Related papers: A note on interpreting N M2 branes
It is shown how two-dimensional states corresponding to D-branes arise in orbifolds of topologically massive gauge and gravity theories. Brane vertex operators naturally appear in induced worldsheet actions when the three-dimensional gauge…
All the models of elementary particles and their interactions derived from String Theory involve a compact six-dimensional internal space. Its volume and shape should be fixed or stabilized, since otherwise massless scalar fields (moduli)…
We discuss the realization of $2d$ $(0,2)$ gauge theories in terms of branes focusing on Brane Brick Models, which are T-dual to D1-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. These brane setups fully encode the infinite class of $2d$ $(0,2)$…
In a recent paper, Polchinski and Strassler found a string theory dual of a gauge theory with reduced supersymmetry. Motivated by their approach, we perturb the $\N=8$ theory living on a set of N M2 branes to $\N=2$, by adding fermion mass…
We use the results of our companion paper arXiv:2502.20444, which explores the equivariant generalization of the constant-map contribution in topological string theory on toric Calabi--Yau manifolds $X$, to establish a holographic…
We compare the $(0,2)$ theory of the single M5 brane decoupled from gravity in the lightcone with transverse $R^4$, and a matrix model description in terms of quantum mechanics on instanton moduli space. We give some tests of the Matrix…
We conjecture dualities among branes that consist of Neveu-Schwarz sector fields, such as NS5-branes. Two branes are dual after compactifications on spheres with gauge fluxes. The conjecture follows from simple considerations on string…
A simple five-dimensional brane world model is proposed, motivated by M-theory compactified on a six-dimensional manifold of small radius and an $S^1/Z_2$ of large radius. We include a leading-order higher curvature correction to the…
We test the proposals for the worldvolume theory of M2-branes by studying its maximally supersymmetric mass-deformation. We check the simplest prediction for the mass-deformed theory on N M2-branes: that there should be a set of discrete…
A gauge theory with gauge group G defined in D>4 space-time dimensions can be broken to a subgroup H on four dimensional fixed point branes, when compactified on an orbifold. Mass terms for extra dimensional components of gauge fields A_i…
In these lectures, two different aspects of brane world scenarios in 5d gravity or string theory are discussed. In the first two lectures, work on how warped compactifications of 5d gravity theories can change the guise of the hierarchy…
We review results on several interesting phenomena in warped compactifications of M theory, as presented at Strings 2000. The behavior of gauge fields in dimensional reduction from $d+1$ to $d$ dimensions in various backgrounds is explained…
We discuss a calculable version of brane inflation, in which a set of parallel D-brane and anti-D-brane worlds, initially displaced in extra dimension, slowly attract each other. In the effective four-dimensional theory this slow motion of…
In the M(atrix) theory by making the expansions of the matrices around the membrane and four-brane solutions we derive the three- and five-dimensional gauge theories on the dual tori. The explicit forms of solutions yield the dual…
We use F-theory to derive a general expression for the flux potential of type II compactifications with D7/D3 branes, including open string moduli and 2-form fluxes on the branes. Our main example is F-theory on K3 $\times$ K3 and its…
In a previous paper two of us (D.M. and A.Z.) proposed that a vast class of gravitational extremization problems in holography can be formulated in terms of the equivariant volume of the internal geometry, or of the cone over it. We…
We study both the direct and the double dimensional reduction of space-like branes of M-theory and point out some peculiarities in the process unlike their time-like counterpart. In particular, we show how starting from SM2 and SM5-brane…
A simplified version of 3d BL theory is considered, which allows any number N of M2 branes in d=11. The underlying 3-algebra structure is provided by degenerate U(N) Nambu bracket [X,Y,Z] = tr(X) [Y,Z] + tr(Y) [Z,X] + tr(Z) [X,Y], the…
A supersymmetric non-Abelian self-dual gauge theory with the explicit introduction of Kaluza-Klein modes is proposed to give a classical description of multiple M5-branes on $R^5 \times S^1$. The gauge symmetry is parametrized by…
We discuss Gubser-Klebanov-Polyakov proposal for the gauge/string theory correspondence for gauge theories in curved space. Specifically, we consider Klebanov-Tseytlin cascading gauge theory compactified on S^3. We explain regime when this…