Matter in transition

Understand

We explore a novel type of transition in certain 6D and 4D quantum field theories, in which the matter content of the theory changes while the gauge group and other parts of the spectrum remain invariant.

• Such transitions can occur, for example, for SU(6) and SU(7) gauge groups, where matter fields in a three-index antisymmetric representation and the fundamental representation are exchanged in the transition for matter in the two-index antisymmetric representation.
• These matter transitions are realized by passing through superconformal theories at the transition point.
• We explore these transitions in dual F-theory and heterotic descriptions, where a number of novel features arise.