Exact Results for 't Hooft Loops in Gauge Theories on S^4

• Published in: Journal of High Energy Physics
• Main Authors: Gomis, Jaume, Okuda, Takuya, Pestun, Vasily
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Particle Physics - Theory; North Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP05(2012)141; http://cds.cern.ch/record/1350859

The path integral of a general N=2 supersymmetric gauge theory on S^4 is exactly evaluated in the presence of a supersymmetric 't Hooft loop operator. The result we find - obtained using localization techniques - captures all perturbative quantum corrections as well as non-perturbative effects due to instantons and monopoles, which are supported at the north pole, south pole and equator of S^4. As a by-product, our gauge theory calculations successfully confirm the predictions made for 't Hooft loops obtained from the calculation of topological defect correlators in Liouville/Toda conformal field theory. The path integral of a general N=2 supersymmetric gauge theory on S^4 is exactly evaluated in the presence of a supersymmetric 't Hooft loop operator. The result we find - obtained using localization techniques - captures all perturbative quantum corrections as well as non-perturbative effects due to instantons and monopoles, which are supported at the north pole, south pole and equator of S^4. As a by-product, our gauge theory calculations successfully confirm the predictions made for 't Hooft loops obtained from the calculation of topological defect correlators in Liouville/Toda conformal field theory.