Free Field Realizations from the Higgs Branch

We present free field realizations for the associated vertex operator algebras of a number of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories. Our constructions utilize an exceptionally small set of chiral bosons whose number matches the complex dimensionality of the Higgs branch of the superconformal field theory. In the case of theories whose Higgs branches support additional degrees of freedom (free vector multiplets or decoupled interacting SCFTs), the corresponding “free field realizations” include additional ingredients: symplectic fermions in the case of vector multiplets and a $C_2$ co-finite VOA in the case of a residual interacting SCFT. The resulting picture is that the associated VOA can be constructed from the Higgs branch effective theory via free field realization. Our constructions also provide a natural realization of the $R$-filtration of the associated VOA.