Monopole Operators Research Articles

The large charge expansion at large N

The scaling dimensions of charged operators in conformal field theory have recently been predicted to exhibit universal behavior in the large charge limit. We verify this behavior in the 2+1 dimensional ℂPN − 1 model. Specifically, we numerically compute the scaling dimensions of the lowest dimension monopole operators with charges Q = 1, 2, · · · , 100 to subleading order in large N . The coefficients of the large Q expansion are extracted through a fit, and the predicted universal mathcal{O}left({Q}^0right) contribution is verified to the subpercent level.

3d Coulomb branch and 5d Higgs branch at infinite coupling

The Higgs branch of minimally supersymmetric five dimensional SQCD theories increases in a significant way at the UV fixed point when the inverse gauge coupling is tuned to zero. It has been a long standing problem to figure out how, and to find an exact description of this Higgs branch. This paper solves this problem in an elegant way by proposing that the Coulomb branches of three dimensional mathcal{N}=4 supersymmetric quiver gauge theories, named “Exceptional Sequences”, provide the solution to the problem. Thus, once again, 3d mathcal{N}=4 Coulomb branches prove to be useful tools in solving problems in higher dimensions. Gauge invariant operators on the 5d side consist of classical objects such as mesons, baryons and gaugino bilinears, and non perturbative objects such as instanton operators with or without baryon number. On the 3d side we have classical objects such as Casimir invariants and non perturbative objects such as monopole operators, bare or dressed. The duality map works in a very interesting way.

Monopole operators in U(1) Chern-Simons-matter theories

We study monopole operators at the infrared fixed points of U(1) Chern-Simons-matter theories (QED3, scalar QED3, mathcal{N}=1 SQED3, and mathcal{N}=2 SQED3) with N matter flavors and Chern-Simons level k. We work in the limit where both N and k are taken to be large with κ = k/N fixed. In this limit, we extract information about the low-lying spectrum of monopole operators from evaluating the S2 × S1 partition function in the sector where the S2 is threaded by magnetic flux 4πq. At leading order in N, we find a large number of monopole operators with equal scaling dimensions and a wide range of spins and flavor symmetry irreducible representations. In two simple cases, we deduce how the degeneracy in the scaling dimensions is broken by the 1/N corrections. For QED3 at κ = 0, we provide conformal bootstrap evidence that this near-degeneracy is in fact maintained to small values of N. For mathcal{N}=2 SQED3, we find that the lowest dimension monopole operator is generically non-BPS.

Coulomb branch operators and mirror symmetry in three dimensions

We develop new techniques for computing exact correlation functions of a class of local operators, including certain monopole operators, in three-dimensional mathcal{N}=4 abelian gauge theories that have superconformal infrared limits. These operators are position-dependent linear combinations of Coulomb branch operators. They form a one-dimensional topological sector that encodes a deformation quantization of the Coulomb branch chiral ring, and their correlation functions completely fix the (n ≤ 3)-point functions of all half-BPS Coulomb branch operators. Using these results, we provide new derivations of the conformal dimension of half-BPS monopole operators as well as new and detailed tests of mirror symmetry. Our main approach involves supersymmetric localization on a hemisphere HS3 with half-BPS boundary conditions, where operator insertions within the hemisphere are represented by certain shift operators acting on the HS3 wavefunction. By gluing a pair of such wavefunctions, we obtain correlators on S3 with an arbitrary number of operator insertions. Finally, we show that our results can be recovered by dimensionally reducing the Schur index of 4D mathcal{N}=2 theories decorated by BPS ’t Hooft-Wilson loops.

Walls, anomalies, and deconfinement in quantum antiferromagnets

We consider the Abelian-Higgs model in 2+1 dimensions with instanton-monopole defects. This model is closely related to the phases of quantum anti-ferromagnets. In the presence of $\mathbb{Z}_2$ preserving monopole operators, there are two confining ground states in the monopole phase, corresponding to the Valence Bond Solid (VBS) phase of quantum magnets. We show that the domain-wall carries a 't Hooft anomaly in this case. The anomaly can be saturated by, e.g., charge-conjugation breaking on the wall or by the domain wall theory becoming gapless (a gapless model that saturates the anomaly is $SU(2)_1$ WZW). Either way the fundamental scalar particles (i.e. spinons) which are confined in the bulk are deconfined on the domain-wall. This $\mathbb{Z}_2$ phase can be realized either with spin-1/2 on a rectangular lattice, or spin-1 on a square lattice. In both cases the domain wall contains spin-1/2 particles (which are absent in the bulk). We discuss the possible relation to recent lattice simulations of domain walls in VBS. We further generalize the discussion to Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olsen (ANO) vortices in a dual superconductor of the Abelian-Higgs model in 3+1 dimensions, and to the easy-plane limit of anti-ferromagnets. In the latter case the wall can undergo a variant of the BKT transition (consistent with the anomalies) while the bulk is still gapped. The same is true for the easy-axis limit of anti-ferromagnets. We also touch upon some analogies to Yang-Mills theory.

