Curve counting,instantons and McKay correspondences

We survey some features of equivariant instanton partition functions of topological gauge theories on four and six dimensional toric Kähler varieties, and their geometric and algebraic counterparts in the enumerative problem of counting holomorphic curves. We discuss the relations of instanton counting to representations of affine Lie algebras in the four-dimensional case, and to Donaldson–Thomas theory for ideal sheaves on Calabi–Yau threefolds. For resolutions of toric singularities, an algebraic structure induced by a quiver determines the instanton moduli space through the McKay correspondence and its generalizations. The correspondence elucidates the realization of gauge theory partition functions as quasi-modular forms, and reformulates the computation of noncommutative Donaldson–Thomas invariants in terms of the enumeration of generalized instantons. New results include a general presentation of the partition functions on ALE spaces as affine characters, a rigorous treatment of equivariant partition functions on Hirzebruch surfaces, and a putative connection between the special McKay correspondence and instanton counting on Hirzebruch–Jung spaces.     

Equivariant Comparison of Quantum Homogeneous Spaces

We consider the quantum homogeneous spaces of the q-deformation of simply connected simple compact Lie groups and their Poisson–Lie quantum subgroups. We prove the deformation invariance in the equivariant KK-theory with respect to the translation action by maximal tori. This extends a result of Neshveyev and Tuset to the equivariant setting. As applications, we prove the ring isomorphism of the K-homology of G _q with respect to the coproduct of C(G _q ), and an analogue of the Borsuk–Ulam theorem for quantum spheres.     

Hitchin–Kobayashi Correspondence, Quivers, and Vortices

 A twisted quiver bundle is a set of holomorphic vector bundles over a complex manifold, labelled by the vertices of a quiver, linked by a set of morphisms twisted by a fixed collection of holomorphic vector bundles, labelled by the arrows. When the manifold is K?hler, quiver bundles admit natural gauge-theoretic equations, which unify many known equations for bundles with extra structure. In this paper we prove a Hitchin–Kobayashi correspondence for twisted quiver bundles over a compact K?hler manifold, relating the existence of solutions to the gauge equations to a stability criterion, and consider its application to a number of situations related to Higgs bundles and dimensional reductions of the Hermitian–Einstein equations. Received: 10 December 2001 / Accepted: 10 November 2002 Published online: 28 May 2003 RID="⋆" ID="⋆" Current address: Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK. E-mail:L.Alvarez-Consul@maths.bath.ac.uk RID="⋆⋆" ID="⋆⋆" Current address: Instituto de Matemáticas y Física Fundamental, CSIC, Serrano 113 bis, 28006 Madrid, Spain. E-mail:oscar.garcia-prada@uam.es Communicated by R.H. Dijkgraaf     

Quantum algebras for maximal motion groups ofN-dimensional flat spaces

An embedding method to getq-deformations for the nonsemisimple algebras generating the motion groups ofN-dimensional flat spaces is presented. This method gives a global and simultaneous scheme ofq-deformation for all iso(p, q) algebras and for those obtained from them by some Inönü-Wigner contractions, such as theN-dimensional Euclidean, Poincaré, and Galilei algebras.     

Nahm Transform for Periodic Monopoles¶and ?=2 Super Yang–Mills Theory

We study Bogomolny equations on ℝ²×?¹. Although they do not admit nontrivial finite-energy solutions, we show that there are interesting infinite-energy solutions with Higgs field growing logarithmically at infinity. We call these solutions periodic monopoles. Using the Nahm transform, we show that periodic monopoles are in one-to-one correspondence with solutions of Hitchin equations on a cylinder with Higgs field growing exponentially at infinity. The moduli spaces of periodic monopoles belong to a novel class of hyperk?hler manifolds and have applications to quantum gauge theory and string theory. For example, we show that the moduli space of k periodic monopoles provides the exact solution of ?=2 super Yang–Mills theory with gauge group SU(k) compactified on a circle of arbitrary radius. Received: 20 July 2000 / Accepted: 29 November 2000     

q-plane wave solutions of q-deformed equations with quantum conformal symmetry

We construct explicit solutions of a hierarchy of q-deformed equations which are quantum conformal invariant. The solutions are given in terms of two different q-deformations of the plane wave written in conjugated bases.     

