Related papers: Resolving Gravitational Singularities

We give here a list of exact classical solutions of a large class of weakly nonlocal theories of gravity, which are unitary and super-renormalizable (or finite) at quantum level. It is explicitly shown that flat and Ricci-flat spacetimes as…

I describe our understanding of physics near the planck length, in particular the great progress of the last four years in string theory. Superstring theory, and a recent extension called M theory, are leading candidates for a quantum…

We describe a class of supersymmetric unified models with the following properties: i) the full breaking of the gauge group is achieved by Higgs fields in the fundamental representation; ii) the correct unification of the strong and…

We present a metric solution in six dimensions where gravity is localized on a four-dimensional singular string-like defect. The corrections to four-dimensional gravity from the bulk continuum modes are suppressed by ${\cal O}(1/r^3)$. No…

This Ph.D. thesis investigates effective field and string theories in which supersymmetry is realized and broken in various ways. Chapter 1 addresses effective theories with nonlinearly realized supersymmetry, constructed using the…

In this thesis, the AdS/CFT correspondence is used as a tool to explore novel AdS$_5$ Supergravity backgrounds (containing five-dimensional Anti-de Sitter spacetime) and their dual (four dimensional) Conformal Field Theory descriptions. In…

We begin by outlining the ancient puzzle of off shell currents and infinite size particles in a string theory of hadrons. We then consider the problem from the modern AdS/CFT perspective. We argue that although hadrons should be thought of…

Up-to-date, there is no known example of a classical de Sitter solution of string theory, despite several good candidates. We consider here two newly discovered 10d supergravity de Sitter solutions, and analyse in great detail whether they…

We suggest that for singular rotationally invariant closed string backgrounds which need sources for their support at the origin (in particular, for special plane waves and fundamental strings) certain `trivial' \a'-corrections (which are…

The space-time dimensions transverse to a static straight cosmic string with a sufficiently large tension (supermassive cosmic strings) are compact and typically have a singularity at a finite distance form the core. In this paper, we…

We study consistent truncations in the framework of Exceptional Generalised Geometry. We classify the 4-dimensional gauged supergravities that can be obtained as a consistent truncation of 10/11-dimensional supergravity. Any truncation is…

We geometrize six-dimensional pure $\mathcal{N}=1$ Supergravity by means of an exact Courant algebroid, whose Severa class is defined through the Supergravity three-form $H$, equipped with a generalized metric and a compatible,…

We revisit the four-dimensional theory of gravity that arises from string theory with higher-derivative corrections. By compactifying and truncating the ten-dimensional effective action of heterotic string theory at first order in…

We present new supersymmetric domain wall and string solutions of five-dimensional N = 2 gauged supergravity coupled to an arbitrary number of vector multiplets. Using the techniques of very special geometry allows to obtain the most…

We report on some recent results within the string/gauge theory correspondence, both in the conformal and in the non conformal cases, for a recently found class of N=1 dual pairs. These results provide the first cross check of AdS/CFT and…

We consider the (3+1)-dimensional locally finite gravity model proposed by 't Hooft. In particular we revisit the problem of resolving collisions of string defects. We provide a new geometric description of the configurations of strings…

We present a complete basis to study gauged curvature-squared supergravity in five dimensions. We replace the conventional ungauged Riemann-squared action with a new Log-invariant, offering a comprehensive framework for all gauged…

In previous work, we found ten-dimensional solutions to the supergravity equations of motion with a dS$_4$ factor and O8-planes. We generalize this analysis and obtain other solutions in the same spirit, with an O8$_+$ and an O6$_-$. We…

String theory provides one of the most deepest insights into quantum gravity. Its single most central and profound result is the gauge/gravity duality, i.e. the emergence of gravity from gauge theory. The two examples of M(atrix)-theory and…

Double Field Theory (DFT) has emerged as a comprehensive framework for gravity, presenting a testable and robust alternative to General Relativity (GR), rooted in the $\mathbf{O}(D,D)$ symmetry principle of string theory. These lecture…