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Abstract |
The moduli space of vacua of 3d N=4 gauge theories splits essentially into two ``branches”: the Higgs
branch parametrised by the vevs of hypermultiplet scalars and the Coulomb branch parametrised by the vevs
of dressed monopole operators. Their description as complex algebraic varieties follows from ring relations
for the gauge invariant chiral operators. I will present a new approach to the analysis of the Higgs and
Coulomb branches based on the type IIB brane realisation of the gauge theory. Focusing on abelian theories, I
will show how the addition of new ingredients in the brane setup leads to the path integral insertion of Higgs
or Coulomb operators. I will explain how this construction can be used to derive the ring relations and study
mirror symmetry. |
