Conifolds and Geometric Transitions

Conifold geometries have recieved a lot of attention in string theory and string-inspired cosmology recently, in particular the Klebanov-Strassler background that is known as the "warped throat". It is our intention in this article to give a pedagogical explanation for the singularity resolution in this geometry and emphasise its connection to geometric transitions. The first part focuses on the gauge theory dual to the Klebanov-Strassler background, which we also explain from a T-dual intersecting branes scenario. We then make the connection to the Gopakumar-Vafa conjecture for open/closed string duality and summarise a series of papers verifying this model on the supergravity level. An appendix provides extensive background material about conifold geometries. We pay special attention to their complex structures and re-evaluate the supersymmetry conditions on the background flux in constructions with fractional D3-branes on the singular (Klebanov-Tseytlin) and resolved (Pando Zayas-Tseytlin) conifolds. We agree with earlier results that only the singular solution allows a supersymmetric flux, but point out the importance of using the correct complex structure to reach this conclusion.