Brane tilings and supersymmetric gauge theories

In the last few years, brane tilings have proven to be an efficient and convenient way of studying supersymmetric gauge theories living on D3-branes or M2-branes. In these pages we present a quick and simple introduction to the subject, hoping this could tickle the reader's curiosity to learn more on this extremely fascinating subject.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, based on a presentation given by G.T. at the 2010 Cargese Summer School (June 21-July 3), to appear in the proceeding

Anomaly Cancellations in Brane Tilings

We re-interpret the anomaly cancellation conditions for the gauge symmetries and the baryonic flavor symmetries in quiver gauge theories realized by the brane tilings from the viewpoint of flux conservation on branes.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX; v2: minor corrections, a note on the zero-form flux adde

Highest Weight Generating Functions for Hilbert Series

We develop a new method for representing Hilbert series based on the highest weight Dynkin labels of their underlying symmetry groups. The method draws on plethystic functions and character generating functions along with Weyl integration. We give explicit examples showing how the use of such highest weight generating functions (HWGs) permits an efficient encoding and analysis of the Hilbert series of the vacuum moduli spaces of classical and exceptional SQCD theories and also of the moduli spaces of instantons. We identify how the HWGs of gauge invariant operators of a selection of classical and exceptional SQCD theories result from the interaction under symmetrisation between a product group and the invariant tensors of its gauge group. In order to calculate HWGs, we derive and tabulate character generating functions for low rank groups by a variety of methods, including a general character generating function, based on the Weyl Character Formula, for any classical or exceptional group.Comment: 76 page

Chern-Simons: Fano and Calabi-Yau

We present the complete classification of smooth toric Fano threefolds, known to the algebraic geometry literature, and perform some preliminary analyses in the context of brane-tilings and Chern-Simons theory on M2-branes probing Calabi-Yau fourfold singularities. We emphasise that these 18 spaces should be as intensely studied as their well-known counter-parts: the del Pezzo surfaces

The Hilbert Series of Adjoint SQCD

We use the plethystic exponential and the Molien-Weyl formula to compute the Hilbert series (generating funtions), which count gauge invariant operators in N=1 supersymmetric SU(N_c), Sp(N_c), SO(N_c) and G_2 gauge theories with 1 adjoint chiral superfield, fundamental chiral superfields, and zero classical superpotential. The structure of the chiral ring through the generators and relations between them is examined using the plethystic logarithm and the character expansion technique. The palindromic numerator in the Hilbert series implies that the classical moduli space of adjoint SQCD is an affine Calabi-Yau cone over a weighted projective variety.Comment: 53 pages, 1 figure and 2 tables. Version 2: Section 4.4.1 added, Section 4.4 improved, typos fixed, published in Nuclear Physics

Conformal Manifolds for the Conifold and other Toric Field Theories

In the space of couplings of the 4D N=1 gauge theory associated to D3 branes probing Calabi-Yau singularities, there is a manifold over which superconformal invariance is preserved. The AdS/CFT correspondence is valid precisely for this "conformal manifold". We identify the conformal manifold for all the Y^{p,q} toric singularities, paying special attention to the case of the conifold, Y^{1,0}. For a general Y^{p,q} the conformal manifold is three dimensional, while for the conifold it is five dimensional. There is always an exactly marginal deformation, analogous to the beta-deformation of N=4 SYM, which involves fluxes in the dual gravity description. This beta-deformation exists for any toric Calabi-Yau singularity.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures; V2: References added, minor change

Type IIB Superstrings, BPS Monopoles, And Three-Dimensional Gauge Dynamics

We propose an explanation via string theory of the correspondence between the Coulomb branch of certain three-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories and certain moduli spaces of magnetic monopoles. The same construction also gives an explanation, via $SL(2,\Z)$ duality of Type IIB superstrings, of the recently discovered ``mirror symmetry'' in three dimensions. New phase transitions in three dimensions as well as new infrared fixed points and even new coupling constants not present in the known Lagrangians are predicted from the string theory construction. An important role in the construction is played by a novel aspect of brane dynamics in which a third brane is created when two branes cross.Comment: 46 pages, 20 figures, A discussion on continuation past infinite coupling is adde