Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications (SIGMA)


SIGMA 22 (2026), 039, 38 pages      arXiv:2309.12046      https://doi.org/10.3842/SIGMA.2026.039

Non-Perturbative Real Topological Strings

Marcos Mariño and Maximilian Schwick
Département de Physique Théorique et Section de Mathématiques, Université de Genève, Genève, 1211, Switzerland

Received September 11, 2025, in final form March 23, 2026; Published online April 20, 2026

Abstract
We study the resurgent structure of Walcher's real topological string on general Calabi-Yau manifolds. We find trans-series solutions to the corresponding holomorphic anomaly equations, at all orders in the string coupling constant, by extending the operator formalism of the closed topological string, and we obtain explicit formulae for multi-instanton amplitudes. We find that the integer invariants counting disks appear as Stokes constants in the resurgent structure, and we provide experimental evidence for our results in the case of the real topological string on local $\mathbb{P}^2$.

Key words: resurgence; topological string theory; real topological string; Stokes constants; GV invariants; trans-series.

pdf (842 kb)   tex (209 kb)  

References

  1. Aganagic M., Klemm A., Vafa C., Disk instantons, mirror symmetry and the duality web, Z. Naturforsch. A 57 (2002), 1-28, arXiv:hep-th/0105045.
  2. Aganagic M., Vafa C., Mirror symmetry, D-branes and counting holomorphic discs, arXiv:hep-th/0012041.
  3. Alexandrov S., Pioline B., Theta series, wall-crossing and quantum dilogarithm identities, Lett. Math. Phys. 106 (2016), 1037-1066, arXiv:1511.02892.
  4. Alim M., Länge J.D., Polynomial structure of the (open) topological string partition function, J. High Energy Phys. 2007 (2007), no. 10, 045, 13 pages, arXiv:0708.2886.
  5. Alim M., Saha A., Teschner J., Tulli I., Mathematical structures of non-perturbative topological string theory: from GW to DT invariants, Comm. Math. Phys. 399 (2023), 1039-1101, arXiv:2109.06878.
  6. Aniceto I., Başar G., Schiappa R., A primer on resurgent transseries and their asymptotics, Phys. Rep. 809 (2019), 1-135, arXiv:1802.10441.
  7. Aniceto I., Schiappa R., Vonk M., The resurgence of instantons in string theory, Commun. Number Theory Phys. 6 (2012), 339-496, arXiv:1106.5922.
  8. Bershadsky M., Cecotti S., Ooguri H., Vafa C., Holomorphic anomalies in topological field theories, Nuclear Phys. B 405 (1993), 279-304, arXiv:hep-th/9302103.
  9. Bershadsky M., Cecotti S., Ooguri H., Vafa C., Kodaira-Spencer theory of gravity and exact results for quantum string amplitudes, Comm. Math. Phys. 165 (1994), 311-427, arXiv:hep-th/9309140.
  10. Bönisch K., Klemm A., Scheidegger E., Zagier D., D-brane masses at special fibres of hypergeometric families of Calabi-Yau threefolds, modular forms, and periods, Comm. Math. Phys. 405 (2024), 134, 71 pages, arXiv:2203.09426.
  11. Candelas P., de la Ossa X.C., Moduli space of Calabi-Yau manifolds, Nuclear Phys. B 355 (1991), 455-481.
  12. Candelas P., de la Ossa X.C., Green P.S., Parkes L., A pair of Calabi-Yau manifolds as an exactly soluble superconformal theory, Nuclear Phys. B 359 (1991), 21-74.
  13. Codesido S., A geometric approach to non-perturbative quantum mechanics, Ph.D. Thesis, Uity of Geneva, 2018.
  14. Codesido S., Mariño M., Schiappa R., Non-perturbative quantum mechanics from non-perturbative strings, Ann. Henri Poincaré 20 (2019), 543-603, arXiv:1712.02603.
  15. Coman I., Longhi P., Teschner J., From quantum curves to topological string partition functions II, Ann. Henri Poincaré 26 (2025), 4271-4365, arXiv:2004.04585.
  16. Cook P.L.H., Ooguri H., Yang J., Comments on the holomorphic anomaly in open topological string theory, Phys. Lett. B 653 (2007), 335-337, arXiv:0706.0511.
  17. Couso-Santamaría R., Edelstein J.D., Schiappa R., Vonk M., Resurgent transseries and the holomorphic anomaly: nonperturbative closed strings in local $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^2$, Comm. Math. Phys. 338 (2015), 285-346, arXiv:1407.4821.
  18. Couso-Santamaría R., Edelstein J.D., Schiappa R., Vonk M., Resurgent transseries and the holomorphic anomaly, Ann. Henri Poincaré 17 (2016), 331-399, arXiv:1308.1695.
