On the twisted (2, 0) and little-string theories Original Research Article

We study the compactification of the (2, 0) and type-II little-string theories on S1, T2 and T3 with an R-symmetry twist that preserves half the supersymmetry. We argue that it produces the same moduli spaces of vacua as compactification of the (1, 0) theory with E8 Wilson lines given by a maximal embedding of SU(2). In certain limits, this reproduces the moduli space of SU(2) with a massive adjoint hyper-multiplet. In the type-II little-string theory case, we observe a peculiar phase transition where the strings condense. We conjecture a generalization to more than two 5-branes which involves instantons on non-commutative T4. We conclude with open questions.