Open Topological String Research Articles

Higher operations in string topology of classifying spaces

Examples of non-trivial higher string topology operations have been regrettably rare in the literature. In this paper, working in the context of string topology of classifying spaces, we provide explicit calculations of a wealth of non-trivial higher string topology operations associated to a number of different Lie groups. As an application of these calculations, we obtain an abundance of interesting homology classes in the twisted homology groups of automorphism groups of free groups, the ordinary homology groups of holomorphs of free groups, and the ordinary homology groups of affine groups over the integers and the field of two elements.

Quantization condition from exact WKB for difference equations

A well-motivated conjecture states that the open topological string partition function on toric geometries in the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit is annihilated by a difference operator called the quantum mirror curve. Recently, the complex structure variables parameterizing the curve, which play the role of eigenvalues for related operators, were conjectured to satisfy a quantization condition non-perturbative in the NS parameter ħ. Here, we argue that this quantization condition arises from requiring single-valuedness of the partition function, combined with the requirement of smoothness in the parameter ħ. To determine the monodromy of the partition function, we study the underlying difference equation in the framework of exact WKB.

Topological field theory amplitudes for A N−1 fibration

We study the partition function ${\cal N}=1$ 5D $U(N)$ gauge theory with $g$ adjoint hypermultiplets and show that for massless adjoint hypermultiplets it is equal to the partition function of a two dimensional topological field on a genus $g$ Riemann surface. We describe the topological field theory by its amplitudes associated with cap, propagator and pair of pants. These basic amplitudes are open topological string amplitudes associated with certain Calabi-Yau threefolds in the presence of Lagrangian branes.

The Topological Open String Wavefunction

We show that, in local Calabi–Yau manifolds, the topological open string partition function transforms as a wavefunction under modular transformations. Our derivation is based on the topological recursion for matrix models, and it generalizes in a natural way the known result for the closed topological string sector. As an application, we derive results for vacuum expectation values of 1/2 BPS Wilson loops in ABJM theory at all genera in a strong coupling expansion, for various representations.

Holomorphic blocks in three dimensions

We decompose sphere partition functions and indices of three-dimensional N=2 gauge theories into a sum of products involving a universal set of "holomorphic blocks". The blocks count BPS states and are in one-to-one correspondence with the theory's massive vacua. We also propose a new, effective technique for calculating the holomorphic blocks, inspired by a reduction to supersymmetric quantum mechanics. The blocks turn out to possess a wealth of surprising properties, such as a Stokes phenomenon that integrates nicely with actions of three-dimensional mirror symmetry. The blocks also have interesting dual interpretations. For theories arising from the compactification of the six-dimensional (2,0) theory on a three-manifold M, the blocks belong to a basis of wavefunctions in analytically continued Chern-Simons theory on M. For theories engineered on branes in Calabi-Yau geometries, the blocks offer a non-perturbative perspective on open topological string partition functions.

Factorization of the 3d superconformal index

We prove that 3d superconformal index for general $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 U(N) gauge group with fundamentals and anti-fundmentals with/without Chern-Simons terms is factorized into vortex and anti-vortex partition function. We show that for simple cases, 3d vortex partition function coincides with a suitable topological open string partition function. We provide much more elegant derivation at the index level for $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 Seiberg-like dualities of unitary gauge groups with fundamantal matters and $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 4 mirror symmetry

Universal operations in Hochschild homology

AbstractWe provide a general method for finding all natural operations on the Hochschild complex ofℰ${\mathcal{E}}$-algebras, whereℰ${\mathcal{E}}$is any algebraic structure encoded in a prop with multiplication, as for example the prop of Frobenius, commutative orA∞${A_{\infty}}$-algebras. We show that the chain complex of all such natural operations is approximated by a certain chain complex offormal operations, for which we provide an explicit model that we can calculate in a number of cases. Whenℰ${\mathcal{E}}$encodes the structure of open topological conformal field theories, we identify this last chain complex, up quasi-isomorphism, with the moduli space of Riemann surfaces with boundaries, thus establishing that the operations constructed by Costello and Kontsevich–Soibelman via different methods identify with all formal operations. Whenℰ${\mathcal{E}}$encodes open topological quantum field theories (or symmetric Frobenius algebras) our chain complex identifies with Sullivan diagrams, thus showing that operations constructed by Tradler–Zeinalian, again by different methods, account for all formal operations. As an illustration of the last result we exhibit two infinite families of non-trivial operations and use these to produce non-trivial higher string topology operations, which had so far been elusive.

