Top down approach to 6D SCFTs

Six-dimensional (6D) superconformal field theories (SCFTs) occupy a central place in the study of quantum field theories encountered in high energy theory. This article reviews the top down construction and study of this rich class of quantum field theories, in particular, how they are realized by suitable backgrounds in string/M-/F-theory. We review the recent F-theoretic classification of 6D SCFTs, explain how to calculate physical quantities of interest such as the anomaly polynomial of 6D SCFTs, and also explain recent progress in understanding renormalization group flows for deformations of such theories. Additional topics covered by this review include some discussion on the (weighted and signed) counting of states in these theories via superconformal indices. We also include several previously unpublished results as well as a new variant on the swampland conjecture for general quantum field theories decoupled from gravity. The aim of the article is to provide a point of entry into this growing literature rather than an exhaustive overview. (topical review)