The Higgs Branch of Heterotic LSTs: Hasse Diagrams and Generalized Symmetries

Abstract

We study the Higgs branches of the 6d $(1,0)$ little string theories that live on the worldvolume of NS5-branes probing an ADE-singularity in the heterotic $E_8 \times E_8$ and $\mathrm{Spin}(32)/\mathbb{Z}_2$ string theories. On the $E_8 \times E_8$ side, such LSTs are obtained via fusion of orbi-instanton SCFTs. For the $\mathbb{C}^2/\mathbb{Z}_K$ orbifolds, we determine a magnetic quiver for the Higgs branch from the alternative Type IIA brane system engineering the LST; we show that the magnetic quiver obtained in this way is the same as the Coulomb gauging of the 3d mirrors associated to the orbi-instanton building blocks. Using quiver subtraction, we determine the Hasse diagram of Higgs branch RG flows between the LSTs, and we analyze how the structure constants of the generalized global symmetries vary along the edges of the Hasse diagram. From the Hasse diagram of the Higgs branch, we are immediately able to identify LSTs with the same T-duality-invariant properties, and thus to propose candidate T-dual pairs. We perform a similar analysis of the Higgs branch Hasse diagram and putative T-dual families for particular $E_6$-orbifold LSTs by taking advantage of a duality between a rank zero orbi-instanton theory and a rank one conformal matter theory.