TOPOLOGICAL σ MODELS AND LARGE N MATRIX INTEGRAL

Abstract

In this paper we describe in some detail the representation of the topological CP1 model in terms of a matrix integral which we have introduced in a previous article. We first discuss the integrable structure of the CP1 model and show that it is governed by an extension of the one-dimensional Toda hierarchy. We then introduce a matrix model which reproduces the sum over holomorphic maps from arbitrary Riemann surfaces onto CP1. We compute intersection numbers on the moduli space of curves using a geometrical method and show that the results agree with those predicted by the matrix model. We also develop a Landau-Ginzburg (LG) description of the CP1 model using a superpotential eX + et0,Q e-X given by the Lax operator of the Toda hierarchy (X is the LG field and t0,Q is the coupling constant of the Kähler class). The form of the superpotential indicates the close connection between CP1 and N=2 supersymmetric sine-Gordon theory which was noted sometime ago by several authors. We also discuss possible generalizations of our construction to other manifolds and present an LG formulation of the topological CP2 model.