Related papers: Little String Instanton Partition Functions and Sc…
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…
These notes have two parts. The first is a study of Nekrasov's deformed partition functions $Z(\ve_1,\ve_2,\vec{a};\q,\vec{\tau})$ of N=2 SUSY Yang-Mills theories, which are generating functions of the integration in the equivariant…
We study Nekrasov's deformed partition function of 5-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory compactified on a circle. Mathematically it is the generating function of the characters of the coordinate rings of the moduli spaces of…
We review and elaborate on certain aspects of the connections between instanton counting in maximally supersymmetric gauge theories and the computation of enumerative invariants of smooth varieties. We study in detail three instances of…
Using D3/D(-1) brane set-up in type IIB string theory we introduce gauge-stringy instantons in N=2 U(N) supersymmetry theories with one matter multiplet in symmetric representation. In addition to the gauge and stringy moduli there exist…
We compute the instanton partition function for ${\cal N}=4$ U(N) gauge theories living on toric varieties, mainly of type $\R^4/\Gamma_{p,q}$ including $A_{p-1}$ or $O_{\PP_1}(-p)$ surfaces. The results provide microscopic formulas for the…
We study BPS excitations in M5-M2-brane configurations with a compact transverse direction, which are also relevant for type IIa and IIb little string theories. These configurations are dual to a class of toric elliptically fibered…
In this paper, we study the 6d Little String Theory (LST) (the decoupled theory on the worldvolume of $N$ NS5-branes) on curved manifolds, by using its holographic duality to Type II string theory in asymptotically linear dilaton…
We discuss the analytic structure of off-shell correlation functions in Little String Theories (LSTs) using their description as asymptotically linear dilaton backgrounds of string theory. We focus on specific points in the LST moduli space…
A formula was recently proposed for the perturbative partition function of certain $\mathcal N=1$ gauge theories on the round four-sphere, using an analytic-continuation argument in the number of dimensions. These partition functions are…
Instantons present a deep insight into non-perturbative effects both in physics and mathematics. While leading instanton effects can be calculated simply as an exponent of the instanton action, the calculation of subleading contributions…
Numerical Stochastic Perturbation Theory (NSPT) has over the years proved to be a valuable tool, in particular being able to reach unprecedented orders for Lattice Gauge Theories, whose perturbative expansions are notoriously cumbersome.…
We propose a set of novel expansions of Nekrasov's instanton partition functions. Focusing on 5d supersymmetric pure Yang-Mills theory with unitary gauge group on $\mathbb{C}^2_{q,t^{-1}} \times \mathbb{S}^1$, we show that the instanton…
Scattering amplitudes of superstring theory are strongly constrained by the requirement that they be invariant under dualities generated by discrete subgroups, E_n(Z), of simply-laced Lie groups in the E_n series (n<= 8). In particular,…
We argue the connection of Nekrasov's partition function in the \Omega background and the moduli space of D-branes, suggested by the idea of geometric engineering and Gopakumar-Vafa invariants. In the instanton expansion of N=2 SU(2)…
We consider N=1 supersymmetric U(N), SO(N), and Sp(N) gauge theories, with two-index tensor matter and added tree-level superpotential, for general breaking patterns of the gauge group. By considering the string theory realization and…
The instanton partition function of N=2, D=4 SU(2) gauge theory is obtained by taking the field theory limit of the topological open string partition function, given by a Chern-Simons theory, of a CY3-fold. The CY3-fold on the open string…
We study worldsheet instantons in holographic type IIA backgrounds directly in string theory. The first background is a dimensional reduction of AdS$_7\times S^4$ and is dual to the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on $S^5$. The…
We survey some features of equivariant instanton partition functions of topological gauge theories on four and six dimensional toric Kahler varieties, and their geometric and algebraic counterparts in the enumerative problem of counting…
The correspondence between Matrix String Theory in the strong coupling limit and IIA superstring theory can be shown by means of the instanton solutions of the former. We construct the general instanton solutions of Matrix String Theory…