Duality and BPS spectra in N=2 supersymmetric QCD

TL;DR

This paper reviews two methods for computing BPS spectra in N=2 supersymmetric QCD with gauge group SU(2), highlighting their differences and the potential for testing duality conjectures at strong coupling.

Contribution

It compares semiclassical and non-perturbative approaches to BPS spectrum calculation, emphasizing the latter's ability to describe strong coupling phenomena and dualities.

Findings

The non-perturbative method captures spectrum discontinuities at strong coupling.

Both approaches provide complementary insights into the Coulomb branch structure.

The methods facilitate testing of duality conjectures in N=2 theories.

Abstract

I review, with some pedagogy, two different approaches to the computation of BPS spectra in N=2 supersymmetric QCD with gauge group SU(2). The first one is semiclassical and has been widely used in the literature. The second one makes use of constraints coming from the non perturbative, global structure of the Coulomb branch of these theories. The second method allows for a description of discontinuities in the BPS spectra at strong coupling, and should lead to accurate test of duality conjectures in N=2 theories.