On N=2 SUSY gauge theories and integrable systems

These lectures review some of the basic properties of $N=2$ superconformal field theories and the corresponding topological field theories. One of my basic aims is to show how the techniques of topological field theory can be used to compute effective \LG potentials for perturbed $N=2$ superconformal field theories. In particular, I will briefly discuss the application of these ideas to $N=2$ supersymmetric quantum integrable models. (Lectures given at the Summer School on Hi...

We continue to investigate the relationship between the infrared physics of N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions and various integrable models such as Gaudin, Calogero-Moser and quantum spin chains. We prove interesting dualities among some of these integrable systems by performing different, albeit equivalent, quantizations of the Seiberg-Witten curve of the four dimensional theory. We also discuss conformal field theories related to N=2 4d gauge theories by ...

$\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric $Spin(n)$ gauge theory admits hypermultiplets in spinor representations of the gauge group, compatible with $\beta\leq0$, for $n\leq 14$. The theories with $\beta<0$ can be obtained as mass-deformations of the $\beta=0$ theories, so it is of greatest interest to construct the $\beta=0$ theories. In previous works, we discussed the $n\leq8$ theories. Here, we turn to the $9\leq n\leq 14$ cases. By compactifying the $D_N$ (2,0) theory on a 4-punct...

Talk presented by the second author at the Inaugural Coference of the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Seoul, June 1996. The purpose of this note is to give a resume of the Seiberg-Witten theory in the simplest possible mathematical terms.

We further discuss the N=2 superinstantons in SU(2) gauge theory, obtained from the general self-dual solutions of topological charge n constructed by Atiyah, Drinfeld, Hitchin and Manin (ADHM). We realize the N=2 supersymmetry algebra as actions on the superinstanton moduli. This allows us to recast in concise superfield notation our previously obtained expression for the exact classical interaction between n ADHM superinstantons mediated by the adjoint Higgs bosons, and mor...

Exact solutions to the low-energy effective action of the four-dimensional, N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories with matter (including N=2 super-QCD) are discussed from the three different viewpoints: (i) instanton calculus, (ii) N=2 harmonic superspace, and (iii) M theory. The emphasis is made on the foundations of all three approaches and their relationship.

The one-instanton contribution to the prepotential for N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories with classical groups exhibits a universality of form. We extrapolate the observed regularity to SU(N) gauge theory with two antisymmetric hypermultiplets and N_f \leq 3 hypermultiplets in the defining representation. Using methods developed for the instanton expansion of non-hyperelliptic curves, we construct an effective quartic Seiberg-Witten curve that generates this one-instanton pre...

We construct the Picard-Fuchs equations of the $N=2$ supersymmetric $SU(2)$ gauge theories with $N_f=0,1,3$ matter multiplets. For the $N_f=0$ theory from the solutions of the Picard-Fuchs equation the monodromy matrices on the quantum moduli space are determined. We analyze the Seiberg-Witten solutions to compute monodromies exactly and present the instanton expansion of the periods for the $N_f=0,3$ theories.

This note reviews the progress on the low energy dynamics of N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories after the works of Seiberg and Witten. Specifically, the theory of prepotential for non-specialists is reviewed.

Recently it was established that the one-loop planar dilatation generator of N=4 Super Yang-Mills theory may be identified, in some restricted cases, with the Hamiltonians of various integrable quantum spin chains. In particular Minahan and Zarembo established that the restriction to scalar operators leads to an integrable vector so(6) chain, while recent work in QCD suggested restricting to twist operators, containing mostly covariant derivatives, yields certain integrable H...