Exact Solutions of 2d Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the phase structure and low-energy spectra of 2d N=(0,2) supersymmetric gauge theories, revealing a rich landscape of conformal field theories with potential applications in heterotic string models and AdS_3 duals.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive phase diagram and spectrum analysis of 2d N=(0,2) SQCD, introducing new SCFTs and exploring their relevance for string theory and holography.

Findings

No mass gap in the theories.

Presence of many massless states flowing to interacting CFTs.

Construction of a landscape of new N=(0,2) SCFTs with potential string theory applications.

Abstract

We study dynamics of two-dimensional non-abelian gauge theories with N=(0,2) supersymmetry that include N=(0,2) supersymmetric QCD and its generalizations. In particular, we present the phase diagram of N=(0,2) SQCD and determine its massive and low-energy spectrum. We find that the theory has no mass gap, a nearly constant distribution of massive states, and lots of massless states that in general flow to an interacting CFT. For a range of parameters where supersymmetry is not dynamically broken at low energies, we give a complete description of the low-energy physics in terms of 2d N=(0,2) SCFTs using anomaly matching and modular invariance. Our construction provides a vast landscape of new N=(0,2) SCFTs which, for small values of the central charge, could be used for building novel heterotic models with no moduli and, for large values of the central charge, could be dual to AdS_3 string vacua.