Noncommutative Instantons and Twistor Transform

Recently N. Nekrasov and A. Schwarz proposed a modification of the ADHM construction of instantons which produces instantons on a noncommutative deformation of ℝ⁴. In this paper we study the relation between their construction and algebraic bundles on noncommutative projective spaces. We exhibit one-to-one correspondences between three classes of objects: framed bundles on a noncommutative ℙ², certain complexes of sheaves on a noncommutative ℙ³, and the modified ADHM data. The modified ADHM construction itself is interpreted in terms of a noncommutative version of the twistor transform. We also prove that the moduli space of framed bundles on the noncommutative ℙ² has a natural hyperk?hler metric and is isomorphic as a hyperk?hler manifold to the moduli space of framed torsion free sheaves on the commutative ℙ². The natural complex structures on the two moduli spaces do not coincide but are related by an SO(3) rotation. Finally, we propose a construction of instantons on a more general noncommutative ℝ⁴ than the one considered by Nekrasov and Schwarz (a q-deformed ℝ⁴). Received: 3 May 2000 / Accepted: 3 April 2001     

Integrating over Higgs Branches

We develop some useful techniques for integrating over Higgs branches in supersymmetric theories with 4 and 8 supercharges. In particular, we define a regularized volume for hyperk?hler quotients. We evaluate this volume for certain ALE and ALF spaces in terms of the hyperk?hler periods. We also reduce these volumes for a large class of hyperk?hler quotients to simpler integrals. These quotients include complex coadjoint orbits, instanton moduli spaces on ℝ⁴ and ALE manifolds, Hitchin spaces, and moduli spaces of (parabolic) Higgs bundles on Riemann surfaces. In the case of Hitchin spaces the evaluation of the volume reduces to a summation over solutions of Bethe Ansatz equations for the non-linear Schr?dinger system. We discuss some applications of our results. Received: 2 May 1999/ Accepted: 16 July 1999     

The q-Deformed Knizhnik–Zamolodchikov–Bernard Heat Equation

We introduce a q-deformation of the genus one sl ₂ Knizhnik–Zamolodchikov–Bernard heat equation. We show that this equation for the dependence on the moduli of elliptic curves is compatible with the qKZB equations, which give the dependence on the marked points. Received: 4 October 2000 / Accepted: 25 March 2001     

Kähler metrics and gauge kinetic functions for intersecting D6‐branes on toroidal orbifolds – The complete perturbative story

We systematically derive the perturbatively exact holomorphic gauge kinetic function, the open string Kähler metrics and closed string Kähler potential on intersecting D6‐branes by matching open string one‐loop computations of gauge thresholds with field theoretical gauge couplings in 𝒩 = 1 supergravity. We consider all cases of bulk, fractional and rigid D6‐branes on T⁶/Ω ℛ and the orbifolds T⁶/(ℤ_N × Ω ℛ) and T⁶/(ℤ₂ × ℤ_2M × Ω ℛ) without and with discrete torsion, which differ in the number of bulk complex structures and in the bulk Kähler potential. Our analysis includes all supersymmetric configurations of vanishing and non‐vanishing angles among D6‐branes and O6‐planes, and all possible Wilson line and displacement moduli are taken into account. The shape of the Kähler moduli turns out to be orbifold independent but angle dependent, whereas the holomorphic gauge kinetic functions obtain three different kinds of one‐loop corrections: a Kähler moduli dependent one for some vanishing angle independently of the orbifold background, another one depending on complex structure moduli only for fractional and rigid D6‐branes, and finally a constant term from intersections with O6‐planes. These results are of essential importance for the construction of the related effective field theory of phenomenologically appealing D‐brane models. As first examples, we compute the complete perturbative gauge kinetic functions and Kähler metrics for some T⁶/ℤ₂ × ℤ₂ examples with rigid D‐branes of [1]. As a second class of examples, the Kähler metrics and gauge kinetic functions for the fractional QCD and leptonic D6‐brane stacks of the Standard Model on T⁶/ℤ₆^′T⁶/ℤ₆^′ from [2] are given.     

Quantum group gauge theory on quantum spaces

We construct quantum group-valued canonical connections on quantum homogeneous spaces, including aq-deformed Dirac monopole on the quantum sphere of Podles with quantum differential structure coming from the 3D calculus of Woronowicz onSU _q (2). The construction is presented within the setting of a general theory of quantum principal bundles with quantum group (Hopf algebra) fibre, associated quantum vector bundles and connection one-forms. Both the base space (spacetime) and the total space are non-commutative algebras (quantum spaces).Supported by St. John's College, Cambridge and KBN grant 202189101     

Quaternionic monopoles

We present the simplest non-abelian version of Seiberg-Witten theory: Quaternionic monopoles. These monopoles are associated withSpin ^h (4)-structures on 4-manifolds and form finite-dimensional moduli spaces. On a Kähler surface the quaternionic monopole equations decouple and lead to the projective vortex equation for holomorphic pairs. This vortex equation comes from a moment map and gives rise to a new complex-geometric stability concept. The moduli spaces of quaternionic monopoles on Kähler surfaces have two closed subspaces, both naturally isomorphic with moduli spaces of canonically stable holomorphic pairs. These components intersect along a Donaldson instanton space and can be compactified with Seiberg-Witten moduli spaces. This should provide a link between the two corresponding theories.Partially supported by: AGE-Algebraic Geometry in Europe, contract No ERBCHRXCT940557 (BBW 93.0187), and by SNF, nr. 21-36111.92     

