Anomaly of strings of 6d $\mathcal{N}{=}(1,0)$ theories

TL;DR

This paper computes the anomaly polynomial for strings in 6d  (1,0) theories, providing insights into flavor symmetry origins and F-theory numerology.

Contribution

It derives the anomaly polynomial for these strings using anomaly inflow, revealing reasons for specific flavor symmetries and numerical patterns.

Findings

Anomaly polynomial for 6d  (1,0) strings derived

Insights into E8 flavor symmetry origin

Partial explanation of F-theory numerology

Abstract

We obtain the anomaly polynomial of strings of general 6d $\mathcal{N}{=}(1,0)$ theories in terms of anomaly inflow. Our computation sheds some light on the reason why the simplest 6d $\mathcal{N}{=}(1,0)$ theory has $E_8$ flavor symmetry, and also partially explains a curious numerology in F-theory.