Interfaces and quantum algebras. I: Stable envelopes (Q6141315)

This is the first part of a series of three papers which aim to connect several proposals relating quantum algebras and quantum field theory. In this paper the authors relate the stable envelope construction of \textit{M. Aganagic} and \textit{A. Okounkov} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 34, No. 1, 79--133 (2021; Zbl 1524.14098)], \textit{D. Maulik} and \textit{A. Okounkov} [Quantum groups and quantum cohomology. Paris: Société Mathématique de France (SMF) (2019; Zbl 1422.14002)], which realize some representations of quantum algebras associated to quivers geometrically, to supersymmetric gauge theory interfaces. The main ingredients are the supersymmetric interfaces in gauge theories with four supercharges, relation of supersymmetric vacua to generalized cohomology theories, and Berry connections. As stated in the Introduction, this work is founded on two main ideas: the first one is that ``the supersymmetric ground states of a supersymmetric quantum field theory compactified to 0 + 1 dimension, in the presence of flavor symmetry backgrounds, are described by an equivariant cohomology theory of the moduli space of vacua (its Higgs branch in simple cases). Precisely which cohomology theory it is depends on spacetime dimensionality and on the choice of supercharge. The second idea is that there exist supersymmetric Janus interfaces interpolating between the large real masses in one half-space and zero real masses in another. Treating the normal direction to the interface as time, such interfaces are certain BPS operators acting in the Hilbert space of the theory, whose restrictions to the vacuum sector give maps in the corresponding cohomology theories. If \(X\) is the Higgs branch of the theory with zero masses, the massive theory has \(X^{\mathbf A}\) for its Higgs branch, i.e., the fixed point locus of the flavor symmetry torus \(\mathbf A\) corresponding to the masses we switched on. Thus one gets maps going in both directions between the equivariant cohomology theories of \(X\) and \(X^{\mathbf A}\)''; the main claim of this paper is that this is the physical realization of the stable envelopes of [loc. cit.].