Gravitational Corrections for Supersymmetric Gauge Theories with Flavors via Matrix Models

Abstract

We study the gravitational corrections to the F-term in four-dimensional N=1 U(N) gauge theories with flavors, using the Dijkgraaf-Vafa theory. We derive a compact formula for the annulus contribution in terms of the prime form on the matrix model curve. Remarkably, the full R^2 correction can be reproduced as a special momentum sector of a single c=1 CFT correlator, which closely resembles that in the bosonization of fermions on Riemann surfaces. The N=2 limit of the torus contribution agrees with the multi-instanton calculations as well as the topological A-model result. The planar contributions, on the other hand, have no counterpart in the topological gauge theories, and we speculate about the origin of these terms.