Related papers: Seiberg-Witten Curve for the E-String Theory
We analyze the brane content and charges in all of the orientifold string theories on space-times of the form E x R^8, where E is an elliptic curve with holomorphic or anti-holomorphic involution. Many of these theories involve "twistings"…
The subject of this thesis are various ways to construct four-dimensional quantum field theories from string theory. In a first part we study the generation of a supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, coupled to an adjoint chiral superfield,…
Let $X\to \mathbb P^2$ be the elliptic Calabi-Yau threefold given by a general Weierstrass equation. We answer the enumerative question of how many discrete rational curves lie over lines in the base, proving part of a conjecture by Huang,…
Witten has recently proposed a string theory in twistor space whose D-instanton contributions are conjectured to compute N=4 super-Yang-Mills scattering amplitudes. An alternative string theory in twistor space was then proposed whose open…
We demonstrate that type II string theory compactified on a singular Calabi-Yau manifold is related to $c=1$ string theory compactified at the self-dual radius. We establish this result in two ways. First we show that complex structure…
The closed topological vertex is the simplest ``off-strip'' case of non-compact toric Calabi-Yau threefolds with acyclic web diagrams. By the diagrammatic method of topological vertex, open string amplitudes of topological string theory…
We find a Nekrasov-type expression for the Seiberg-Witten prepotential for the six-dimensional non-critical E_8 string theory toroidally compactified down to four dimensions. The prepotential represents the BPS partition function of the E_8…
We continue our study of compactifications of F-theory on Calabi--Yau threefolds. We gain more insight into F-theory duals of heterotic strings and provide a recipe for building F-theory duals for arbitrary heterotic compactifications on…
Brane tilings provide the most general framework in string and M-theory for matching toric Calabi-Yau singularities probed by branes with superconformal fixed points of quiver gauge theories. The brane tiling data consists of a bipartite…
Using Seiberg-Witten theory it is known that the dynamics of N=2 supersymmetric SU(n) Yang-Mills theory is determined by a Riemann surface. In particular the mass formula for BPS states is given by the periods of a special differential on…
With the help of the Seiberg-Witten map for photons and fermions we define a theta-deformed QED at the classical level. Two possibilities of gauge-fixing are discussed. A possible non-Abelian extension for a pure theta-deformed Yang-Mills…
We study the M-theory five-brane wrapped around the Seiberg-Witten curves for pure classical and exceptional groups given by an integrable system. Generically, the D4-branes arise as cuts that collapse to points after compactifying the…
We construct compact examples of D-manifolds for type IIB strings. The construction has a natural interpretation in terms of compactification of a 12 dimensional `F-theory'. We provide evidence for a more natural reformulation of type IIB…
Let M denote a compact, orientable, 3-dimensional manifold and let a denote a contact 1-form on M; thus the wedge product of a with da is nowhere zero. This article explains how the Seiberg-Witten Floer homology groups as defined for any…
We obtain the elliptic curve and the Seiberg-Witten differential for an $N=2$ superconformal field theory which has an $E_8$ global symmetry at the strong coupling point $\tau=e^{\pi i/3}$. The differential has 120 poles corresponding to…
We construct a relative version of the Crane-Yetter topological quantum field theory in four dimensions, from non-semisimple data. Our theory is defined relative to the classical $G$-gauge theory in five dimensions -- this latter theory…
In this article, we consider a gauge-theoretic equation on compact symplectic 6-manifolds, which forms an elliptic system after gauge fixing. This can be thought of as a higher-dimensional analogue of the Seiberg-Witten equation. By using…
We describe a class of six-dimensional conformal field theories that have some properties in common with and possibly are related to a subsector of the tensionless string theories. The latter theories can for example give rise to…
This is a survey of the work of Seiberg and Witten on 4-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory and of some of its recent extensions, written for mathematicians. The point of view is that of algebraic geometry and integrable…
This paper studies in great detail a family of supersymmetric Wilson loop operators in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory we have recently found. For a generic curve on an S^3 in space-time the loops preserve two supercharges but we will…