Publications (63)
Tinkertoys for the Twisted D-Series
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm
We study 4D N=2 superconformal field theories that arise from the compactification of 6D N=(2,0) theories of type D_N on a Riemann surface, in the presence of punctures twisted by…
Aspects of ALE Matrix Models and Twisted Matrix Strings
David Berenstein, Richard Corrado, Jacques Distler
We examine several aspects of the formulation of M(atrix)-Theory on ALE spaces. We argue for the existence of massless vector multiplets in the resolved spaces, as requir…
A Family of Interacting SCFTs from the Twisted Series
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm
We find an infinite family of interacting superconformal field theories which enter the description of the strong-coupling limit of gauge theories w…
Nonabelian Twists of the Theory
Jacques Distler, Behzat Ergun, Ali Shehper
We study theories of type in class-S, with nonabelian outer-automorphism twists around various cycles of the punctured Riemann surface . We propose an extension of previou…
There is no "Theory of Everything" inside E8
Jacques Distler, Skip Garibaldi
We analyze certain subgroups of real and complex forms of the Lie group E8, and deduce that any "Theory of Everything" obtained by embedding the gauge groups of gravity and the Sta…
Tinkertoys for the Twisted Theory
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm
We study superconformal field theories that arise as the compactification of the six-dimensional theory of type on a punctured Riemann surface in…
Seiberg-Witten for with Spinors
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm
supersymmetric gauge theory admits hypermultiplets in spinor representations of the gauge group, compatible with , for . The theories w…
Wormholes in Maximal Supergravity
Aaron Bergman, Jacques Distler
In this brief note, we reconsider the problem of finding Euclidean wormhole solutions to maximal supergravity in d dimensions. We find that such solutions exists for all d less tha…
Quantum Symmetries and Stringy Instantons
Jacques Distler, Shamit Kachru
The quantum symmetry of many \LG\ orbifolds appears to be broken by Yang-Mills instantons. However, isolated Yang-Mills instantons are not solutions of string theory: They must be…
N=1 Dualities for Exceptional Gauge Groups and Quantum Global Symmetries
Jacques Distler, Andreas Karch
We discuss our attempts to generalize the known examples of dualities in N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories to exceptional gauge groups. We derive some dual pairs from known example…
Non-Supersymmetric Conformal Field Theories from Stable Anti-de Sitter Spaces
Jacques Distler, Frederic Zamora
We describe new non-supersymmetric conformal field theories in three and four dimensions, using the CFT/AdS correspondence. In order to believe in their existence at large N_c and…
Families of Hitchin systems and N=2 theories
Aswin Balasubramanian, Jacques Distler, Ron Donagi
Motivated by the connection to 4d theories, we study the global behavior of families of tamely-ramified Hitchin integrable systems as the underlying curve va…
Some Features of (0,2) Moduli Space
Ti-Ming Chiang, Jacques Distler, Brian R. Greene
We discuss some aspects of perturbative Calabi-Yau moduli space. In particular, we show how models with different data can meet along various sub-loci in their modu…
Quantization of Fayet-Iliopoulos Parameters in Supergravity
Jacques Distler, Eric Sharpe
In this short note we discuss quantization of the Fayet-Iliopoulos parameter in supergravity theories. We argue that in supergravity, the Fayet-Iliopoulos parameter determines a li…
Notes on (0,2) Superconformal Field Theories
Jacques Distler
In these lecture notes, I review the ``linear sigma model" approach to (0,2) string vacua. My aim is to provide the reader with a toolkit for studying a very broad class of (0,2) s…
Return of the Torsion D-Branes
Ilka Brunner, Jacques Distler, Rahul Mahajan
We study D-branes on Calabi-Yau manifolds, carrying charges which are torsion elements of the K-theory. Interesting physics ensues when we follow these branes into nongeometrical p…
