BRST quantization of the induced gauge theory for the Higgs-branch CFT${}_2$

Abstract: We study Witten's induced gauge theory associated with the D1-D5 Higgs-branch CFT${}_2$, in which the non-dynamical vector multiplet becomes reanimated by integrating out the fundamental hypermultiplets. We propose a BRST quantisation of this theory and derive its induced propagators. We show that the ghost sector first contributes at subleading order, that the induced $Aφ<sup>2$ vertex satisfies the Slavnov-Taylor identity and that gauge-invariant correlators are independent of the gauge parameter. Together with our chosen regularization prescription, this gives a perturbative framework for computing observables in the induced theory.