On The Strong-Coupling Spectrum of Pure SU(3) Seiberg-Witten Theory

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the structure of BPS spectra in pure SU(3) N=2 SYM theory, revealing how the moduli space is partitioned by curves of marginal stability and identifying new bound states at strong and weak coupling.

Contribution

It provides a topological model of how curves of marginal stability influence the BPS spectrum and uncovers new BPS states at different coupling regimes in SU(3) Seiberg-Witten theory.

Findings

Connected cores at strong coupling have smaller BPS spectra than at weak coupling.

Double cores at the strongest coupling carry a finite BPS spectrum including three novel states.

New weak coupling BPS states are excitations of states with magnetic charge aligned with simple roots.

Abstract

We consider the two complex dimensional moduli space of supersymmetric vacua for low energy effective N=2 SYM with gauge group SU(3). We describe, at the topological level, a consistent model of how the relevant curves of marginal stability (CMS) intertwine with the branch cuts to partition the moduli space into pieces carrying different BPS spectra. At strong coupling we find connected cores which carry a smaller BPS spectrum than that at weak coupling. At the strongest coupling we find double cores which carry a finite BPS spectrum. These include not only states one can deduce from the monodromy group, but three states, bounded away from weak coupling, each of which we interpret as a bound state of two BPS gauge bosons. We find new BPS states at weak coupling corresponding to a excitations of a state with magnetic charge a simple co-root, with respect to the other simple root direction.