Intersecting defects in gauge theory, quantum spin chains, and Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations

Abstract

Abstract We propose an interesting BPS/CFT correspondence playground: the correlation function of two intersecting half-BPS surface defects in four-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 2 supersymmetric SU(N) gauge theory with 2N fundamental hypermultiplets. We show it satisfies a difference equation, the fractional quantum T-Q relation. Its Fourier transform is the 5-point conformal block of the $$ {\hat{\mathfrak{sl}}}_N $$ sl ̂ N current algebra with one of the vertex operators corresponding to the N-dimensional $$ {\mathfrak{sl}}_N $$ sl N representation, which we demonstrate with the help of the Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation. We also identify the correlator with a state of the $$ {XXX}_{{\mathfrak{sl}}_2} $$ XXX sl 2 spin chain of N Heisenberg-Weyl modules over Y ($$ {\mathfrak{sl}}_2 $$ sl 2 ). We discuss the associated quantum Lax operators, and connections to isomonodromic deformations.