Large <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis> Expansion of <Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>-Deformed Two-Dimensional Yang-Mills Theory and Hecke Algebras

We derive the q-deformation of the chiral Gross-Taylor holomorphic string large N expansion of two dimensional SU(N) Yang-Mills theory. Delta functions on symmetric group algebras are replaced by the corresponding objects (canonical trace functions) for Hecke algebras. The role of the Schur-Weyl duality between unitary groups and symmetric groups is now played by q-deformed Schur-Weyl duality of quantum groups. The appearance of Euler characters of configuration spaces of Riemann surfaces in the expansion persists. We discuss the geometrical meaning of these formulae.     

Instanton strings and hyper-Kähler geometry

We discuss two-dimensional sigma models on moduli spaces of instantons on K3 surfaces. These N = (4, 4) superconformal field theories describe the near-horizon dynamics of the D1-D5-brane system and are dual to string theory on AdS³. We derive a precise map relating the moduli of the K3 type 1113 string compactification to the moduli of these conformal field theories and the corresponding classical hyper-Kahler geometry. We conclude that in the absence of background gauge fields, the metric on the instanton moduli spaces degenerates exactly to the orbifold symmetric product of K3. Turning on a self-dual NS B-field deforms this symmetric product to a manifold that is diffeomorphic to the Hilbert scheme. We also comment on the mathematical applications of string duality to the global issues of deformations of hyper-Kähler manifolds.     

Symplectic and hyperkähler structures in a dimensional reduction of the Seiberg-Witten equations with a Higgs field

In this paper we show that the dimensionally reduced Seiberg-Witten equations lead to a Higgs field and we study the resulting moduli spaces. The moduli space arising out of a subset of the equations, shown to be non-empty for a compact Riemann surface of genus g ≥ 1, gives rise to a family of moduli spaces carrying a hyperkähler structure. For the full set of equations the corresponding moduli space does not have the aforementioned hyperkähler structure but has a natural symplectic structure. For the case of the torus, g = 1, we show that the full set of equations has a solution, different from the “vortex solutions”.     

Complex Anti-Self-Dual Connections on a Product of Calabi–Yau Surfaces and Triholomorphic Curves

We study the adiabatic limit of a sequence of Ω-anti-self-dual connections on unitary bundles over a product of two compact Calabi–Yau surfaces M×N by scaling metrics to shrink N to a point. We show that after fixing gauge transformations, a subsequence of the N-components of these connections converges to a triholomorphic curve from M away from a Cayley cycle in M×N to the moduli space of instantons on M×N modulo gauge equivalence in the Hausdorff topology, and converges on the blow-up locus to a family, which is parameterized by the Cayley cycle, of triholomorphic curves from C ² to . Received: 22 May 1998 / Accepted: 26 August 1998     

Quantum groups on fibre bundles

It is shown that the principle of locality and noncommutative geometry can be connected by a sheaf theoretical method. In this framework quantum spaces are introduced and examples in mathematical physics are given. Within the language of quantum spaces noncommutative principal and vector bundles are defined and their properties are studied. Important constructions in the classical theory of principal fibre bundles like associated bundles and differential calculi are carried over to the quantum case. At the endq-deformed instanton models are introduced for every integral index.     

Higgs Bundles,Gauge Theories and Quantum Groups

The appearance of the Bethe Ansatz equation for the Nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the equivariant integration over the moduli space of Higgs bundles is revisited. We argue that the wave functions of the corresponding two-dimensional topological U(N) gauge theory reproduce quantum wave functions of the Nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the N-particle sector. This implies the full equivalence between the above gauge theory and the N-particle sub-sector of the quantum theory of the Nonlinear Schrödinger equation. This also implies the explicit correspondence between the gauge theory and the representation theory of the degenerate double affine Hecke algebra. We propose a similar construction based on the G/G gauged WZW model leading to the representation theory of the double affine Hecke algebra.     

Anti-Selfdual Connections on the Quantum Projective Plane: Monopoles

We present several results on the geometry of the quantum projective plane. They include: explicit generators for the K-theory and the K-homology; a real calculus with a Hodge star operator; anti-selfdual connections on line bundles with explicit computation of the corresponding ‘classical’ characteristic classes (via Fredholm modules); complete diagonalization of gauged Laplacians on these line bundles; ‘quantum’ characteristic classes via equivariant K-theory and q-indices.