Refined Topological Amplitudes from the $\Omega$-Background in String Theory

TL;DR

This paper extends the understanding of string theory's $ abla$-background by analyzing refined topological amplitudes in heterotic strings, revealing their connection to Nekrasov's partition function with two deformation parameters.

Contribution

It generalizes the analysis of topological amplitudes to the refined $ abla$-background with two parameters, linking string amplitudes to Nekrasov's free energy.

Findings

Identifies heterotic topological amplitudes as specific scattering processes.

Reproduces Nekrasov's perturbative free energy with two deformation parameters.

Extends the Melvin space to ten dimensions with internal K3 action.

Abstract

It was recently shown that the $\mathcal{N}$ = 2 string topological amplitudes in the heterotic weak coupling limit generate a six-dimensional Melvin space, providing a description of the $\Omega$-background in string theory, where string propagation can be exactly studied. In this work, we generalise the analysis to the refined case of the $\Omega$-background with two independent deformation parameters. The Melvin space is now ten-dimensional and is extended by an action on the internal K3 compactification manifold of the heterotic superstring, corresponding to an ${\rm SU(2)}_R$ rotation in the field theory description. We identify the class of heterotic topological amplitudes realising this background as the scattering of two anti-self-dual gravitons and arbitrary numbers of anti-self-dual graviphotons, self-dual vector fields of the dilaton multiplet, together with self-dual magnetic fluxes along the K3. In the field theory limit, our result correctly reproduces the perturbative part of the Nekrasov free energy in the case where both equivariant parameters are turned on.