Enhancons, Fuzzy Spheres and Multi-Monopoles

TL;DR

This paper explores the enhancon, a spherical hypersurface in string theory related to multi-monopoles, revealing its structure as a non-commutative sphere connected to BPS monopole moduli space and Nahm data.

Contribution

It uncovers the detailed properties of the enhancon as a spherical slice in monopole moduli space using Nahm data and relates it to non-commutative geometry and dielectric branes.

Findings

Enhancon is a spherical hypersurface related to BPS multi-monopoles.

It is a non-commutative sphere constructed from SU(2) irreducible representations.

The enhancon corresponds to a slice through an Atiyah-Hitchin-like moduli space.

Abstract

We study the `enhancon', a spherical hypersurface apparently made of D-branes, which arises in string theory studies of large N SU(N) pure gauge theories with eight supercharges. When the gauge theory is 2+1 dimensional, the enhancon is an S^2. A relation to charge N BPS multi-monopoles is exploited to uncover many of its detailed properties. It is simply a spherical slice through an Atiyah-Hitchin-like submanifold of the charge $N$ BPS monopole moduli space. In the form of Nahm data, it is built from the N dimensional irreducible representation of SU(2). In this sense the enhancon is a non-commutative sphere, reminiscent of the spherical `dielectric' branes of Myers.