Holomorphic boundary conditions for topological field theories via branes in twisted supergravity

Abstract: Three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ supersymmetric field theories admit a natural class of chiral half-BPS boundary conditions that preserve $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ supersymmetry. While such boundary conditions are not compatible with topological twists, deformations that define boundary conditions for the topological theories were recently introduced by Costello and Gaiotto. Not all $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ boundary conditions admit such deformations. We revisit this construction, working directly in the setting of the holomorphically twisted theory and viewing the topological twists as further deformations. Properties of the construction are explained both purely in the context of holomorphic field theory and also by engineering the holomorphic theory on the worldvolume of a D-brane. Our brane engineering approach combines the intersecting brane configurations of Hanany-Witten with recent work of Costello and Li on twisted supergravity. The latter approach allows to realize holomorphically and topologically twisted field theories directly as worldvolume theories in deformed supergravity backgrounds, and we make extensive use of this.