Reducing $S$- duality to $T$- duality

Abstract

The infrared limit of $D=4,~~N=4$ Yang-Mills theory with compact gauge group $G$ compactified on a two-torus is governed by an effective superconformal field theory. We conjecture that this is a certain orbifold involving the maximal torus of $G$. Yang-Mills $S$-duality makes predictions for all correlators of this effective conformal field theory. These predictions are shown to be implied by the standard $T$-duality of the conformal field theory. Consequently, Montonen-Olive duality between electric and magnetic states reduces to the standard two-dimensional duality between momentum and winding states.