Two Applications of Nilpotent Higgsing in Class-S
Jacques Distler, Grant Elliot
We introduce a class of Higgs-branch RG flows in theories of class-S, which flow between SCFTs of the same ADE type. We discuss two applications of this class…
Three Dimensional Mirror Symmetry and Partition Function on
Anindya Dey, Jacques Distler
We provide non-trivial checks of mirror symmetry in a large class of quiver gauge theories whose Type IIB (Hanany-Witten) descriptions involve D3 branes ending…
Topological Heterotic Rings
Allan Adams, Jacques Distler, Morten Ernebjerg
We prove the existence of topological rings in (0,2) theories containing non-anomalous left-moving U(1) currents by which they may be twisted. While the twisted models are not topo…
Families of Hitchin Systems in Type-D
Aswin Balasubramanian, Jacques Distler, Ron Donagi +1
The Coulomb branch geometry of a 4d SCFT is encoded in the data of a complex integrable system. In class-S, this is the Hitchin System (of ADE type) on the puncture…
Nilpotent orbits and codimension-two defects of 6d N=(2,0) theories
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Yuji Tachikawa
We study the local properties of a class of codimension-2 defects of the 6d N=(2,0) theories of type J=A,D,E labeled by nilpotent orbits of a Lie algebra \mathfrak{g}, where \mathf…
Chiral Symmetry Breaking in the AdS/CFT Correspondence
Jacques Distler, Frederic Zamora
We study the SU(3)-invariant relevant deformation of D=4 N=4 SU(N) gauge theory at large N using the AdS/CFT correspondence. At low energies, we obtain a nonsupersymmetric gauge th…
D-Brane Monodromies, Derived Categories and Boundary Linear Sigma Models
Jacques Distler, Hans Jockers, Hyukjae Park
An important subclass of D-branes on a Calabi-Yau manifold, X, are in 1-1 correspondence with objects in D(X), the derived category of coherent sheaves on X. We study the action of…
Current Algebra Levels in the Theory
Jacques Distler, Grant Elliot
The class-S theories of type were analyzed in \cite{Chacaltana:2018vhp}. The basic building blocks consisted of 49,836 isolated SCFTs (three-punctured spheres). In 244 cases,…
On the Moduli Spaces of M(atrix)-Theory Compactifications
David Berenstein, Richard Corrado, Jacques Distler
By identifying the moduli space of coupling constants in the SYM description of toroidal compactifications of M(atrix)-Theory, we construct the M(atrix) description of the moduli s…
Random Polynomials and the Friendly Landscape
Jacques Distler, Uday Varadarajan
In hep-th/0501082, a field theoretic ``toy model'' for the Landscape was proposed. We show that the considerations of that paper carry through to realistic effective Lagrangians, s…
Tinkertoys for the Z3-twisted D4 Theory
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm
Among the simple Lie algebras, is distinguished as the unique one whose group of outer-automorphisms is bigger than . We study the compactifications of the $D_4…
On the BPS Spectrum of the Rank-1 Minahan-Nemeschansky Theories
Jacques Distler, Mario Martone, Andrew Neitzke
The F-theory realization of the rank-1 Minahan Nemeschansky (MN) , and theories leads to a description of the BPS states on the Coulomb branch in terms of Type IIB…
Spontaneously Broken Subsystem Symmetries
Jacques Distler, Andreas Karch, Amir Raz
We investigate the spontaneous breaking of subsystem symmetries directly in the context of continuum field theories by calculating the correlation function of charged operators. Ou…
Tinkertoys for Gaiotto Duality
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler
We describe a procedure for classifying N=2 superconformal theories of the type introduced by Davide Gaiotto. Any curve, C, on which the 6D A_{N-1} SCFT is compactified, can be dec…
1+1 Dimensional Critical String Theory and Holography
Aaron Bergman, Jacques Distler, Uday Varadarajan
In hep-th/0310120, Goheer, Kleban and Susskind argued that the holographic principle is inconsistent with the existence of stable, Lorentz invariant, 1+1 dimensional compactificati…
