Partition Functions of Superconformal Chern-Simons Theories from Fermi Gas Approach

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the partition functions of ${ m N}=4$ superconformal Chern-Simons theories, extending known results from ABJM theory, and finds explicit formulas and cancellations in their non-perturbative sectors using a Fermi gas approach.

Contribution

It generalizes the Airy function description of partition functions from ABJM to a broader class of superconformal Chern-Simons theories, providing explicit formulas and non-perturbative cancellations.

Findings

Partition functions are expressed via Airy functions for these theories.

Explicit formula for the parameter B in general ${ m N}=4$ theories.

Cancellation of divergences in non-perturbative coefficients.

Abstract

We study the partition function of three-dimensional ${\mathcal N}=4$ superconformal Chern-Simons theories of the circular quiver type, which are natural generalizations of the ABJM theory, the worldvolume theory of M2-branes. In the ABJM case, it was known that the perturbative part of the partition function sums up to the Airy function as $Z(N)=e^{A}C^{-1/3}\mathrm{Ai}[C^{-1/3}(N-B)]$ with coefficients $C$, $B$ and $A$ and that for the non-perturbative part the divergences coming from the coefficients of worldsheet instantons and membrane instantons cancel among themselves. We find that many of the interesting properties in the ABJM theory are extended to the general superconformal Chern-Simons theories. Especially, we find an explicit expression of $B$ for general ${\mathcal N}=4$ theories, a conjectural form of $A$ for a special class of theories, and cancellation in the non-perturbative coefficients for the simplest theory next to the ABJM theory.