Twisted sheaves and SU(r) / Z_r Vafa-Witten theory

Applications of vector bundles and moduli spaces in mathematical physics (twistor theory, instantons, quantum field theory) (14D21) (K3) surfaces and Enriques surfaces (14J28)

Abstract: The

m a t h r m S U (r)

Vafa-Witten partition function, which virtually counts Higgs pairs on a projective surface

S

, was mathematically defined by Tanaka-Thomas. On the Langlands dual side, the first-named author recently introduced virtual counts of Higgs pairs on

m u_{r}

-gerbes. In this paper, we instead use Yoshioka's moduli spaces of twisted sheaves. Using Chern character twisted by rational

B

-field, we give a new mathematical definition of the

m a t h r m S U (r) / m a t h b b Z_{r}

Vafa-Witten partition function when

r

is prime. Our definition uses the period-index theorem of de Jong.

S

-duality, a concept from physics, predicts that the

m a t h r m S U (r)

and

m a t h r m S U (r) / m a t h b b Z_{r}

partitions functions are related by a modular transformation. We turn this into a mathematical conjecture, which we prove for all

K 3

surfaces and prime numbers

r

.

Review text

In this paper, the authors study the S-duality conjecture of Vafa and Witten. Let \(S\) be a smooth projective complex surface satisfying \(H_1(S, \mathbb Z) = 0\). Fix a Chern class \(c_1 \in H_2(S, \mathbb Z)\). The S-duality conjecture predicts a modular transformation between the \(\text{SU}(r)\) partition function \(Z_{c_1}^{\text{SU}(r)}(\tau)\) and the partition function \(Z_{c_1}^{\text{SU}(r)/{\mathbb{Z}}_r}(\tau)\) for the Langlands dual group \(\text{SU}(r)/{\mathbb{Z}}_r\). Via the moduli space of Higgs pairs, Y.~Tanaka and R. P.~Thomas have defined and investigated the \(\text{SU}(r)\) partition function \(Z_{c_1}^{\text{SU}(r)}(\tau)\). The main results of the present paper are to give a mathematical definition of the \(\text{SU}(r)/{\mathbb{Z}}_r\) Vafa-Witten partition function \(Z_{c_1}^{\text{SU}(r)/{\mathbb{Z}}_r}(\tau)\) when \(r\) is prime, to formulate the S-duality conjecture when the surface \(S\) contains an effective canonical divisor, and to verify the S-duality conjecture when \(S\) is a \(K3\) surface. The ideas in the proofs are to use the moduli space of twisted sheaves whose Chern characters are twisted by rational \(B\)-fields, to utilize the symmetric perfect obstruction theory, and to apply Tanaka-Thomas' formula for \(Z_{c_1}^{\text{SU}(r)}(\tau)\) when \(S\) is a \(K3\) surface.

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