Vafa-Witten invariants from exceptional collections (Q2035913)

Let \(K_S\) be a local Calabi-Yau threefold, as a cone over a complex dimension 2 base \(S\), and consider supersymmetric D-branes supported on \(S\). These branes are described by semi-stable coherent sheaves on \(S\) and two important generating functions which ``count'' objects are (1) the generalised Donaldson-Thomas invariants (BPS indices) and (2) the Vafa-Witten invariants (which encode the Betti numbers of the moduli space of semi-stable sheaves). Under suitable conditions, the two coincide. For surfaces which admit a strong collection of exceptional sheaves, the authors develop a very nice and general method for computing these invariants by exploiting the isomorphism between the derived category of coherent sheaves and the derived category of representations of a suitable quiver with potential constructed from the exceptional collection. The authors establish a dictionary between (i) the Chern class and polarization on \(S\) and (ii) the dimension vector and stability parameters of quiver. For all examples considered (including del Pezzo and Hirzebruch surfaces), the BPS indices at the attractor point (given by a self-stability condition) vanish, except for dimension vectors corresponding to simple representations and pure D0-branes. In all cases they find precise agreement with independent computations of Vafa-Witten invariants based on wall-crossing and blow-up formulae. This agreement suggests that (a) generating functions of Donaldson-Thomas invariants for a large class of quivers coming from strong exceptional collections are mock modular functions of higher depth and (b) non-trivial single-centered black holes and scaling solutions do not exist quantum mechanically in such local Calabi-Yau geometries.