Coulomb branches of 3d N=4 gauge theories: monopole operators and Hilbert series

by Stefano Cremonesi (Imperial College, London, UK)

Tuesday 1 Oct 2013, 15:00 → 16:00 Europe/Rome

248 (Building C, first floor)

Coulomb branches of three-dimensional N=4 supersymmetric gauge theories are notoriously difficult to study, as they are not protected against quantum corrections. I will present a novel simple formula for the Hilbert series (the generating function of the chiral ring) of the Coulomb branch of the infrared superconformal fixed point, which applies to any good or ugly 3d N = 4 gauge theory. The formula counts monopole operators which are dressed by classical operators, the Casimir invariants of the residual gauge group that is left unbroken by the magnetic flux. This is a new tool with several promising applications ranging from tests of 3d mirror symmetry, ADE instanton moduli spaces, the M-theory uplift of orientifold planes and the study of Gaiotto theories.

Slides talk_Pisa.pdf