BPS/CFT correspondence: non-perturbative Dyson-Schwinger equations and qq-characters

Abstract

We study symmetries of quantum field theories involving topologically distinct sectors of the field space. To exhibit these symmetries we define special gauge invariant observables, which we call the $qq$-characters. In the context of the BPS/CFT correspondence, using these observables, we derive an infinite set of Dyson-Schwinger-type relations. These relations imply that the supersymmetric partition functions in the presence of $\Omega$-deformation and defects obey the Ward identities of two dimensional conformal field theory and its $q$-deformations. The details will be discussed in the companion papers.