Related papers: Heterotic G_2-manifold compactifications with flux…
We discuss compactifications of the heterotic string in the presence of background fluxes. Specifically we consider compactifications on T^6, T^5, K3 x T^2 and K3 x S^1 for which we derive the bosonic sector of the low energy effective…
Superstring/M-theory compactified on compact Ricci flat manifolds have recently been conjectured to exhibit instabilities whenever the metrics do not have special holonomy. We use worldsheet conformal field theory to investigate…
We discuss non-perturbative aspects of string effective field theories with N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions. By the use of a scalar potential, which is on-shell invariant under the supersymmetric duality of the dilaton, we study…
Classical flux compactifications contribute to a well-controlled corner of the string landscape, therefore providing an important testing ground for a variety of conjectures. We focus here on type II supergravity compactifications on 6d…
We solve the Killing-Yano equation on manifolds with a $G$-structure for $G=SO(n), U(n), SU(n), Sp(n)\cdot Sp(1), Sp(n), G_2$ and $Spin(7)$. Solutions include nearly-K\"ahler, weak holonomy $G_2$, balanced SU(n) and holonomy $G$ manifolds.…
We analyze supersymmetric solutions of M-theory based an a seven-dimensional internal space with SU(3) structure and a four-dimensional maximally symmetric space. The most general supersymmetry conditions are derived and we show that a…
We reconsider the question of which Calabi-Yau compactifications of the heterotic string are stable under world-sheet instanton corrections to the effective space-time superpotential. For instance, compactifications described by (0,2)…
We find that (massive) IIA backgrounds that admit a $G_2\ltimes \mathbb{R}^8$ invariant Killing spinor must exhibit a null Killing vector field which leaves the Killing spinor invariant and that the rotation of the Killing vector field…
We construct new explicit compact supersymmetric valid solutions with non-zero field strength, non-flat instanton and constant dilaton to the heterotic equations of motion in dimension six. We present balanced Hermitian structures on…
We investigate all N=2 supersymmetric IIB supergravity backgrounds with non-vanishing five-form flux. The Killing spinors have stability subgroups $Spin(7)\ltimes\bR^8$, $SU(4)\ltimes\bR^8$ and $G_2$. In the $SU(4)\ltimes\bR^8$ case, two…
Necessary and sufficient conditions to the existence of a hermitian connection with totally skew-symmetric torsion and holonomy contained in SU(3) are given. Non-compact solution to the supergravity-type I equations of motion with non-zero…
We study a class of four-dimensional N=1 heterotic string theories which have nontrivial quantum dynamics arising from asymptotically free gauge groups. These models are obtained by orbifolding 4d N=2 heterotic/type II dual pairs by…
We re-examine the question of heterotic - heterotic string duality in six dimensions and argue that the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string, compactified on $K3$ with equal instanton numbers in the two $E_8$'s, has a self-duality that inverts…
In this work we obtain classical solutions of the bosonic sector of the supermembrane theory with two-form fluxes associated to a quantized constant $C_{\pm}$ background. This theory satisfies a flux condition on the worldvolume that…
We continue the investigation into non-maximally symmetric compactifications of the heterotic string. In particular, we consider compactifications where the internal space is allowed to depend on two or more external directions. For…
We consider the breaking of N=1 supersymmetry by non-zero G-flux when M-theory is compactified on a smooth manifold X of G_2 holonomy. Gukov has proposed a superpotential W to describe this breaking in the low-energy effective theory. We…
We solve the Killing spinor equations and determine the near horizon geometries of M-theory that preserve at least one supersymmetry. The M-horizon spatial sections are 9-dimensional manifolds with a Spin(7) structure restricted by…
We consider, in flux compactification of heterotic string theory, spacetime-filling five-branes. Stabilizing the fivebrane involves minimizing the combined energy density of the tension and a Coulomb potential associated with an internal…
The non-perturbative equivalence of four-dimensional N=2 superstrings with three vector multiplets and four hypermultiplets is analysed. These models are obtained through freely acting orbifold compactifications from the heterotic, the…
Killing forms on Riemannian manifolds are differential forms whose covariant derivative is totally skew-symmetric. We show that on a compact manifold with holonomy G2 or Spin7 any Killing form has to be parallel. The main tool is a…