  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 a_i 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.

High Energy Physics - Theory