Related papers: Higher order terms in an improved heterotic M theo…
Supersymmetric solutions of supergravity theories, and consequently metrics with special holonomy, have played an important role in the development of string theory. We describe how a Lorentzian manifold is either completely reducible, and…
In models of oriented closed strings, anomaly cancellations are deeply linked to the {\it modular invariance} of the torus amplitude. If open and/or unoriented strings are allowed, there are no non-trivial modular transformations in the…
It has been suggested that new massive gravity with higher order terms in the curvature may be renormalizable and thus a candidate for renormalizable quantum gravity. We show that three-dimensional gravity that contains quadratic scalar…
The landscape of six-dimensional supergravities is dramatically constrained by the cancellation of gauge and gravitational anomalies, but the full extent of its implications has not been uncovered. We explore the cancellation of global…
Quadratic gravity is a well-motivated extension of general relativity~(GR) wherein the Einstein-Hilbert action is augmented by quadratic curvature terms. This theory is equivalent to GR in an effective-field-theory framework, while the two…
In this thesis, we focus on higher-curvature extensions of Einstein gravity as toy models to probe universal properties of conformal field theory (CFT) using the gauge/gravity duality. In this context, we are particularly interested in…
We sharpen constraints related to hypercharge flux in F-theory GUTs that possess U(1) symmetries and argue that they arise as a consequence of 4-dimensional anomaly cancellation. This gives a physical explanation for all restrictions that…
A viable quantum theory does not allow curvature invariant terms of different higher orders to be accommodated in the gravitational action. We show that there is indeed a conflict between the curvature squared and Gauss-Bonnet squared terms…
Symmetries of generalized gravitational actions, yielding field equations which typically involve at most second-order derivatives of the metric, are considered. The field equations for several different higher-derivative theories in the…
The chiral worldvolume theory of an M-theory boundary (the so-called M9 brane) is uniquely determined by supersymmetry and anomaly inflow. In this brief note we investigate whether alternative chiral boundary field contents may be allowed…
Adding terms quadratic in the curvature to the Einstein-Hilbert action renders gravity renormalizable. This property is preserved in the presence of the most general renormalizable couplings with (and of) a generic quantum field theory…
We carefully re-examine the issues of solving the modified Bianchi identity, anomaly cancellations and flux quantization in the S^1/Z_2 orbifold of M-theory using the boundary-free "upstairs" formalism, avoiding several misconceptions…
High derivative terms do not play a major role in field theories because of the associated complexity and inherent difficulty in connecting these terms to physically measurable quantities. A role for higher derivative terms is analyzed for…
We obtain the matter-graviton scattering amplitude in the gravitational theory of quadratic curvature, which has $R_{\mu\nu}^2$ term in the action. Unitarity bound is not satisfied because of the existence of negative norm states, while an…
Expanding the work of arXiv:1504.08040, we show that black holes obey a second law for linear perturbations to bifurcate Killing horizons, in any covariant higher curvature gravity coupled to scalar and vector fields. The vector fields do…
Extra dimensions, which led to the foundation and inception of string theory, provide an elegant approach to force-unification. With bulk curvature as high as the Planck scale, higher curvature terms, namely f(R) gravity seems to be a…
We study the nonlinear realization of supersymmetry in a dynamical/cosmological background in which derivative terms like kinetic terms are finite. Starting from linearly realized theories, we integrate out heavy modes without neglecting…
The four-dimensional superstring solutions define at low energy effective supergravity theories. A class of them extends successfully the validity of the standard model up to the string scale (${\cal O}(10^{17})~TeV$). We stress the…
In this paper, we present a systematic analysis of eleven-dimensional supergravity on a manifold with boundary, which is believed to be relevant to the strong coupling limit of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string. Gauge and gravitational…
We study the curvature of a manifold on which there can be defined a complex-valued submersive harmonic morphism with either, totally geodesic fibers or that is holomorphic with respect to a complex structure which is compatible with the…