Three-dimensional dualities with bosons and fermions

We propose new infinite families of non-supersymmetric IR dualities in three space-time dimensions, between Chern-Simons gauge theories (with classical gauge groups) with both scalars and fermions in the fundamental representation. In all cases we study the phase diagram as we vary two relevant couplings, finding interesting lines of phase transitions. In various cases the dualities lead to predictions about multi-critical fixed points and the emergence of IR quantum symmetries. For unitary groups we also discuss the coupling to background gauge fields and the map of simple monopole operators.

Semi-classical monopole operators in Chern-Simons-matter theories

We construct classical solutions for magnetic monopole operators in N =6 superconformal Chern- Simons-matter theories. In particular, we explicitly find solutions with unequal magnetic flux contents in the two U(N) gauge groups, whose existence has been known only indirectly. We also study the ground state degeneracies of the U(2)×U(2) monopoles by quantizing the moduli of the solution.

T-branes, monopoles and S-duality

M2 branes probing T-brane backgrounds in M-theory with ADE surface singularities perceive deformations on their worldvolume superpotentials by monopole operators. The dynamics and moduli spaces of the resulting theories can be studied using a dual description involving conventional superpotential terms and (the dimensional reduction of) class S trinion theories. By using the S-dual description of N=2 SU(N) SQCD with 2N flavors in four dimensions, we are able to study T-branes corresponding to all minimal nilpotent orbits for the whole ADE series.

The space of vacua of 3d mathcal{N}=3 abelian theories

We use brane techniques to study the space of vacua of abelian 3d mathcal{N}=3 gauge theories. The coordinates on these spaces are the vevs of chiral monopole and meson operators, which are realized in the type IIB brane configuration of the theory by adding semi-infinite (1, k) strings or F1 strings. The study of various brane setups allows us to determine a basis of chiral operators and chiral ring relations relevant to each branch of vacua, leading to the algebraic description of these branches. The method is mostly graphical and does not require actual computations. We apply it and provide explicit results in various examples. For linear quivers we find that the space of vacua has in general a collection of Coulomb-like branches, a Higgs branch and mixed branches. For circular quivers we find an extra branch, the geometric branch, parametrized by monopoles with equal magnetic charges in all U(1) nodes and meson operators. We explain how to include FI and mass deformations. We also study mathcal{N}=3 theories realized with (p, q) 5-branes.

SUSY monopole potentials in 2+1 dimensions

Gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions can admit monopole operators in the potential. Starting with the theory without monopole potential, if the monopole potential is relevant there is an RG flow to the monopole-deformed theory. Here, focusing on U(Nc) SQCD with Nf flavors and mathcal{N}=2 supersymmetry, we show that even when the monopole potential is irrelevant, the monopole-modified theory {mathcal{T}}_{mathfrak{M}} can exist and enjoy Seiberg-like dualities. We provide a renormalizable UV completion of {mathcal{T}}_{mathfrak{M}} and an electric-magnetic dual description {mathcal{T}}_{mathfrak{M}}^{prime } . We subject our proposal to various consistency checks such as mass deformations and Sb3 partition functions checks. We observe that {mathcal{T}}_{mathfrak{M}} is the S-duality wall of 4D mathcal{N}=2 SQCD. We also consider monopole-deformed theories with Chern-Simons couplings and their duals.

The Coulomb Branch of 3d {mathcal{N}= 4} Theories

We propose a construction for the quantum-corrected Coulomb branch of a general 3d gauge theory with {mathcal{N}=4} supersymmetry, in terms of local coordinates associated with an abelianized theory. In a fixed complex structure, the holomorphic functions on the Coulomb branch are given by expectation values of chiral monopole operators. We construct the chiral ring of such operators, using equivariant integration over BPS moduli spaces. We also quantize the chiral ring, which corresponds to placing the 3d theory in a 2d Omega background. Then, by unifying all complex structures in a twistor space, we encode the full hyperkähler metric on the Coulomb branch. We verify our proposals in a multitude of examples, including SQCD and linear quiver gauge theories, whose Coulomb branches have alternative descriptions as solutions to Bogomolnyi and/or Nahm equations.

