Magnetic quivers and Hasse diagrams for Higgs branches of rank 1 $4d$ $mathcal{N}=2$ SCFTs are provided. These rank 1 theories fit naturally into families of higher rank theories, originating from higher dimensions, which are addressed.
For any gauge theory, there may be a subgroup of the gauge group which acts trivially on the matter content. While many physical observables are not sensitive to this fact, the identification of the precise gauge group becomes crucial when the magnetic spectrum of the theory is considered. This question is addressed in the context of Coulomb branches for $3$d $mathcal{N}=4$ quiver gauge theories, which are moduli spaces of dressed monopole operators. Since monopole operators are characterized by their magnetic charge, the identification of the gauge group is imperative for the determination of the magnetic lattice. It is well-known that the gauge group of unframed unitary quivers is the product of all unitary nodes in the quiver modded out by the diagonal $mathrm{U}(1)$ acting trivially on the matter representation. This reasoning generalises to the notion that a choice of gauge group associated to a quiver is given by the product of the individual nodes quotiented by any subgroup that acts trivially on the matter content. For unframed (unitary-) orthosymplectic quivers composed of $mathrm{SO}(textrm{even})$, $mathrm{USp}$, and possibly $mathrm{U}$ gauge nodes, the maximal subgroup acting trivially is a diagonal $mathbb{Z}_2$. For unframed unitary quivers with a single $mathrm{SU}(N)$ node it is $mathbb{Z}_N$. We use this notion to compute the Coulomb branch Hilbert series of many unitary-orthosymplectic quivers. Examples include nilpotent orbit closures of the exceptional E-type algebras and magnetic quivers that arise from brane physics. This includes Higgs branches of theories with 8 supercharges in dimensions $4$, $5$, and $6$. A crucial ingredient in the calculation of exact refined Hilbert series is the alternative construction of unframed magnetic quivers from resolved Slodowy slices, whose Hilbert series can be derived from Hall-Littlewood polynomials.
Magnetic quivers and Hasse diagrams for Higgs branches of rank $r$ 4d $mathcal{N}=2$ SCFTs arising from $mathbb{Z}_{ell}$ $mathcal{S}$-fold constructions are discussed. The magnetic quivers are derived using three different methods: 1) Using clues like dimension, global symmetry, and the folding parameter $ell$ to guess the magnetic quiver. 2) From 6d $mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ SCFTs as UV completions of 5d marginal theories, and specific FI deformations on their magnetic quiver, which is further folded by $mathbb{Z}_{ell}$. 3) From T-duality of Type IIA brane systems of 6d $mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ SCFTs and explicit mass deformation of the resulting brane web followed by $mathbb{Z}_{ell}$ folding. A choice of the ungauging scheme, either on a long node or on a short node, yields two different moduli spaces related by an orbifold action, thus suggesting a larger set of SCFTs in four dimensions than previously expected.
It is widely considered that the classical Higgs branch of 4d $mathcal{N}=2$ SQCD is a well understood object. However there is no satisfactory understanding of its structure. There are two complications: (1) the Higgs branch chiral ring contains nilpotent elements, as can easily be checked in the case of $mathrm{SU}(N)$ with 1 flavour. (2) the Higgs branch as a geometric space can in general be decomposed into two cones with nontrivial intersection, the baryonic and mesonic branches. To study the second point in detail we use the recently developed tool of magnetic quivers for five-brane webs, using the fact that the classical Higgs branch for theories with 8 supercharges does not change through dimensional reduction. We compare this approach with the computation of the hyper-Kahler quotient using Hilbert series techniques, finding perfect agreement if nilpotent operators are eliminated by the computation of a so called radical. We study the nature of the nilpotent operators and give conjectures for the Hilbert series of the full Higgs branch, giving new insights into the vacuum structure of 4d $mathcal{N}=2$ SQCD. In addition we demonstrate the power of the magnetic quiver technique, as it allows us to identify the decomposition into cones, and provides us with the global symmetries of the theory, as a simple alternative to the techniques that were used to date.
We show that a proposed duality [arXiv:0711.0054] between infinitely coupled gauge theories and superconformal field theories (SCFTs) with weakly gauged flavor groups predicts the existence of new rank 1 SCFTs. These superconformal fixed point theories have the same Coulomb branch singularities as the rank 1 E_6, E_7, and E_8 SCFTs, but have smaller flavor symmetry algebras and different central charges. Gauging various subalgebras of the flavor algebras of these rank 1 SCFTs provides many examples of infinite-coupling dualities, satisfying an intricate set of consistency checks. They also provide examples of N=2 conformal theories with marginal couplings but no weak-coupling limits.
Turning on N=2 supersymmetry-preserving relevant operators in a 4-dimensional N=2 superconformal field theory (SCFT) corresponds to a complex deformation compatible with the rigid special Kahler geometry encoded in the low energy effective action. Field theoretic consistency arguments indicate that there should be many distinct such relevant deformations of each SCFT fixed point. Some new supersymmetry-preserving complex deformations are constructed of isolated rank 1 SCFTs. We also make predictions for the dimensions of certain Higgs branches for some rank 1 SCFTs.