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We consider the $S^3\times S^1$ superconformal index $\mathcal{I}(\tau)$ of 4d $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories. The Hamiltonian index is defined in a standard manner as the Witten index with a chemical potential $\tau$ coupled to a combination of angular momenta on $S^3$ and the $U(1)$ R-charge. We develop the all-order asymptotic expansion of the index as $q = e^{2 \pi i \tau}$ approaches a root of unity, i.e. as $\widetilde \tau \equiv m \tau + n \to 0$, with $m,n$ relatively prime integers. The asymptotic expansion of $\log\mathcal{I}(\tau)$ has terms of the form $\widetilde \tau^k$, $k = -2, -1, 0, 1$. We determine the coefficients of the $k=-2,-1,1$ terms from the gauge theory data, and provide evidence that the $k=0$ term is determined by the Chern-Simons partition function on $S^3/\mathbb{Z}_m$. We explain these findings from the point of view of the 3d theory obtained by reducing the 4d gauge theory on the $S^1$. The supersymmetric functional integral of the 3d theory takes the form of a matrix integral over the dynamical 3d fields, with an effective action given by supersymmetrized Chern-Simons couplings of background and dynamical gauge fields. The singular terms in the $\widetilde \tau \to 0$ expansion (dictating the growth of the 4d index) are governed by the background Chern-Simons couplings. The constant term has a background piece as well as a piece given by the localized functional integral over the dynamical 3d gauge multiplet. The linear term arises from the supersymmetric Casimir energy factor needed to go between the functional integral and the Hamiltonian index., Comment: v3: minor corrections and clarifications added

We study the Cardy-like asymptotics of the 4d $\mathcal N=4$ index and demonstrate the existence of partially deconfined phases where the asymptotic growth of the index is not as rapid as in the fully deconfined case. We then take the large-$N$ limit after the Cardy-like limit and make a conjecture for the leading asymptotics of the index. While the Cardy-like behavior is derived using the integral representation of the index, we demonstrate how the same results can be obtained using the Bethe ansatz type approach as well. In doing so, we discover new non-standard solutions to the elliptic Bethe ansatz equations including continuous families of solutions for $SU(N)$ theory with $N\ge3$. We argue that the existence of both standard and continuous non-standard solutions has a natural interpretation in terms of vacua of $\mathcal N=1^*$ theory on $\mathbb R^3\times S^1$., 54 pages, 8 figures; v2: minor revisions, references added; v3: minor revisions, footnote 2 and references added; v4: minor corrections in Appendix C

Choi, Kim, Kim, and Nahmgoong have recently pioneered analyzing a Cardy-like limit of the superconformal index of the 4d $\mathcal{N}=4$ theory with complexified fugacities which encodes the entropy of the dual supersymmetric AdS$_5$ blackholes. Here we study the Cardy-like asymptotics of the index within the rigorous framework of elliptic hypergeometric integrals, thereby filling a gap in their derivation of the blackhole entropy function, finding a new blackhole saddle-point, and demonstrating novel bifurcation phenomena in the asymptotics of the index as a function of fugacity phases. We also comment on the relevance of the supersymmetric Casimir energy to the blackhole entropy function in the present context., v4: 27 pages, 4 figures; comments added on the center symmetry breaking

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that i) the framework of elliptic hypergeometric integrals (EHIs) can be extended by input from supersymmetric gauge theory, and ii) analyzing the hyperbolic limit of the EHIs in the extended framework leads to a rich structure containing sharp mathematical problems of interest to supersymmetric quantum field theorists. Both of the above items have already been discussed in the theoretical physics literature. Item i was demonstrated by Dolan and Osborn in 2008. Item ii was discussed in the present author's Ph.D. Thesis in 2016, wherein crucial elements were borrowed from the 2006 work of Rains on the hyperbolic limit of certain classes of EHIs. This article contains a concise review of these developments, along with minor refinements and clarifying remarks, written mainly for mathematicians interested in EHIs. In particular, we work with a representation-theoretic definition of a supersymmetric gauge theory, so that readers without any background in gauge theory - but familiar with the representation theory of semi-simple Lie algebras - can follow the discussion., Comment: Review of arXiv:1512.03376 and arXiv:1605.06100, along with minor refinements and clarifying remarks, written for SIGMA's Special Issue on Elliptic Hypergeometric Functions and Their Applications

