Duality, Phases, Spinors and Monopoles in SO(N) and Spin(N) Gauge Theories

Abstract

Four-dimensional N=1 supersymmetric Spin(N) gauge theories with matter in the vector and spinor representations are considered. Dual descriptions are known for some of these theories. It is noted that when masses are given to all fields in the spinor representation, the dual gauge group G breaks to a group H such that π_2(G/H)=Z_2. The quantum numbers of the associated Z_2 monopole and those of the massive spinors are shown to agree, suggesting that the monopole is the image of the massive spinors under duality. It follows that electric sources in the spinor representation, needed as test charges to determine the phase of an SO(N) gauge theory, can be introduced as Z_2-valued magnetic sources in the dual nonabelian gauge theory. This fact is used to study the phases of SO(N) gauge theories with matter in the vector representation.

25 pages

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Reading between the lines of four-dimensional gauge theories
• Wilson-'t Hooft operators in four-dimensional gauge theories and S-duality
• 3d dualities from 4d dualities for orthogonal groups
• Non-Abelian duality from vortex moduli: a dual model of color-confinement
• Domain Walls with Non-Abelian Clouds
• Non-Abelian vortices and monopoles in SO(N) theories
• Rigidly Supersymmetric Gauge Theories on Curved Superspace
• Dual Description of Supergravity MacDowell-Mansouri Theory
• QCD String as Vortex String in Seiberg-Dual Theory
• Matching higher symmetries across Intriligator-Seiberg duality
• On Confinement Index
• Exact results in 3d $\mathcal{N}=2$ $Spin(7)$ gauge theories with vector and spinor matters
• Z(2) monopoles in SU(n) Yang-Mills-Higgs theories
• BPS Z(2) monopoles and N=2 SU(n) superconformal field theories on the Higgs branch
• Mass Hierarchy of Z(2) Monopoles