O-vertex, O7${}^{+}$-plane, and Topological Vertex

Abstract

We revisit the instanton partition function for 5d $\mathcal{N}=1$ SO($N$) gauge theories compactified on S${}^1$, computed from the topological vertex formalism with the O-vertex based on a 5-brane web diagram with an O5-plane. We introduce an identity that enables us to rewrite the unrefined partition function into a new expression in terms of the Nekrasov factors summed over Young diagrams, which can be interpreted as the freezing of an O7-plane. Based on this, we propose topological vertex formalism with an O7${}^{+}$-plane.

v1: 32 pages, 12 figures, v2: published version