We study the supersymmetric partition function of 4d supersymmetric gauge theories with a U(1) R-symmetry on Euclidean $S^3\times S_\beta^1$, with $S^3$ the unit-radius squashed three-sphere, and $\beta$ the circumference of the circle. For superconformal theories, this partition function coincides (up to a Casimir energy factor) with the 4d superconformal index. The partition function can be computed exactly using supersymmetric localization of the gauge theory path-integral. It takes the form of an elliptic hypergeometric integral, which may be viewed as a matrix-integral over the moduli space of the holonomies of the gauge fields around $S_\beta^1$. At high temperatures ($\beta\to 0$, corresponding to the hyperbolic limit of the elliptic hypergeometric integral) we obtain from the matrix-integral a quantum effective potential for the holonomies. The effective potential is proportional to the temperature. Therefore the high-temperature limit further localizes the matrix-integral to the locus of the minima of the potential. If the effective potential is positive semi-definite, the leading high-temperature asymptotics of the partition function is given by the formula of Di Pietro and Komargodski, and the subleading asymptotics is connected to the Coulomb branch dynamics on $R^3\times S^1$. In theories where the effective potential is not positive semi-definite, the Di Pietro-Komargodski formula needs to be modified. In particular, this modification occurs in the SU(2) theory of Intriligator-Seiberg-Shenker, and the SO(N) theory of Brodie-Cho-Intriligator, both believed to exhibit "misleading" anomaly matchings, and both believed to yield interacting superconformal field theories with $c, Comment: 54+10 pages; 9 figures. v8: more typos corrected; analysis of the BCI model corrected thanks to input from Jonas Jagminas. Supersedes published version

Di Pietro and Komargodski have recently demonstrated a four-dimensional counterpart of Cardy's formula, which gives the leading high-temperature ($\beta\rightarrow{0}$) behavior of supersymmetric partition functions $Z^{SUSY}(\beta)$. Focusing on superconformal theories, we elaborate on the subleading contributions to their formula when applied to free chiral and U(1) vector multiplets. In particular, we see that the high-temperature expansion of $\ln Z^{SUSY}(\beta)$ terminates at order $\beta^0$. We also demonstrate how their formula must be modified when applied to SU($N$) toric quiver gauge theories in the planar ($N\rightarrow\infty$) limit. Our method for regularizing the one-loop determinants of chiral and vector multiplets helps to clarify the relation between the 4d $\mathcal{N} = 1$ superconformal index and its corresponding supersymmetric partition function obtained by path-integration., Comment: 15 pages plus appendices; v2: minor modifications and a "Note added"; v3: presentation improved and minor errors in app B corrected

We present a prescription for obtaining the difference of the central charges, c − a , of a four dimensional superconformal quantum field theory from its single-trace index. The formula is derived from a one-loop holographic computation, but is expected to be valid independent of holography. We demonstrate the prescription with several holographic and non-holographic examples. As an application of our formula, we show the AdS/CFT matching of c − a for arbitrary toric quiver CFTs without adjoint matter that are dual to smooth Sasaki-Einstein 5-manifolds.

We present the complete Kaluza-Klein spectrum resulting from the compactification of IIB supergravity on S^5/Z_3. Knowledge of this spectrum allows us to perform a holographic computation of the difference of central charges c-a of the dual SU(N)^3 quiver gauge theory. We find the numerical value c-a=3/16, in exact agreement with the field theory result., Comment: 21 pages, minor clarification added

The complex dimension of the space of exactly marginal deformations for quiver CFTs dual to IIB theory compactified on $Y^{p,q}$ is known to be generically three. Simple general formulas already exist for two of the exactly marginal directions in the space of couplings, one of which corresponds to the sum of the (inverse squared of) gauge couplings, and the other to the $\beta$-deformation. Here we identify the third exactly marginal direction, which is dual to the modulus $\int B_{2}$ on the gravity side. This identification leads to a relation between the field theory gauge couplings and the vacuum expectation value of the gravity modulus that we further support by a computation related to the chiral anomaly induced by added fractional branes. We also present a simple algorithm for finding similar exactly marginal directions in any CFT described by brane tiling, and demonstrate it for the quiver CFTs dual to IIB theory compactified on $L^{1,5,2}$ and the Suspended Pinch Point., Comment: 28 pages, JHEP style. v2: minor corrections, added references and acknowledgements. v3: a number of speculative comments regarding the application of the Konishi anomaly equation to our problem are removed. v4: the proposal in Eq. (2.4) added back as a conjecture

We compute the O(1) contribution to holographic c-a for IIB supergravity on AdS_5 x S^5/Z_n and on AdS_5 x T^{1,1}/Z_n. In both cases, we find agreement with the dual field theory results, thus providing 1/N^2 checks of AdS/CFT with reduced supersymmetry. Since the holographic computation involves a sum over shortened multiplets in the KK tower, we provide some details on the S^5 and T^{1,1} spectra in a form that is convenient when considering their Z_n orbifolds. The computation for the even Z_n orbifolds of S^5 includes a sum over the multiplets in the twisted sector that is essential for obtaining agreement with the dual field theory., Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures. v2: minor corrections and references added

We examine the shortened KK spectrum of IIB supergravity compactified on Y^{p,q} and conjecture that the spectrum we have obtained is complete. The (untwisted) shortened spectrum on S^5/Z_{2p} and T^{1,1}/Z_p are obtained as special cases when p=q and q=0, respectively. Knowledge of the shortened spectrum allows us to compute the superconformal index of these theories and to find agreement with earlier calculations from the dual field theories. We also employ the shortened spectrum to perform a 1/N^2 test of AdS/CFT by holographically reproducing the difference of the central charges, c-a=p/8, of the dual CFTs., 20 pages; v2: comments added on the results of arXiv:1207.0573 for the superconformal index; v3: the presented shortened spectrum is emphasized to be conjectured, and not proved, to be complete