Related papers: The \mu-problem, the NMSSM and string theory
This thesis is almost entirely devoted to studying string theory backgrounds characterized by simple geometrical and integrability properties. The archetype of this type of system is given by Wess-Zumino-Witten models, describing string…
We show the existence of realistic vacua in string theory whose observable sector has exactly the matter content of the MSSM. This is achieved by compactifying the E_8 x E_8 heterotic superstring on a smooth Calabi-Yau threefold with an…
I argue that the ten dimensional non--supersymmetric tachyonic superstrings may serve as good starting points for the construction of viable phenomenological vacua. Thus, enlarging the space of possible solutions that may address some of…
We employ powerful techniques based on Hilbert- and Groebner bases to analyze particle physics models derived from string theory. Individual models are shown to have a huge landscape of vacua that differ in their phenomenological…
A fundamental problem in contemporary string/M theory is to count the number of inequivalent vacua satisfying constraints in a string theory model. This article contains the first rigorous results on the number and distribution of…
We reconsider the Next to Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) as a natural solution to the $\mu$-problem and show that both the stability and the cosmological domain wall problems are eliminated if we impose a ${\cal {Z}}_2$…
We stress that a natural solution of the $\mu$ problem requires two ingredients: a symmetry that would enforce $\mu = 0$ as well as the occurence of a small breaking parameter that generates a nonzero $\mu$. It is suggested that both the…
We review a systematic construction of $\cx N=1$ supersymmetric heterotic string vacua using mirror symmetry. The method provides a large class of explicit solutions for stable, holomorphic vector bundles on Calabi-Yau n-folds Z_n in terms…
We propose a solution to the $\mu$-problem due to the non-universal soft supersymmetry breaking in a class of supersymmetric extensions of the SM with an extra U(1) and the NMSSM. Our scenario resembles an earlier one which has been…
A longstanding question in superstring/$M$ theory is does it predict supersymmetry below the string scale? We formulate and discuss a necessary condition for this to be true; this is the mathematical conjecture that all stable, compact…
The low energy effective action of string theory depends strongly on the process of compactification and the localization of fields in extra dimensions. Explicit string constructions towards the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM)…
We construct a new class of exact and stable superstring solutions based on $N=4$ superconformal world-sheet symmetry. In a subclass of these, the full spectrum of string excitations is derived in a modular-invariant way. In the weak…
A consistent theory of supersymmetry breaking must have a hidden sector, an observable sector, and must be embedded in a locally supersymmetric theory which arises from string theory. For phenomenological reasons it must also transmit…
We describe a new class of supersymmetric string compactifications to 4d Minkowski space. These solutions involve type II strings propagating on (orientifolds of) non Calabi-Yau spaces in the presence of background NS and RR fluxes. The…
We investigate the connections between four-dimensional, N=2 M-theory vacua constructed as orbifolds of type II, heterotic, and type I strings. All these models have the same massless spectrum, which contains an equal number of vector…
After a short introduction to Matrix theory, we explain how can one generalize matrix models to describe toroidal compactifications of M-theory and the heterotic vacua with 16 supercharges. This allows us, for the first time in history, to…
Compactification of the heterotic string on toroidal orbifolds is a promising set-up for the construction of realistic unified models of particle physics. The target space dynamics of such models, however, drives them slightly away from the…
We construct a new minimal extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) by promoting the $\mu$-parameter to a singlet superfield. The resulting renormalizable superpotential is enforced by a $\mathcal{Z}_5$ $R$-symmetry…
We examine compactifications of heterotic string theory on manifolds with SU(3) structure. In particular, we study N = 1/2 domain wall solutions which correspond to the perturbative vacua of the 4D, N =1 supersymmetric theories associated…
The most promising MSSM candidates of the heterotic string reveal some distinctive properties. These include gauge-top unification, a specific solution to the mu-problem and mirage pattern for the gaugino masses. The location of the top-…