Fundamental vortices, wall-crossing, and particle-vortex duality

We explore 1d vortex dynamics of 3d supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories, as inferred from factorization of exact partition functions. Under Seiberg-like dualities, the 3d partition function must remain invariant, yet it is not a priori clear what should happen to the vortex dynamics. We observe that the 1d quivers for the vortices remain the same, and the net effect of the 3d duality map manifests as 1d Wall-Crossing phenomenon; although the vortex number can shift along such duality maps, the ranks of the 1d quiver theory are unaffected, leading to a notion of fundamental vortices as basic building blocks for topological sectors. For Aharony-type duality, in particular, where one must supply extra chiral fields to couple with monopole operators on the dual side, 1d wall-crossings of an infinite number of vortex quiver theories are neatly and collectively encoded by 3d determinant of such extra chiral fields. As such, 1d wall-crossing of the vortex theory encodes the particle-vortex duality embedded in the 3d Seiberg-like duality. For mathcal{N} = 4, the D-brane picture is used to motivate this 3d/1d connection, while, for mathcal{N} = 2, this 3d/1d connection is used to fine-tune otherwise ambiguous vortex dynamics. We also prove some identities of 3d supersymmetric partition functions for the Aharony duality using this vortex wall-crossing interpretation.

Ring relations and mirror map from branes

We study the space of vacua of three-dimensional mathcal{N} = 4 theories from a novel approach building on the type IIB brane realization of the theory and in which the insertion of local chiral operators in the path integral is obtained from integrating out light modes in appropriate brane setups. Most of our analysis focuses on abelian quiver theories which can be realized as the low-energy theory of D3-D5-NS5 brane arrays. Their space of vacua contains a Higgs branch, parametrized by the vevs of half-BPS meson operators, and a Coulomb branch, parametrized by the vevs of half-BPS monopole operators. We show that the Higgs operators are inserted by adding F1 strings and D3 branes, while Coulomb operators are inserted by adding D1 strings and D3 branes, with specific orientations, to the initial brane setup of the theory. This approach has two main advantages. First the ring relations describing the Higgs and Coulomb branches can be derived by looking at specific brane setups with multiple interpretations in terms of operator insertions. This provides a new derivation of the Coulomb branch quantum relations. Secondly the map between the Higgs and Coulomb operators of mirror dual theories can be derived in a trivial way from IIB S-duality.

Algebraic properties of the monopole formula

The monopole formula provides the Hilbert series of the Coulomb branch for a 3-dimensional mathcal{N}=4 gauge theory. Employing the concept of a fan defined by the matter content, and summing over the corresponding collection of monoids, allows the following: firstly, we provide explicit expressions for the Hilbert series for any gauge group. Secondly, we prove that the order of the pole at t = 1 and t → ∞ equals the complex or quaternionic dimension of the moduli space, respectively. Thirdly, we determine all bare and dressed BPS monopole operators that are sufficient to generate the entire chiral ring. As an application, we demonstrate the implementation of our approach to computer algebra programs and the applicability to higher rank gauge theories.

Hilbert Series and Mixed Branches of T [SU(N )] theories

We consider mixed branches of 3d mathcal{N} = 4 T [SU(N )] theory. We compute the Hilbert series of the Coulomb branch part of the mixed branch from a restriction rule acting on the Hilbert series of the full Coulomb branch that will truncate the magnetic charge summation only to the subset of BPS dressed monopole operators that arise in the Coulomb branch sublocus where the mixed branch stems. This restriction can be understood directly from the type IIB brane picture by a relation between the magnetic charges of the monopoles and brane position moduli. We also apply the restriction rule to the Higgs branch part of a given mixed branch by exploiting 3d mirror symmetry. Both ccases show complete agreement with the results calculated by different methods.

