Related papers: Higher Gauge Theory and M-Theory

We review recent progress in formulating the worldvolume theory of M2-branes using the Nambu bracket. Although it is generally agreed that this formulation should be replaced by another using the superconformal Chern-Simons theory, we try…

Gravity duals for little string theories --- which give rise to four-dimensional theories that undergo permanent confinement in the infrared --- have not been studied in great detail. We address this question in the framework of heterotic…

We study the current algebras of the NS5-branes, the Kaluza-Klein (KK) five-branes and the exotic $5^2_2$-branes in type IIA/IIB superstring theories. Their worldvolume theories are governed by the six-dimensional $\mathcal{N}= (2,0)$…

A duality relationship between certain brane configurations in type IIA and type IIB string theory is explored by exploiting the geometrical origins of each theory in M-theory. The configurations are dual ways of realising the…

We review the recent developments in superstrings. We start with a brief summary of various consistent superstring theories and discuss T-duality which necessarily leads to the presence of D-branes. The properties of D-branes are summarized…

We consider how to take an orbifold reduction for the multiple M2-brane theory recently proposed by Bagger and Lambert, and discuss its relation to Chern-Simons theories. Starting from the infinite dimensional 3-algebra realized as the…

In this thesis we elaborate on the three subjects of the title. We first show that supertubes exist and still preserve some supersymmetry in a large variety of curved backgrounds. Within the AdS/CFT correspondence we study the supersymmetry…

We revisit type II$_0$ limits in the vector multiplet moduli space of compactifications of Type IIB string theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds. These limits are special because they cannot be described using mirror symmetry. While we showed in…

We show that the Bagger-Lambert theory of multiple M2-branes fits into the general construction of maximally supersymmetric gauge theories using the embedding tensor technique. We apply the embedding tensor technique in order to…

Certain limits of the duality between M-theory on ${T^5/Z_2}$ and IIB on K3 are analyzed in Matrix theory. The correspondence between M-theory five-branes and ALE backgrounds is realized as three dimensional mirror symmetry. Non-critical…

I review certain aspects of Hanany-Witten setups and other approaches used to embed (and solve) gauge theories in string theory. Applications covered include dualities in 4 and 3 dimensions, fixed points in 6 dimensions, phase transitions…

We consider M theory 5-branes with compact transverse dimensions. In certain limits the theory on the 5-brane decouples and defines ``little string theories'' in 5+1 dimensions. We show that the familiar structure of IIA/IIB,M,F- theory in…

We explore 6d (1,0) superconformal field theories with SU(3) and SU(2) gauge symmetries which cascade after Higgsing to the E-string theory on a single M5 near an $E_8$ wall. Specifically, we study the 2d $\mathcal{N}=(0,4)$ gauge theories…

We systematically study supersymmetric embeddings of D-brane probes of different dimensionality in the AdS_5xY^{p,q} background of type IIB string theory. The main technique employed is the kappa symmetry of the probe's worldvolume theory.…

We find solutions of 11-dimensional supergravity for M5-branes wrapped on Riemann surfaces. These solutions preserve ${\cal N} = 2$ four-dimensional supersymmetry. They are dual to ${\cal N} = 2$ gauge theories, including non-conformal…

Quiver 5D $\mathcal{N}=1$ gauge theories describe the low-energy dynamics on webs of $(p,q)$-branes in type IIB string theory. S-duality exchanges NS5 and D5 branes, mapping $(p,q)$-branes to branes of charge $(-q,p)$, and, in this way,…

String structures in degree four are associated with cancellation of anomalies of string theory in ten dimensions. Fivebrane structures in degree eight have recently been shown to be associated with cancellation of anomalies associated to…

We study the new ``gauge'' theories in 5+1 dimensions, and their non-commutative generalizations. We argue that the $\theta$-term and the non-commutative torus parameters appear on an equal footing in the non-critical string theories which…

We consider freely acting orbifold compactifications, which interpolate in two possible decompactification limits between the supersymmetric type II string and the non-supersymmetric type 0 string. In particular we discuss how D-branes are…

We investigated the equivalence of the T-duality for a bound state of D2 and D0-branes with the Nahm transformation of the corresponding gauge theory on a 2-dimensional torus, using the boundary state analysis in superstring theory. In…