von Neumann's Formula, Measurements and the Lindblad Equation
Jacques Distler, Sonia Paban
We previously remarked that when an observable A has a continuous spectrum, then von Neumann's formula for the post-measurement state needs to be extended and the correct formula i…
(0,2) Noncritical Strings in Six Dimensions
Jacques Distler, Amihay Hanany
Type IIB strings compactified on K3 have a rich structure of solitonic strings, transforming under SO(21,5,Z). We derive the BPS tension formula for these strings, and discuss thei…
Tinkertoys for the Theory
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm
Compactifying the 6-dimensional (2,0) superconformal field theory, of type ADE, on a Riemann surface, , with codimension-2 defect operators at points on , yields a 4-dimensio…
General F-Term Gauge Mediation
Jacques Distler, Daniel Robbins
In a model-independent formalism of gauge mediation, Meade, Seiberg, and Shih have shown that hidden sector effects are captured by two-point correlation functions of the gauge cur…
Masses, Sheets and Rigid SCFTs
Aswin Balasubramanian, Jacques Distler
We study mass deformations of certain three dimensional Superconformal Field Theories (SCFTs) that have come to be called theories. These are associated t…
Spacetime Subsystem Symmetries
Saba Asif Baig, Jacques Distler, Andreas Karch +2
One characteristic feature of many fractonic lattice models, and a defining property of the exotic field theories developed to describe them, are subsystem symmetries including a c…
Gaiotto Duality for the Twisted A_{2N-1} Series
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Yuji Tachikawa
We study 4D N=2 superconformal theories that arise from the compactification of 6D N=(2,0) theories of type A_{2N-1} on a Riemann surface C, in the presence of punctures twisted by…
A Note on S.Weinberg, "Massless Particles in Higher Dimensions"
Jacques Distler
In [1], Weinberg made a conjecture about the little-group representations of massless particles that can be created out of the vacuum by the action of a local operator in dimen…
Torsion D-Branes in Nongeometrical Phases
Ilka Brunner, Jacques Distler
In a geometrical background, D-brane charge is classified by topological K-theory. The corresponding classification of D-brane charge in an arbitrary, nongeometrical, compactificat…
Distinguishing 6d (1,0) SCFTs: an extension to the geometric construction
Jacques Distler, Monica Jinwoo Kang, Craig Lawrie
We provide a new extension to the geometric construction of 6d SCFTs that encapsulates Higgs branch structures with identical global symmetry but different spectra. In part…
Singlet Couplings and (0,2) Models
Jacques Distler, Shamit Kachru
We use the quantum symmetries present in string compactification on Landau-Ginzburg orbifolds to prove the existence of a large class of exactly marginal (0,2) deformations of (2,2…
On Generalized Pfaffians
Jacques Distler, Nathan Donagi, Ron Donagi
The determinant of an anti-symmetric matrix is the square of its Pfaffian, which like the determinant is a polynomial in the entries of . Studies of certain super conformal…
Tinkertoys for the Theory
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm +1
We construct the 4D N=2 SCFTs of class-S, which stem from the (2,0) theory. There are 49,836 isolated SCFTs which arise as 3-punctured spheres. Of these, 149 are "mixed" (con…
Even More On Twisted Class-S Theories
Jacques Distler, Grant Elliot
This paper is a continuation of our investigation into the Coulomb branches of twisted of class-S. In arXiv:2411.17675, we found predictions for the contributions of twist…
On Twisted Class-S Theories
Jacques Distler, Grant Elliot
In this paper, we investigate the twisted sector of class-S theories. Heretofore, the Coulomb branches of such theories have been poorly understood. In this, and a compani…
Tinkertoys for the D_N series
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler
We describe a procedure for classifying 4D N=2 superconformal theories of the type introduced by Davide Gaiotto. Any punctured curve, C, on which the 6D (2,0) SCFT is compactified,…
Distinquishing 4d N=2 SCFTs
