Related papers: Higgs Bundles and String Phenomenology
We use bundle gerbes and their connections and curvings to obtain an explicit formula for a de Rham representative of the string class of a loop group bundle. This is related to earlier work on calorons.
In this paper we deal with algebro-geometrical problems connected with testing S-duality conjecture for super-symmetric Yang-Mills quantum field theories in four dimensions. We describe all field configurations such that beta function…
Three subjects are considered here: a self-dual non-critical string that appears in Type IIB superstring theory at points in ${\rm K3}$ moduli space where the Type IIA theory has extended gauge symmetry; a conformal field theory singularity…
Conformal supergravity arises in presently known formulations of twistor-string theory either via closed strings or via gauge-singlet open strings. We explore this sector of twistor-string theory, relating the relevant string modes to the…
We study flux tubes (strings) on the Higgs branches in supersymmetric gauge theories. In generic vacua on the Higgs branches strings were shown to develop long-range "tails" associated with massless fields, a characteristic feature of the…
The discovery of the Higgs boson by the ATLAS and CMS experiments concluded a glorious century of experimental particle physics discoveries, from Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus in 1911, through the discoveries of quarks and leptons…
Identification of string junction states of pure SU(2) Seiberg-Witten theory as B-branes wrapped on a Calabi-Yau manifold in the geometric engineering limit is discussed. The wrapped branes are known to correspond to objects in the bounded…
The 3+1 dimensional Yang-Mills theory with the Pontryagin term included is studied on manifolds with a boundary. Based on the geometry of the universal bundle for Yang-Mills theory, the symplectic structure of this model is exhibited. The…
There are an infinite number of type IIB superstrings in ten dimensions, called (p,q) strings, that are labeled by two distinct string charges. They can form string junctions and string networks. These are the key to understanding the…
We consider Yang-Mills theory with a matrix gauge group $G$ on a direct product manifold $M=\Sigma_2\times H^2$, where $\Sigma_2$ is a two-dimensional Lorentzian manifold and $H^2$ is a two-dimensional open disc with the boundary…
By considering specific limits in the gauge coupling constant of pure Yang--Mills dynamics, it is shown how there exist topological quantum field theory sectors in such systems defining nonperturbative topological configurations of the…
The mathematical features of a string theory compactification determine the physics of the effective four-dimensional theory. For this reason, understanding the mathematical structure of the possible compactification spaces is of profound…
We briefly review attempts to construct string theories that yield the standard model, concentrating on models with a geometric interpretation. Calabi-Yau compactifications are discussed in the context of both the weakly coupled heterotic…
A new class of Higgs bundles is introduced in a natural setting. Existence and nonexistence results for Higgs-Hermitian-Yang-Mills metrics are proved.
In this paper we give an overview of different Morse-theoretic methods used to study the topology of moduli spaces of Higgs bundles.
At its very beginning, the universe is believed to have grown exponentially in size via the mechanism of inflation. The almost scale-invariant density perturbation spectrum predicted by inflation is strongly supported by cosmological…
In this thesis we investigate the microphysics of cosmic strings in non-minimal quantum field theories. In particular we consider theories in which fermion fields couple to the strings, and those with larger symmetry groups, such as grand…
In this paper we investigate how various equivalences between effective field theories of $N=2$ SUSY Yang-Mills theory with matter can be understood through Higgs breaking, i.e. by giving expectation values to squarks. We give explicit…
In cosmological scenarios based on grand unification, string theory or braneworlds, many kinds of topological or non-topological defects, including monopoles and cosmic strings, are predicted to be formed in the early universe. Here we…
We review applications of string theory to cosmology, from primordial times to the present-day accelerated expansion. Starting with a brief overview of cosmology and string compactifications, we discuss in detail moduli stabilisation,…