Supersymmetry enhancement by monopole operators

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to uncover hidden supersymmetries in strongly coupled 3D gauge theories, revealing enhanced supersymmetry in specific models like ABJM and N=4 SQCD, and providing evidence for their dualities.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel approach to detect hidden symmetries in strongly coupled supersymmetric gauge theories, demonstrating supersymmetry enhancement in ABJM and N=4 SQCD models.

Findings

U(N) ABJM with k=1 or 2 has hidden N=8 supersymmetry

N=4 d=3 SQCD with one fundamental and one adjoint hypermultiplet exhibits hidden supersymmetry

Both models contain a decoupled free sector, supporting duality to N=8 U(N) super-Yang-Mills

Abstract

We describe a method which allows one to study hidden symmetries in a large class of strongly coupled supersymmetric gauge theories in three dimensions. We apply this method to the ABJM theory and to the infrared limit of N=4 SQCD with adjoint and fundamental matter. We show that the U(N) ABJM model with Chern-Simons level k=1 or k=2 has hidden N=8 supersymmetry. Hidden supersymmetry is also shown to occur in N=4 d=3 SQCD with one fundamental and one adjoint hypermultiplet. The latter theory, as well as the U(N) ABJM theory at k=1, are shown to have a decoupled free sector. This provides evidence that both models are dual to the infrared limit of N=8 U(N) super-Yang-Mills theory.