The N=2 U(N) gauge theory prepotential and periods from a perturbative matrix model calculation Original Research Article

We perform a completely perturbative matrix model calculation of the physical low-energy quantities of the N=2 U(N) gauge theory. Within the matrix model framework we propose a perturbative definition of the periods ai in terms of certain tadpole diagrams, and check our conjecture up to first order in the gauge theory instanton expansion. The prescription does not require knowledge of the Seiberg–Witten differential or curve. We also compute the N=2 prepotential F(a) perturbatively up to the first-instanton level, finding agreement with the known result.