Notes on N=2 $\sigma$-models$

Abstract

These lectures, given at the 1992 Trieste Spring School, are devoted to some selected topics in N=2 \sm s on Calabi-Yau manifolds and the associated N=2 superconformal field theories. The first lecture is devoted to the ``special geometry" of the moduli space of $c=9$ N=2 superconformal field theories. An important role is played by the extended chiral algebra which appears in theories with integer $U(1)$ charges. The second lecture is devoted to the \sm\ approach. The main focus is an explication of a calculation of Aspinwall and Morrison.