Jacques Distler, Behzat Ergun, Ali Shehper
We construct a family of examples of pairs of 4d N=2 SCFTs whose graded Coulomb branch dimensions, Weyl-anomaly coefficients and flavour symmetry algebras and levels coincide, but…
Falsifying Models of New Physics Via WW Scattering
Jacques Distler, Benjamin Grinstein, Rafael A. Porto +1
We show that the coefficients of operators in the electroweak chiral Lagrangian can be bounded if the underlying theory obeys the usual assumptions of Lorentz invariance, analytici…
The Hitchin Image in Type-D
Aswin Balasubramanian, Jacques Distler, Ron Donagi +1
Motivated by their appearance as Coulomb branch geometries of Class S theories, we study the image of the local Hitchin map in tame Hitchin systems of type-D with residue in a spec…
Large Softly broken N=2 QCD
Luis Alvarez-Gaume, Jacques Distler, Costas Kounnas +1
We analyze the possible soft breaking of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory with and without matter flavour preserving the analyticity properties of the Seiberg-Witten solution…
Spin structures and superstrings
Jacques Distler, Daniel S. Freed, Gregory W. Moore
In superstring theory spin structures are present on both the 2-dimensional worldsheet and 10-dimensional spacetime. We present a new proposal for the B-field in superstring theory…
Double-soft graviton amplitudes and the extended BMS charge algebra
Jacques Distler, Raphael Flauger, Bart Horn
We discuss how scattering amplitudes in 4d Minkowski spacetime which involve multiple soft gravitons realize the algebra of BMS charges on the null boundary. In particular, we show…
Product SCFTs for the Theory
Jacques Distler, Behzat Ergun
We present a simple criterion for when an N=2 SCFT must be a product SCFT. Applied to the class-S theories of type , we find 29 (out of 11,000) 3-punctured spheres which are p…
Duality of (0,2) String Vacua
Jacques Distler, Shamit Kachru
We discuss a duality of (0,2) heterotic string vacua which implies that certain pairs of (0,2) Calabi-Yau compactifications on topologically distinct target manifolds yield identic…
Isomorphisms of 4d N=2 SCFTs from 6d
Jacques Distler, Grant Elliot, Monica Jinwoo Kang +1
There exist 4d SCFTs in class which have different constructions as punctured Riemann surfaces, but which nevertheless appear to describe the same phy…
Tinkertoys for the E7 Theory
Oscar Chacaltana, Jacques Distler, Anderson Trimm +1
We classify the class theories of type . These are four-dimensional superconformal field theories arising from the compactification of the th…
Uncertainties in Successive Measurements
Jacques Distler, Sonia Paban
When you measure an observable, A, in Quantum Mechanics, the state of the system changes. This, in turn, affects the quantum-mechanical uncertainty in some non-commuting observable…
M2-branes on M-folds
Jacques Distler, Sunil Mukhi, Constantinos Papageorgakis +1
We argue that the moduli space for the Bagger-Lambert A_4 theory at level k is (R^8 \times R^8)/D_{2k}, where D_{2k} is the dihedral group of order 4k. We conjecture that the theor…
Product SCFTs in Class-S
Jacques Distler, Behzat Ergun, Fei Yan
We develop a technique for counting the number of stress tensor multiplets in a 4D SCFT. This provides a simple diagnostic for when an isolated (non-Lagrangian) SCF…
3 Into 2 Doesn't Go: (almost) chiral gauge theory on the lattice
Jacques Distler, Soo-Jong Rey
Kaplan recently proposed a novel lattice chiral gauge theory in which the bare theory is defined on -dimensions, but the continuum theory emerges in -dimensions. We exp…
Interacting Fractons in 2+1-Dimensional Quantum Field Theory
Jacques Distler, Murtaza Jafry, Andreas Karch +1
We analyze, in perturbation theory, a theory of weakly interacting fractons and non-relativistic fermions in a 2+1 dimensional Quantum Field Theory. In particular we compute the 1-…
Orientifold Precis
Jacques Distler, Daniel S. Freed, Gregory W. Moore
We give a precise and concise formulation of the orientifold construction in Type II superstring theory. Our results include anomaly cancellation on the worldsheet and a spacetime…