arXiv research

Reformulated sigma models for complex Grassmannians using Gross-Neveu formalism.

We derive gradient and energy estimates for critical points of the full supersymmetric sigma model and discuss several applications.

We give a physical derivation of generalized Kahler geometry. Starting from a supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model, we rederive and explain the results of Gualtieri regarding the equivalence between generalized Kahler geometry and the bi-hermitean geometry of Gates-Hull-Rocek. When cast in the language of supersymmetri…

We study the relation between the Laplacian associated to an odd metric on a supermanifold and harmonic superfunctions, through the application of the calculus of variations to a supersymmetric sigma model.

One has believed that low energy effective theories of the Higgs branch of gauged linear sigma models correspond to supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models, which have been already investigated by many works. In this paper we discuss a explicit derivation of supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models from gauged linear sigma …

Introduces a new phase space for 2D supersymmetric sigma models.

Constant curvature surfaces are constructed from the finite action solutions of the supersymmetric $\mathbb{C}P^{N-1}$ sigma model. It is shown that there is a unique holomorphic solution which leads to constant curvature surfaces: the generalized Veronese curve. We give a general criterion to construct non-holomorphic…

We present a characterisation of Maurer-Cartan 1-superforms associated to the two-dimensional supersymmetric $\mathbb{C}P^{N-1}$ sigma model. We, then, solve the associated linear spectral problem and use its solutions to describe an integrable system for a $su(N)$-valued map.

Strong Kähler with Torsion is the target space geometry of $(2,1)$ and $(2,0)$ supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models. We discuss how it can be represented in terms of Generalised Complex Geometry in analogy to the Gualtieri map from the geometry of $(2,2)$ supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models to Generalised Kähler Geo…

We prove a vanishing result for critical points of the supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model on complete non-compact Riemannian manifolds of positive Ricci curvature that admit an Euclidean type Sobolev inequality, assuming that the dimension of the domain is bigger than two and that a certain energy is sufficiently sma…

The Legendre transform and its generalizations, originally found in supersymmetric sigma-models, are techniques that can be used to give constructions of hyperkahler metrics. We give a twistor space interpretation to the generalizations of the Legendre transform construction. The Atiyah-Hitchin metric on the moduli spa…

We discuss additional supersymmetries for N = (2, 2) supersymmetric non-linear sigma models described by left and right semichiral superfields.

We investigate the target space geometry of supersymmetric sigma models in two dimensions with Euclidean signature, and the conditions for N=2 supersymmetry. For a real action, the geometry for the N=2 model is not the generalized Kahler geometry that arises for Lorentzian signature, but is an interesting modification …

In four-dimensional gauge theory there exists a well-known correspondence between instantons and holomorphic curves, and a similar correspondence exists between certain octonionic instantons and triholomorphic curves. We prove that this latter correspondence stems from the dynamics of various dimensional reductions of …

This is a brief review of some of the uses of nonlinear sigma models. After a short general discussion touching on point particles, strings and condensed matter systems, focus is shifted to sigma models as probes of target space geometries. The relation of supersymmetric non-linear sigma models to Kähler, hyperkähler, …

A new approach for the construction of finite action solutions of the supersymmetric $\mathbb{C}P^{N-1}$ sigma model is presented. We show that this approach produces more non-holomorphic solutions than those obtained in previous approaches. We study the $\mathbb{C}P^2$ model in detail and present its solutions in an e…

This is a review of how sigma models formulated in Superspace have become important tools for understanding geometry. Topics included are: The (hyper)kähler reduction; projective superspace; the generalized Legendre construction; generalized Kähler geometry and constructions of hyperkähler metrics on Hermitean symmetri…

We consider gauged sigma-models from a Riemann surface into a Kaehler and hamiltonian G-manifold X. The supersymmetric N=2 theory can always be twisted to produce a gauged A-model. This model localizes to the moduli space of solutions of the vortex equations and computes the Hamiltonian Gromov-Witten invariants. When t…

It has been shown recently that extended supersymmetry in twisted first-order sigma models is related to twisted generalized complex geometry in the target. In the general case there are additional algebraic and differential conditions relating the twisted generalized complex structure and the geometrical data defining…

BiHermitian geometry, discovered long ago by Gates, Hull and Rocek, is the most general sigma model target space geometry allowing for (2,2) world sheet supersymmetry. In this paper, we work out supersymmetric quantum mechanics for a biHermitian target space. We display the full supersymmetry of the model and illustrat…

We construct N=2 supersymmetric nonlinear sigma models whose target spaces are tangent as well as cotangent bundles over the quadric surface Q^{n-2} = SO(n)/[SO(n-2)\times U(1)]. We use the projective superspace framework, which is an off-shell formalism of N=2 supersymmetry.

We review a systematic construction of the 2-stack of bundle gerbes via descent, and extend it to non-abelian gerbes. We review the role of non-abelian gerbes in orientifold sigma models, for the anomaly cancellation in supersymmetric sigma models, and in a geometric description of so-called non-geometric T-duals.

