Flips, dualities and symmetry enhancements

TL;DR

This paper explores 4d $ ext{N}=1$ theories with USp(2n) gauge groups that exhibit IR symmetry enhancements to exceptional groups through superpotential deformations and dualities.

Contribution

It identifies new classes of theories with symmetry enhancements to exceptional groups and explains these patterns via operator relations and self-duality frames.

Findings

IR symmetry enhancement to $E_6$, $SO(10)$, $SO(9)$, $SO(8)$, and $F_4$

Superpotential deformations induce symmetry breaking and enhancement

Duality frames support the symmetry enhancement patterns

Abstract

We present various 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ theories enjoying IR global symmetry enhancement. The models we consider have the $USp(2n)$ gauge group, 8 fundamental, one antisymmetric chirals and various numbers of gauge singlets. By suitably turning on superpotential deformations involving the singlets which break part of the UV symmetry we flow to SCFTs with $E_6$, $SO(10)$, $SO(9)$, $SO(8)$ and $F_4$ IR global symmetry. We explain these patterns of symmetry enhancement following two arguments due to Razamat, Sela and Zafrir. The first one involves the study of the relations satisfied by marginal operators, while the second one relies on the existence of self-duality frames.