intersecting D-brane…
We find new decoupling limits of N=4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) on R x S^3 with gauge group SU(N). These decoupling limits lead to decoupled theories that are much simpler than the full N=4 SYM but still contain many of its interesting…
Upon compactification on a circle, SU(N) gauge theory with all fields in the adjoint representation acquires a $Z_N$ global symmetry because the center of the gauge group is $Z_N$. For N=4 super Yang-Mills theory, we show how this $Z_N$…
Higher dimensional grand unified theories, with gauge symmetry breaking by orbifold compactification, possess SU(5) breaking at fixed points, and do not automatically lead to tree-level gauge coupling unification. A new framework is…
It is widely accepted that the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory provides a valid description for charged surfaces in the so-called weak coupling limit. Here, we show that the image charge repulsion creates a depletion boundary layer that…
This paper discusses the relationships between gauge theories defined by gauge groups with finite trivially-acting centers, and theories with restrictions on nonperturbative sectors, in two and four dimensions. In two dimensions, these…
With the aim of better understanding the class of 4D theories generated by compactifications of 6D superconformal field theories (SCFTs), we study the structure of N = 1 supersymmetric punctures for class S_Gamma theories, namely the 6D…
We consider the scenario where all the couplings in the theory are strong at the cut-off scale, in the context of higher dimensional grand unified field theories where the unified gauge symmetry is broken by an orbifold compactification. In…
We revisit the study of singular points in N=2 SQCD with classical gauge groups. Using a technique proposed recently by Gaiotto, Seiberg and Tachikawa we find that the low-energy physics at the maximally singular point involves two…
When the Seiberg-Witten curve of a four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric gauge theory wraps a Riemann surface as a multi-sheeted cover, a topological constraint requires that in general the curve should develop ramification…