An Algebro-Geometric Approach to Twisted Indices of Supersymmetric Gauge Theories

Abstract

This thesis studies the algebro-geometric aspects of supersymmetric abelian gauge theories in three dimensions. The supersymmetric vacua are demonstrated to exhibit a window phenomenon in Chern-Simons levels, which is analogous to the window phenomenon in quantum K-theory with level structures. This correspondence between three-dimensional gauge theories and quantum K-theory is investigated from the perspectives of semi-classical vacua, twisted chiral rings, and twisted indices. In particular, the twisted index admits an algebro-geometric interpretation as the supersymmetric index of an effective quantum mechanics. Via supersymmetric localisation, the contributions from both topological and vortex saddle points are shown to agree with the Jeffrey-Kirwan contour integral formula. The algebro-geometric construction of Chern-Simons contributions to the twisted index from determinant line bundles provides a natural connection with quantum K-theory.

210 pages, PhD thesis