Monopole transition strength function of C12 in a three- α model

The energy level structure of ${}^{12}$C nucleus at a few MeV above the three-$\alpha$ threshold is still unsatisfactory known. For instance, most microscopic calculations predicted that there exist one $0^+$-state in this energy region besides the well known Hoyle state, while some experimental and theoretical studies show the existing of two $0^+$-states. In this paper, I will take a three-$\alpha$-boson (3$\alpha$) model for bound and continuum states in ${}^{12}$C, and study a transition process from the ${}^{12}$C($0_1^+$) ground state to 3$\alpha$ $0^+$ continuum states by the electric monopole ($E0$) operator. The strength distribution of the process will be calculated as a function of $3\alpha$ energy using the Faddeev three-body theory. The Hamiltonian for the $3\alpha$ system consists of two- and three-$\alpha$ potentials, and some three-$\alpha$ potentials with different range parameters will be examined. Results of the strength function show a double-peaked bump at low energy region, which can be considered as two $0^+$-states. The peak at higher energy may originate from a 3$\alpha$ resonant state. However, it is unlikely that the peak at the lower energy is related to a resonant state, which suggests that it may be due to so called "ghost anomaly". Distributions of decaying particles are also calculated.

Monopole operators from the 4 − ϵ expansion

Three-dimensional quantum electrodynamics with $N$ charged fermions contains monopole operators that have been studied perturbatively at large $N$. Here, we initiate the study of these monopole operators in the $4-\epsilon$ expansion by generalizing them to codimension-3 defect operators in $d = 4-\epsilon$ spacetime dimensions. Assuming the infrared dynamics is described by an interacting CFT, we define the "conformal weight" of these operators in terms of the free energy density on $S^2 \times \mathbb{H}^{2-\epsilon}$ in the presence of magnetic flux through the $S^2$, and calculate this quantity to next-to-leading order in $\epsilon$. Extrapolating the conformal weight to $\epsilon = 1$ gives an estimate of the scaling dimension of the monopole operators in $d=3$ that does not rely on the $1/N$ expansion. We also perform the computation of the conformal weight in the large $N$ expansion for any $d$ and find agreement between the large $N$ and the small $\epsilon$ expansions in their overlapping regime of validity.

Monopole correlation functions and holographic phases of matter in 2+1 dimensions

The strong coupling dynamics of a 2+1 dimensional U(1) gauge theory coupled to charged matter is holographically modeled via a top-down construction with intersecting D3- and D5-branes. We explore the resulting phase diagram at finite temperature and charge density using correlation functions of monopole operators, dual to magnetically charged particles in the higher-dimensional bulk theory, as a diagnostic.

The moduli spaces of 3d N ≥ 2 $$ \mathcal{N}\ge 2 $$ Chern-Simons gauge theories and their Hilbert series

We present a formula for the Hilbert series that counts gauge invariant chiral operators in a large class of 3d ${\cal N} \ge 2$ Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theories. The formula counts 't Hooft monopole operators dressed by gauge invariants of a residual gauge theory of massless fields in the monopole background. We provide a general formula for the case of abelian theories, where nonperturbative corrections are absent, and consider a few examples of nonabelian theories where nonperturbative corrections are well understood. We also analyze in detail nonabelian ABJ(M) theories as well as worldvolume theories of M2-branes probing Calabi-Yau fourfold and hyperK\"ahler twofold singularities with ${\cal N} = 2$ and ${\cal N} = 3$ supersymmetry.

Vortices and Vermas

In three-dimensional gauge theories, monopole operators create and destroy vortices. We explore this idea in the context of 3d N=4 gauge theories in the presence of an Ω-background. In this case, monopole operators generate a non-commutative algebra that quantizes the Coulomb-branch chiral ring. The monopole operators act naturally on a Hilbert space, which is realized concretely as the equivariant cohomology of a moduli space of vortices. The action furnishes the space with the structure of a Verma module for the Coulomb-branch algebra. This leads to a new mathematical definition of the Coulomb-branch algebra itself, related to that of Braverman–Finkelberg–Nakajima. By introducing additional boundary conditions, we find a construction of vortex partition functions of 2d N=(2,2) theories as overlaps of coherent states (Whittaker vectors) for Coulomb-branch algebras, generalizing work of Braverman–Feigin–Finkelberg–Rybnikov on a finite version of the AGT correspondence. In the case of 3d linear quiver gauge theories, we use brane constructions to exhibit vortex moduli spaces as handsaw quiver varieties, and realize monopole operators as interfaces between handsaw-quiver quantum mechanics, generalizing work of Nakajima.