Another representation of the β form of the inhomogeneous Picard-Fuchs equation

In this letter we give another representation of the β form in the inhomogeneous Picard-Fuchs equation for open topological string for some one-parameter Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces in weighted projective spaces. Furthermore, the corresponding domain wall tensions calculated by using these β forms are consistent with the results that appear in literature. The β form is essential for the calculation of the D-brane domain wall tension, and a convenient choice of β forms should simplify the calculation. The freedom of the choice of β forms shows some symmetries in Calabi-Yau space.

Changing the preferred direction of the refined topological vertex

We consider the issue of the slice invariance of refined topological string amplitudes, which means that they are independent of the choice of the preferred direction of the refined topological vertex. We work out two examples. The first example is a geometric engineering of five-dimensional U(1) gauge theory with adjoint matter. The slice invariance follows from a highly non-trivial combinatorial identity which equates two known ways of computing the χy genus of the Hilbert scheme of points on C2. The second example is concerned with the proposal that the superpolynomials of the colored Hopf link are obtained from a refinement of topological open string amplitudes. We provide a closed formula for the superpolynomial, which confirms the slice invariance when the Hopf link is colored with totally anti-symmetric representations. However, we observe a breakdown of the slice invariance for other representations.

Bulk Deformations of Open Topological String Theory

We present a general method to construct bulk-deformed open topological string theories from Landau-Ginzburg models. To this end we obtain a weak version of deformation quantisation, and we show how this together with the technique of homological perturbation allows to explicitly compute all bulk-deformed open topological string amplitudes at tree-level before tadpole-cancellation. Our approach is based on a coherent treatment of the problem in terms of the fundamental A ∞- and L ∞-structures involved.

Vertices, vortices & interacting surface operators

We show that the vortex moduli space in non-abelian supersymmetric N=(2,2) gauge theories on the two dimensional plane with adjoint and anti-fundamental matter can be described as an holomorphic submanifold of the instanton moduli space in four dimensions. The vortex partition functions for these theories are computed via equivariant localization. We show that these coincide with the field theory limit of the topological vertex on the strip with boundary conditions corresponding to column diagrams. Moreover, we resum the field theory limit of the vertex partition functions in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions formulating their AGT dual description as interacting surface operators of simple type. Analogously we resum the topological open string amplitudes in terms of q-deformed generalized hypergeometric functions proving that they satisfy appropriate finite difference equations.

The geometry of D-brane superpotentials

The disk partition function of the open topological string computes the spacetime superpotential for D-branes wrapping cycles of a compact Calabi-Yau threefold. We use string duality to show that when appropriately formulated, the problem admits a natural geometrization in terms of a non-compact Calabi-Yau fourfold without D-branes. The duality relates the D-brane superpotential to a flux superpotential on the fourfold. This sheds light on several features of superpotential computations appearing in the literature, in particular on the observation that Calabi-Yau fourfold geometry enters the problem. In one of our examples, we show that the geometry of fourfolds also reproduces the D-brane superpotentials obtained from matrix factorization methods.

The Liouville side of the vortex

We analyze conformal blocks with multiple (semi-)degenerate field insertions in Liouville/Toda conformal field theories an show that their vector space is fully reproduced by the four-dimensional limit of open topological string amplitudes on the strip with generic boundary conditions associated to a suitable quiver gauge theory. As a byproduct we identify the non-abelian vortex partition function with a specific fusion channel of degenerate conformal blocks.

Surface operator, bubbling Calabi-Yau and AGT relation

Surface operators in N=2 four-dimensional gauge theories are interesting half-BPS objects. These operators inherit the connection of gauge theory with the Liouville conformal field theory, which was discovered by Alday, Gaiotto and Tachikawa. Moreover it has been proposed that toric branes in the A-model topological strings lead to surface operators via the geometric engineering. We analyze the surface operators by making good use of topological string theory. Starting from this point of view, we propose that the wave-function behavior of the topological open string amplitudes geometrically engineers the surface operator partition functions and the Gaiotto curves of corresponding gauge theories. We then study a peculiar feature that the surface operator corresponds to the insertion of the degenerate fields in the conformal field theory side. We show that this aspect can be realized as the geometric transition in topological string theory, and the insertion of a surface operator leads to the bubbling of the toric Calabi-Yau geometry.

