Related papers: Phases of $\mathbf{U(N_c)}$ QCD$_3$ from Type 0 St…
Recently Aharony, Bergman and Jafferis (ABJ) have argued that a 3d U(N+M)xU(N) Chern-Simons gauge theory at level (k,-k) may have a vacuum with N=6 supersymmetry only if M<k+1 and if a certain period of the B-field in a IIA background is…
We consider an 'electric' $U(N)$ level $k$ QCD$_3$ theory with one adjoint Majorana fermion. Inspired by brane dynamics, we suggest that for $k \ge N/2$ the massive $m<0$ theory, in the vicinity of the supersymmetric point, admits a…
We study the vacuum structure of three-dimensional $SU(N)$ gauge theory coupled to a Chern-Simons term at level $k$ and to $F$ fundamental Dirac fermions. We use a large $N$ holographic description based on a D3/D7 system in type IIB string…
We consider a string dual of a partially topological $U(N)$ Chern-Simons-matter (PTCSM) theory recently introduced by Aganagic, Costello, McNamara and Vafa. In this theory, fundamental matter fields are coupled to the Chern-Simons theory in…
We embed the supersymmetry breaking mechanism in N=1 SQCD of hep-th/0602239 in a smooth superstring theory using D-branes in the background R^4 \times SL(2)_{k=1}/U(1) which smoothly captures the throat region of an intersecting NS5-brane…
We study the Type IIA limit of the M theory fivebrane configuration corresponding to N=1 supersymmetric QCD with massless quarks. We identify the effective gauge coupling constant that fits with Novikov-Shifman-Veinshtein-Zakharov exact…
We study Type I string theory compactified on a T^6/Z_3 orientifold. The low-energy dynamics is most conveniently analyzed in terms of D3-branes. We show that a sector of the theory, which corresponds to placing an odd number of D3-branes…
We conjecture dualities among branes that consist of Neveu-Schwarz sector fields, such as NS5-branes. Two branes are dual after compactifications on spheres with gauge fluxes. The conjecture follows from simple considerations on string…
We study N=1 four dimensional gauge theories as the world volume theory of D4-branes between NS 5-branes. We find constructions for a number of known field theory dualities involving $SU(N_c)\times SU(N_c')$ groups, coupled by matter fields…
Supersymmetric gauge theories have had a significant impact on our understanding of QCD and of field theory in general. The phases of N=1 supersymmetric QCD (SQCD) are discussed, and the possibility of similar phases in non-supersymmetric…
We consider N = 3 supersymmetric Chern-Simons gauge theories with product unitary and orthosymplectic groups and bifundamental and fundamental fields. We study the partition functions on an S^3 by using the Kapustin-Willett-Yaakov matrix…
We discuss UV/IR mixing effects in non-supersymmetric non-commutative U(N) gauge theories. We show that the singular (non-planar) terms in the 2- and 3-point functions, namely the poles and the logarithms, can be obtained from a manifestly…
We revisit the 3d ${\cal N}=5$ Chern-Simons-Matter theory with orthosymplectic gauge group and its gravity dual from the perspective of generalized symmetries. We derive the corresponding 4d symmetry topological field theory from the…
We reexamine the vacuum structure of three-dimensional quantum chromodynamics (QCD$_3$) with gauge group $SU(N)$, $N_f$ fundamental quark flavors, and a level-$k$ Chern-Simons term. This analysis can be reliably carried out in the…
Recently, a D-brane construction in type IIA string theory was shown to yield the electric/magnetic duality of four dimensional N=1 supersymmetric U(N_c) gauge theories with N_f flavours of quark. We present here an extension of that…
We study the correspondence between the moduli space of vacua of three-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills (Maxwell) Chern-Simons theories and brane configurations with (p,q)5-brane. For Coulomb branches, the number of the massless…
We find exact relations among the sphere partition functions of three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ superconformal Chern-Simons theories with circular quiver diagrams. These relations suggest new dualities in gauge theories which are the…
The large N_c N=4 gauge theory with quenched N=2 quark matter displays chiral symmetry breaking in the presence of a magnetic field. We previously studied the temperature and chemical potential phase structure of this theory in the grand…
We give a Seiberg-like dual description of the interacting superconformal infrared fixed point of $\mathcal{N}=4$ gauge theory in three dimensions with vanishing Chern Simons level and $N_c\le N_f<2N_c$ fundamental flavors. These theories…
We study, using a gravity dual, the finite temperature dynamics of $SU(N_c)$ gauge theory for large $N_c$, with fundamental quark flavours in a quenched approximation, in the presence of a fixed R--charge under a global R--current. We…