Misleading Anomaly Matchings?

TL;DR

This paper explores the complex low-energy behavior of certain supersymmetric SO(N) gauge theories, revealing that anomaly matching can be coincidental and related to a mathematical correspondence with Sp(2N) theories.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of distinct Higgs and confining branches in these theories and links anomaly matching to a formal mathematical relation with Sp(2N) models.

Findings

Distinct Higgs and confining branches in the moduli space

Anomaly matching appears coincidental rather than fundamental

Mathematical relation between SO(N) and Sp(2N) theories explains anomaly coincidence

Abstract

We investigate the low energy dynamics of N=1 supersymmetric SO(N) gauge theories with a single symmetric tensor matter field. These theories exhibit non-trivial matching of global 't Hooft anomalies at the origin of moduli space. We argue that their quantum moduli spaces possess distinct Higgs and confining branches which touch at the origin in an interacting non-Abelian Coulomb phase. The matching of anomalies between microscopic degrees of freedom and colorless moduli therefore appears to be coincidental. We discuss a formal mathematical relation between the SO(N) model and an analogous Sp(2N) theory with a single antisymmetric matter field which provides an explanation for the anomaly matching coincidence.