The topics covered in this thesis may be divided into three parts. Firstly, we perform a study on the most general branes which are consistent with the Poisson sigma model, both at the classical and quantum levels. The second part is devoted to the particular case in which the target Poisson manifold is a Poisson-Lie g…

The target space of a (4,0) supersymmetric two-dimensional sigma model with Wess-Zumino term has a connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy contained in Sp(n)Sp(1) (resp. Sp(n)), QKT (resp. HKT)-spaces. We study the geometry of QKT, HKT manifold and their twistor spaces. We show that the Swann bundle…

In this paper we describe multigraded generalizations of some constructions useful for mathematical understanding of gauge theories: we perform a near-at-hand generalization of the Aleksandrov--Kontsevich--Schwarz--Zaboronsky procedure, we also extend the formalism of $Q$-bundles introduced first by A. Kotov and T. Str…

We find the T-duality transformation rules for 2-dimensional (2,1) supersymmetric sigma-models in (2,1) superspace. Our results clarify certain aspects of the (2,1) sigma model geometry relevant to the discussion of T-duality. The complexified duality transformations we find are equivalent to the usual Buscher duality …

We give a world-sheet description of D-brane in terms of gluing conditions on T+T^*. Using the notion of generalized Kahler geometry we show that A- and B-types D-branes for the general N=(2,2) supersymmetric sigma model (including a non-trivial NS-flux) correspond to the (twisted) generalized complex submanifolds with…

We describe the relation between supersymmetric sigma-models on hyperkahler manifolds, projective superspace, and twistor space. We review the essential aspects and present a coherent picture with a number of new results.

This paper concerns constructing topological sigma models governing maps from semirigid super Riemann surfaces to general target supermanifolds. We define both the A model and B model in this general setup by defining suitable BRST operators and physical observables. Using supersymmetric localization, we express correl…

We derive conservation laws for Dirac-harmonic maps and their extensions to manifolds that have isometries, where we mostly focus on the spherical case. In addition, we discuss several geometric and analytic applications of the latter.

We find a worldsheet realization of generalized complex geometry, a notion introduced recently by Hitchin which interpolates between complex and symplectic manifolds. The two-dimensional model we construct is a supersymmetric relative of the Poisson sigma model used in context of deformation quantization.

We study N=2 nonlinear two dimensional sigma models with boundaries and their massive generalizations (the Landau-Ginzburg models). These models are defined over either Kahler or bihermitian target space manifolds. We determine the most general local N=2 superconformal boundary conditions (D-branes) for these sigma mod…

We introduce a natural generalisation of holomorphic curves to morphisms of supermanifolds, referred to as holomorphic supercurves. More precisely, supercurves are morphisms from a Riemann surface, endowed with the structure of a supermanifold which is induced by a holomorphic line bundle, to an ordinary almost complex…

BiKaehler geometry is characterized by a Riemannian metric g_{ab} and two covariantly constant generally non commuting complex structures K_+^a_b, K_-^a_b, with respect to which g_{ab} is Hermitian. It is a particular case of the biHermitian geometry of Gates, Hull and Roceck, the most general sigma model target space …

We prove the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet Theorem using sigma models whose source supermanifolds have super dimension 0|2. Along the way we develop machinery for understanding manifold invariants encoded by families of 0|n-dimensional Euclidean field theories and their quantization.

We study some analytical and geometric properties of a two-dimensional nonlinear sigma model with gravitino which comes from supersymmetric string theory. When the action is critical w.r.t. variations of the various fields including the gravitino, there is a symmetric, traceless and divergence-free energy-momentum tens…

We explore the nonperturbative aspects of the chiral algebras of N = (0,2) sigma models, which perturbatively are intimately related to the theory of chiral differential operators (CDOs). The grading by charge and scaling dimension is anomalous if the first Chern class of the target space is nonzero. This has some nont…

New methods derive a generalized Frenkel trace formula for Lie groups.

Harmonic maps from Riemann surfaces arise from a conformally invariant variational problem. Therefore, on one hand, they are intimately connected with moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces, and on the other hand, because the conformal group is noncompact, constitute a prototype for the formation of singularities, the so-ca…

We identify a deformation of the N=2 supersymmetric sigma model on a Calabi-Yau manifold X which has the same effect on B-branes as a noncommutative deformation of X. We show that for hyperkahler X such deformations allow one to interpolate continuously between the A-model and the B-model. For generic values of the non…

We present an equivariant extension of the Thom form with respect to a vector field action, in the framework of the Mathai-Quillen formalism. The associated Topological Quantum Field Theories correspond to twisted $N=2$ supersymmetric theories with a central charge. We analyze in detail two different cases: topological…

We construct a topological Chern-Simons sigma model on a Riemannian three-manifold M with gauge group G whose hyperkahler target space X is equipped with a G-action. Via a perturbative computation of its partition function, we obtain new topological invariants of M that define new weight systems which are characterized…

The cohomology of a compact Kaehler (resp. hyperKaehler) manifold admits the action of the Lie algebra so(2,1) (resp. so(4,1)). In this paper we show, following an idea of Witten, how this action follows from supersymmetry, in particular from the symmetries of certain supersymmetric sigma models. In addition, many of t…

We solve the long standing problem of finding an off-shell supersymmetric formulation for a general N = (2, 2) nonlinear two dimensional sigma model. Geometrically the problem is equivalent to proving the existence of special coordinates; these correspond to particular superfields that allow for a superspace descriptio…

Given a two-dimensional quantum field theory with (0,2) supersymmetry, one can construct a chiral (or vertex) algebra. The chiral algebra of a (0,2) supersymmetric sigma model is, perturbatively, the cohomology of a sheaf of chiral differential operators on a string Kähler manifold. However, it vanishes in some cases w…

The harmonic action functional allows a natural generalisation to semi-Riemannian supergeometry, referred to as superharmonic action, which resembles the supersymmetric sigma models studied in high energy physics. We show that Killing vector fields are infinitesimal supersymmetries of the superharmonic action and prove…

A topological defect separating a pair of two-dimensional CFTs is a codimension one interface along which all components of the stress-energy tensor glue continuously. We study topological defects of the bosonic, (0,1)- and (0,2)-supersymmetric sigma models in two dimensions. We find a geometric classification of such …

We study some graded geometric constructions appearing naturally in the context of gauge theories. Inspired by a known relation of gauging with equivariant cohomology we generalize the latter notion to the case of arbitrary Q-manifolds introducing thus the concept of equivariant Q-cohomology. Using this concept we desc…