  19. Couso-Santamaría R., Mariño M., Schiappa R., Resurgence matches quantization, J. Phys. A 50 (2017), 145402, 34 pages, arXiv:1610.06782.
  20. David F., Nonperturbative effects in matrix models and vacua of two-dimensional gravity, Phys. Lett. B 302 (1993), 403-410, arXiv:hep-th/9212106.
  21. Dedushenko M., Witten E., Some details on the Gopakumar-Vafa and Ooguri-Vafa formulas, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 20 (2016), 1-133, arXiv:1411.7108.
  22. Doran C.F., Kerr M., Algebraic $K$-theory of toric hypersurfaces, Commun. Number Theory Phys. 5 (2011), 397-600, arXiv:0809.4669.
  23. Drukker N., Mariño M., Putrov P., Nonperturbative aspects of ABJM theory, J. High Energy Phys. 2011 (2011), no. 11, 141, 29 pages, arXiv:1103.4844.
  24. Garoufalidis S., Gu J., Mariño M., The resurgent structure of quantum knot invariants, Comm. Math. Phys. 386 (2021), 469-493, arXiv:2007.10190.
  25. Garoufalidis S., Gu J., Mariño M., Peacock patterns and resurgence in complex Chern-Simons theory, Res. Math. Sci. 10 (2023), 29, 67 pages, arXiv:2012.00062.
  26. Garoufalidis S., Gu J., Mariño M., Wheeler C., Resurgence of Chern-Simons theory at the trivial flat connection, Comm. Math. Phys. 406 (2025), 20, 60 pages, arXiv:2111.04763.
  27. Garoufalidis S., Its A., Kapaev A., Mariño M., Asymptotics of the instantons of Painlevé I, Int. Math. Res. Not. 2012 (2012), 561-606, arXiv:1002.3634.
  28. Ghoshal D., Vafa C., $c=1$ string as the topological theory of the conifold, Nuclear Phys. B 453 (1995), 121-128, arXiv:hep-th/9506122.
  29. Gopakumar R., Vafa C., M-theory and topological strings II, hep-th/9812127.
  30. Grassi A., Hao Q., Neitzke A., Exponential networks, WKB and topological string, SIGMA 19 (2023), 064, 44 pages, arXiv:2201.11594.
  31. Grimm T.W., Klemm A., Mariño M., Weiss M., Direct integration of the topological string, J. High Energy Phys. 2007 (2007), no. 8, 058, 78 pages, arXiv:hep-th/0702187.
  32. Gross D.J., Periwal V., String perturbation theory diverges, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60 (1988), 2105-2108.
  33. Gu J., Relations between Stokes constants of unrefined and Nekrasov-Shatashvili topological strings, J. High Energy Phys. 2024 (2024), no. 5, 199, 29 pages, arXiv:2307.02079.
  34. Gu J., Kashani-Poor A.-K., Klemm A., Mariño M., Non-perturbative topological string theory on compact Calabi-Yau 3-folds, SciPost Phys. 16 (2024), 079, 84 pages, arXiv:2305.19916.
  35. Gu J., Mariño M., Peacock patterns and new integer invariants in topological string theory, SciPost Phys. 12 (2022), 058, 51 pages, arXiv:2104.07437.
  36. Gu J., Mariño M., Exact multi-instantons in topological string theory, SciPost Phys. 15 (2023), 179, 36 pages, arXiv:2211.01403.
  37. Gukov S., Mariño M., Putrov P., Resurgence in complex Chern-Simons theory, arXiv:1605.0761.
  38. Haghighat B., Klemm A., Rauch M., Integrability of the holomorphic anomaly equations, J. High Energy Phys. 2008 (2008), no. 10, 097, 37 pages, arXiv:0809.1674.
  39. Hosono S., BCOV ring and holomorphic anomaly equation, in New Developments in Algebraic Geometry, Integrable Systems and Mirror Symmetry (RIMS, Kyoto, 2008), Adv. Stud. Pure Math., Vol. 59, Mathematical Society of Japan, Tokyo, 2010, 79-110, arXiv:0810.4795.
  40. Huang M.-X., Klemm A., Holomorphic anomaly in gauge theories and matrix models, J. High Energy Phys. 2007 (2007), no. 9, 054, 33 pages, arXiv:hep-th/0605195.
  41. Iwaki K., Mariño M., Resurgent structure of the topological string and the first Painlevé equation, SIGMA 20 (2024), 028, 21 pages, arXiv:2307.02080.
  42. Klemm A., The B-model approach to topological string theory on Calabi-Yau n-folds, in B-model Gromov-Witten theory, Trends Math., Birkhäuser, Cham, 2018, 79-397.
  43. Klemm A., Zaslow E., Local mirror symmetry at higher genus, in Winter School on Mirror Symmetry, Vector Bundles and Lagrangian Submanifolds (Cambridge, MA, 1999), AMS/IP Stud. Adv. Math., Vol. 23, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2001, 183-207, arXiv:hep-th/9906046.
  44. Kontsevich M., Soibelman Y., Stability structures, motivic Donaldson-Thomas invariants and cluster transformations, arXiv:0811.2435.
