\(N=2\) supersymmetric dynamics for pedestrians (Q2509846)

This book is based on university lectures delivered by the author from 2011 to 2013 and intended as a pedagogical introduction to non-perturbative results in \(\mathcal N=2\) supersymmetric gauge theories, a subject created in 1994 when the seminal papers of Seiberg and Witten on exact low-energy solutions for \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\) gauge thories appeared. In the meantime this subject has grown enormously by diverse ramifications and generalizations. The aim of the book is not to present all of these but to review the developments up to ca. 2002 using new techniques developed since 2009 by the author and others. In this the book succeeds quite well, however in the opinion of this reviewer the attribute ``for pedestrians'' is an understatement. In fact among the prerequisites required from the reader is a thorough knowledge of \(\mathcal N=1\) supersymmetry, perturbative renormalization of gauge theories, anomalies etc. For this reason especially mathematicians may find the style of the book to concise or even cryptic. I guess that most of the readers who are not already experts in the field will from time to time want to consult the original articles which are plentifully listed throughot the book. After introductory chapters on electromagnetc duality and monopoles, \(\mathcal N=2\) supersymmetry and renormalization and anomalies, the solution to pure \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\) theory using the Seiberg-Witten curve is presented. This solution is in later chapters successively generalized to \(\mathrm{SU}(2)\) theory with one, 2, 3 and 4 flavors, Argyres-Douglas conformal field theories and theories with other simple gauge groups, including a chapter on the Argyres-Seiberg-Gaiotto duality for SU(N) theory. There is also a chapter on the origin of the Seiberg-Witten curve in 6-dimensional \(\mathcal N=(2,0)\) string theory, for which no previous knowledge of string theory is required. The book closes with a brief outlook on future directions of research and is completed by an appendix on the computation of the prepotential and another one on systematic constructions of the ``zoo'' of \(\mathcal N=2\) theories.