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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 study closed N=2 strings on orbifolds of the form T^4/Z_2 and C^2/Z_2. We compute the torus partition function and prove its modular invariance. We analyse the BRST cohomology of the theory, construct the vertex operators, and compute…
Coupling $N$ large $m$ minimal models and flowing to IR fixed points is a systematic way to build new classes of compact unitary 2d CFTs which are likely to be irrational, and potentially have a positive Virasoro twist gap above the…
We analyze N=2 (perturbative and non-perturbative) corrections to the effective theory in type I orbifold models where a dual heterotic description is available. These corrections may play an important role in phenomenological scenarios.…
The data of a "2D field theory with a closed string compactification" is an equivariant chain level action of a cell decomposition of the union of all moduli spaces of punctured Riemann surfaces with each component compactified as a…
We investigate analytic solutions to Witten's bosonic string field theory and Berkovits' WZW-type superstring field theory. We construct solutions with parameters out of simpler ones, using a commutative monoid that includes the family of…
Conformal boundary conditions in two-dimensional conformal field theories are still mostly an uncharted territory. Even less is known about the relevant boundary deformations that connect them. A natural approach to the problem is via…
We present a finite-dimensional and smooth formulation of string structures on spin bundles. It uses trivializations of the Chern-Simons 2-gerbe associated to this bundle. Our formulation is particularly suitable to deal with string…
This thesis is dedicated to analysing the general structure of two- and three-point correlation functions of conserved currents of arbitrary integer or half-integer spins in three- and four-dimensional (super)conformal field theory.
String theory in two-dimensional spacetime illuminates two main threads of recent development in string theory: (1) Open/closed string duality, and (2) Tachyon condensation. In two dimensions, many aspects of these phenomena can be explored…
The recent developments in string theory suggest that the space-time coordinates should be generalized to non-commuting matrices. Postulating this suggestion as the fundamental geometrical principle, we formulate a candidate for covariant…
We compute the two-loop contributions to the free energy in the null compactification of perturbative string theory at finite temperature. The cases of bosonic, Type II and heterotic strings are all treated. The calculation exploits an…
We provide a qualitative review of flux compactifications of string theory, focusing on broad physical implications and statistical methods of analysis.
We consider the dynamics of confined strings embedded in a gapless four-dimensional theory. To this end, we examine finite-tension string-like solutions to the equations of motion of the $\mathbb{C}\mathbb{P}^1$ non-linear sigma model. We…
We argue that two four-dimensional strongly coupled superconformal field theories, on the Higgs branch in certain large N limits, become respectively (2,0) theory and (1,1) little string theory in six dimensions. We identify the spectrum of…
The aim of these notes is to give recent developments in string theory. In particular, we discuss the string spectrums, compactifications, brane physics and dualities.
We derive a class of solutions to the string sigma-model equations for the closed bosonic string. The tachyon field is taken to form a constant condensate and the beta-function equations at one-loop level are solved for the evolution of the…
It is known that string theory compactifications leading to low energy effective theories with different chiral matter content ({\it e.g.} different numbers of standard model generations) are connected through phase transitions, described…
Using heterotic/type II string duality, we obtain exact nonperturbative results for the point particle limit (alpha' -> 0) of some particular four dimensional, N=2 supersymmetric compactifications of heterotic strings. This allows us to…
We study two-dimensional conformal field theories generated from a ``symplectic fermion'' - a free two-component fermion field of spin one - and construct the maximal local supersymmetric conformal field theory generated from it. This…