Homotopy algebra structures on twisted tensor products and string topology operations

Given a $C_\infty$ coalgebra $C_*$, a strict dg Hopf algebra $H_*$, and a twisting cochain $\tau:C_* \rightarrow H_*$ such that $Im(\tau) \subset Prim(H_*)$, we describe a procedure for obtaining an $A_\infty$ coalgebra on $C_* \otimes H_*$. This is an extension of Brown's work on twisted tensor products. We apply this procedure to obtain an $A_\infty$ coalgebra model of the chains on the free loop space $LM$ based on the $C_\infty$ coalgebra structure of $H_*(M)$ induced by the diagonal map $M \rightarrow M \times M$ and the Hopf algebra model of the based loop space given by $T(H_*(M)[-1])$. When $C_*$ has cyclic $C_\infty$ coalgebra structure, we describe an $A_\infty$ algebra on $C_* \otimes H_*$. This is used to give an explicit (non-minimal) $A_\infty$ algebra model of the string topology loop product. Finally, we discuss a representation of the loop product in principal $G$-bundles.

Erratum: Wall-crossing, open BPS counting and matrix models

We consider wall-crossing phenomena associated to the counting of D2-branes attached to D4-branes wrapping lagrangian cycles in Calabi-Yau manifolds, both from M-theory and matrix model perspective. Firstly, from M-theory viewpoint, we review that open BPS generating functions in various chambers are given by a restriction of the modulus square of the open topological string partition functions. Secondly, we show that these BPS generating functions can be identified with integrands of matrix models, which naturally arise in the free fermion formulation of corresponding crystal models. A parameter specifying a choice of an open BPS chamber has a natural, geometric interpretation in the crystal model. These results extend previously known relations between open topological string amplitudes and matrix models to include chamber dependence.

The volume conjecture, perturbative knot invariants, and recursion relations for topological strings

We study the relation between perturbative knot invariants and the free energies defined by topological string theory on the character variety of the knot. Such a correspondence between SL ( 2 ; C ) Chern–Simons gauge theory and the topological open string theory was proposed earlier on the basis of the volume conjecture and AJ conjecture. In this paper we discuss this correspondence beyond the subleading order in the perturbative expansion on both sides. In the computation of the perturbative invariants for the hyperbolic 3-manifold, we adopt the state integral model for the hyperbolic knots, and the factorized AJ conjecture for the torus knots. On the other hand, we iteratively compute the free energies on the character variety using the Eynard–Orantin topological recursion relation. We discuss the correspondence for the figure eight knot complement and the once punctured torus bundle over S 1 with the monodromy L 2 R up to the fifth order. For the torus knots, we find trivial the recursion relations on both sides.

Wallcrossing, open BPS counting and matrix models

We consider wall-crossing phenomena associated to the counting of D2-branes attached to D4-branes wrapping lagrangian cycles in Calabi-Yau manifolds, both from M-theory and matrix model perspective. Firstly, from M-theory viewpoint, we review that open BPS generating functions in various chambers are given by a restriction of the modulus square of the open topological string partition functions. Secondly, we show that these BPS generating functions can be identified with integrands of matrix models, which naturally arise in the free fermion formulation of corresponding crystal models. A parameter specifying a choice of an open BPS chamber has a natural, geometric interpretation in the crystal model. These results extend previously known relations between open topological string amplitudes and matrix models to include chamber dependence.

A Note on q-Deformed Two-Dimensional Yang–Mills and Open Topological Strings

In this note we make a test of the open topological string version of the OSV conjecture in the toric Calahi–Yau manifold X = O(–3) → P2 with background D4-hranes wrapped on Lagrangian suhmanifolds. The D-brane partition function reduces to an expectation value of some inserted operators of a q-deformed Yang–Mills theory living on a chain of P1 's in the base P2 of X. At large N this partition function can be written as a sum over squares of chiral blocks, which are related to the open topological string amplitudes in the local P2 geometry with branes at both the outer and inner edges of the toric diagram. This is in agreement with the conjecture.

Open BPS wall crossing and M-theory

Consider the degeneracies of BPS bound states of one D6-brane wrapping Calabi–Yau X with D0-branes and D2-branes. When we include D4-branes wrapping Lagrangian cycles in addition, D2-branes can end on them. These give rise to new bound states in the d = 2 , N = ( 2 , 2 ) theory of the D4-branes. We call these “open” BPS states, in contrast to closed BPS states that arise from D-branes without boundaries. Lifting this to M-theory, we show that the generating function is captured by free Fock space spanned by M2-brane particles ending on M5-branes wrapping the Lagrangian. This implies that the open BPS bound states are counted by the square of the open topological string partition function on X, reduced to the corresponding chamber. Our results give new predictions for open BPS invariants and their wall crossing phenomena when we change the open and closed string moduli. We relate our results to the work of Cecotti and Vafa on wall crossing in the two-dimensional N = ( 2 , 2 ) theories. The findings from the crystal melting model for the open BPS invariants proposed recently fit well with the M-theory predictions.