Topological Amplitudes and the String Effective Action

In this work, we study a class of higher derivative couplings in the string effective action arising at the junction of topological string theory and supersymmetric gauge theories in the $Ω$-background. They generalise a series of gravitational couplings involving gravitons and graviphotons, which reproduces the topological string theory partition function. The latter reduces, in the field theory limit, to the partition function of the gauge theory in the $Ω$-background when one if its parameters, say $ε_+$, is set to zero. This suggests the existence of a one-parameter extension called the refined topological string. The couplings considered in this work involve an additional vector multiplet and are evaluated, perturbatively and non-perturbatively, at the string level. In the field theory limit, they correctly reproduce the partition function of the gauge theory in a general $Ω$-background. Hence, these couplings provide new perspectives toward a worldsheet definition of the refined topological string.

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