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Pathway to decay and fission of orthosymplectic quiver theories

Craig Lawrie1,*, Lorenzo Mansi1,†, Marcus Sperling2,‡, and Zhenghao Zhong3,§

  • *Contact author: craig.lawrie1729@gmail.com
  • †Contact author: lorenzo.mansi@desy.de
  • ‡Contact author: marcus.sperling@univie.ac.at
  • §Contact author: zhenghao.zhong@maths.ox.ac.uk

Phys. Rev. D 112, 026025 – Published 23 July, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/flb9-6nm3

Abstract

We present an algorithm to extract the Coulomb branch Hasse diagram of orthosymplectic three-dimensional (3D) N=4 quiver gauge theories. The algorithm systematically predicts all descendant theories arising from Coulomb branch Higgsing, thereby detailing the stratification of the symplectic singularity defined by the initial Coulomb branch. Leveraging the Lie algebra isomorphism su(4)≅so(6), we validate our algorithm via the 3D mirror of the 4D theories of class S of such type. This comparison involves moduli spaces that admit both orthosymplectic and unitary quiver realizations, the latter being well understood via standard techniques such as decay and fission. Higgsing on the Coulomb branch of the 3D mirror or the magnetic quiver translates to Higgs branch renormalization group flows of the corresponding higher-dimensional superconformal field theories. Thus, we benchmark our method via Higgsing 6D N=(1,0) D-type orbi-instanton theories, predicting novel Higgsing patterns involving products of interacting fixed points, and class S theories of type so(2N), demonstrating Higgsing to products of theories of types specified by Levi subalgebras of so(2N).

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