  45. Krefl D., Pasquetti S., Walcher J., The real topological vertex at work, Nuclear Phys. B 833 (2010), 153-198, arXiv:0909.1324.
  46. Krefl D., Walcher J., The real topological string on a local Calabi-Yau, arXiv:0902.0616.
  47. Krefl D., Walcher J., Extended holomorphic anomaly in gauge theory, Lett. Math. Phys. 95 (2011), 67-88, arXiv:1007.0263.
  48. Mariño M., Nonperturbative effects and nonperturbative definitions in matrix models and topological strings, J. High Energy Phys. (2008), no. 12, 114, 56 pages, arXiv:0805.3033.
  49. Mariño M., Open string amplitudes and large order behavior in topological string theory, J. High Energy Phys. (2008), no. 3, 060, 34 pages, arXiv:hep-th/0612127.
  50. Mariño M., Lectures on non-perturbative effects in large $N$ gauge theories, matrix models and strings, Fortschr. Phys. 62 (2014), 455-540, arXiv:1206.6272.
  51. Mariño M., Instantons and large $N$. An introduction to non-perturbative methods in quantum field theory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2015.
  52. Mariño M., Schiappa R., Schwick M., New instantons for matrix models, arXiv:2210.13479.
  53. Mariño M., Schiappa R., Weiss M., Nonperturbative effects and the large-order behavior of matrix models and topological strings, Commun. Number Theory Phys. 2 (2008), 349-419, arXiv:0711.1954.
  54. Mariño M., Schiappa R., Weiss M., Multi-instantons and multicuts, J. Math. Phys. 50 (2009), 052301, 31 pages, arXiv:0809.2619.
  55. Mariño M., Zakany S., Matrix models from operators and topological strings, Ann. Henri Poincaré 17 (2016), 1075-1108, arXiv:1502.02958.
  56. Mitschi C., Sauzin D., Divergent series, summability and resurgence. I. Monodromy and resurgence, Lecture Notes in Math., Vol. 2153, Springer, Cham, 2016.
  57. Morrison D.R., Walcher J., D-branes and normal functions, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 13 (2009), 553-598, arXiv:0709.4028.
  58. Neitzke A., Walcher J., Background independence and the open topological string wavefunction, in From Hodge Theory to Integrability and TQFT tt*-geometry, Proc. Sympos. Pure Math., Vol. 78, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2008, 285-304, arXiv:0709.2390.
  59. Pasquetti S., Schiappa R., Borel and Stokes nonperturbative phenomena in topological string theory and $c=1$ matrix models, Ann. Henri Poincaré 11 (2010), 351-431, arXiv:0907.4082.
  60. Piazzalunga N., Uranga A.M., M-theory interpretation of the real topological string, J. High Energy Phys. 2014 (2014), no. 8, 054, 24 pages, arXiv:1405.6019.
  61. Polchinski J., Combinatorics of boundaries in string theory, Phys. Rev. D 50 (1994), R6041-R6045, arXiv:hep-th/9407031.
  62. Rella C., Resurgence, Stokes constants, and arithmetic functions in topological string theory, Commun. Number Theory Phys. 17 (2023), 709-820, arXiv:2212.10606.
  63. Seara T.M., Sauzin D., Borel summation and the theory of resurgence, Butl. Soc. Catalana Mat. 18 (2003), 131-153.
  64. Shenker S.H., The strength of nonperturbative effects in string theory, in Random Surfaces and Quantum Gravity (Cargèse, 1990), NATO Adv. Sci. Inst. Ser. B: Phys., Vol. 262, Springer, Boston, 1991, 191-200.
  65. Villegas F.R., Modular Mahler measures. I, in Topics in Number Theory (University Park, PA, 1997), Math. Appl., Vol. 467, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1999, 17-48.
  66. Walcher J., Opening mirror symmetry on the quintic, Comm. Math. Phys. 276 (2007), 671-689, arXiv:hep-th/0605162.
  67. Walcher J., Evidence for tadpole cancellation in the topological string, Commun. Number Theory Phys. 3 (2009), 111-172, arXiv:0712.2775.
  68. Walcher J., Extended holomorphic anomaly and loop amplitudes in open topological string, Nuclear Phys. B 817 (2009), 167-207, arXiv:0705.4098.
  69. Wheeler C., Quantum modularity for a closed hyperbolic 3-manifold, SIGMA 21 (2025), 004, 74 pages, arXiv:2308.03265.
  70. Yamaguchi S., Yau S.-T., Topological string partition functions as polynomials, J. High Energy Phys. 2004 (2004), no. 07, 047, 21 pages, arXiv:hep-th/0406078.

Previous article  Next article  Contents of Volume 22 (2026)