Branes and 2d N = (2,2) gauge theories with orthogonal and symplectic groups

We construct two-dimensional N = (2, 2) supersymmetric gauge theories with orthogonal and symplectic groups using branes and orientifold planes in Type IIA string theory. A number of puzzles regarding the construction, including the effect of exchanging NS5-branes on an orientifold 2-plane, are resolved by lifting the configurations to M theory. The low energy properties and conjectured dualities of these theories are reproduced in the M-brane description. A similar construction of N = (4, 4) theories with orthogonal and symplectic groups leads to new duality conjectures for these theories.