Related papers: Twist Points as Branch Points for the QCD$_2$ Stri…

We study the relations between two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory on the torus, topological string theory on a Calabi-Yau threefold whose local geometry is the sum of two line bundles over the torus, and Chern-Simons theory on torus bundles.…

Motivated by the possibility of an effective string description for the infrared limit of pure Yang-Mills theory, we present a toy model for an effective theory of random surfaces propagating in a target space of $D>2$. We show that the…

We describe a topological string theory which reproduces many aspects of the 1/N expansion of SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in two spacetime dimensions in the zero coupling (A=0) limit. The string theory is a modified version of topological…

We add to the mounting evidence that the topological B model's normalized holomorphic three-form has integral periods by demonstrating that otherwise the B2-brane partition function is ill-defined. The resulting Calabi-Yau manifolds are…

Five-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories are investigated from the viewpoint of random plane partitions. It is shown that random plane partitions are factorizable as q-deformed random partitions so that they admit…

We define supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on an arbitrary two-dimensional lattice (polygon decomposition) with preserving one supercharge. When a smooth Riemann surface $\Sigma_g$ with genus $g$ emerges as an appropriate continuum limit of…

We show that the physical degrees of freedom of the critical open string with N=2 superconformal symmetry on the worldsheet are described by a self-dual Yang-Mills field on a hyperspace parametrised by the coordinates of the target space…

Tree-level scattering amplitudes of particles have a geometrical description in terms of intersection numbers of pairs of twisted differential forms on the moduli space of Riemann spheres with punctures. We customize a catalog of twisted…

We study the compactification of the $(2,0)$ and type-II little-string theories on $S^1$, $T^2$ and $T^3$ with an R-symmetry twist that preserves half the supersymmetry. We argue that it produces the same moduli spaces of vacua as…

We consider the effective topological field theory on Euclidean D-strings wrapping on a 2-cycle in the internal space. We evaluate the vev of a suitable operator corresponding to the chemical potential of vortices bounded to the D-strings,…

The topological B-model with target the supertwistor space CP(3|4) is known to describe perturbative amplitudes of N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory. We review the extension of this correspondence to the superconformal gauge theories that arise…

We consider topological twists of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric QCD with gauge group SU(2) and $N_f\leq 3$ fundamental hypermultiplets. The twists are labelled by a choice of background fluxes for the flavour group, which…

We show that the baryon number of N=2 supersymmetric QCD can be twisted in order to couple the topological field theory of non-abelian monopoles to $Spin^c$-structures. To motivate the construction, we also consider some aspects of the…

Dual superconformal invariance has recently emerged as a hidden symmetry of planar scattering amplitudes in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. This symmetry can be made manifest by expressing amplitudes in terms of `momentum twistors', as opposed…

We find aspects of electrically confining large $N$ Yang-Mills theories on $T^2 \times R^{d-2}$ which are consistent with a $GL(2,Z)$ duality. The modular parameter associated with this $GL(2,Z)$ is given by ${m\over N} + i\Lambda^2 A$,…

A variant of the topological twist, involving SL(2,Z) dualities and hence named topological duality twist, is introduced and explicitly applied to describe a U(1) N=4 super Yang-Mills theory on a Kaehler space with holomorphically…

We develop a graphical calculus for monoidal categories equipped with twisted pivotal structures, which are a generalization of pivotal structures originating from the study of orientation structures in the context of the Cobordism…

We consider toroidal compactifications of bosonic string theory with particular regard to the phases (cocycles) necessary for a consistent definition of the vertex operators, the boundary states and the T-duality rules. We use these…

We derive the partition function of 5d ${\cal N}=1$ gauge theories on the manifold $S^3_b \times \Sigma_{\frak g}$ with a partial topological twist along the Riemann surface, $\Sigma_{\frak g}$. This setup is a higher dimensional uplift of…

We consider two-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ supersymmetric field theories living on a spindle $\mathbb{WCP}_{[n_1,n_2]}^1$. Starting from the spindle solutions of five-dimensional STU gauged supergravity, we construct theories on a…