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We study M-theory on two classes of manifolds of Spin(7) holonomy that are developing an isolated conical singularity. We construct explicitly a new class of Spin(7) manifolds and analyse in detail the topology of the corresponding…
The Witten index of the $(2,0)$-theory compactified on spaces of the form $S^3/\Gamma\times S^2$, with a freely acting group $\Gamma$, and with external string sources implemented via timelike surface operator insertions, is expressed in…
In this PhD thesis, we investigate a wide class of three-dimensional massive gravity models and show how most of them (if not all) can be brought in a first-order, Chern-Simons-like, formulation. This allows for a general analysis of the…
We study the three-dimensional theory of two Chern-Simons gauge fields coupled to a scalar field in the bifundamental representation of the $SU(N)_k \times SU(M)_{-k}$ gauge group. At small but fixed $M \ll N$, this system approaches the…
By a theorem of Mclean, the deformation space of an associative submanifold Y of an integrable G_2 manifold (M,\phi) can be identified with the kernel of a Dirac operator D:\Omega^{0}(\nu) -->\Omega^{0}(\nu) on the normal bundle \nu of Y.…
The 3d $A$-model is a two-dimensional approach to the computation of supersymmetric observables of three-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric gauge theories. In principle, it allows us to compute half-BPS partition functions on any…
This paper presents a new perspective on integrability in theories of gravity. We show how the stationary, axisymmetric sector of General Relativity can be described by the boundary dynamics of a four-dimensional Chern-Simons theory. This…
The $\mathrm{U}(1)$ Chern-Simons theory can be extended to a topological $\mathrm{U}(1)^n$ theory by taking a combination of Chern-Simons and BF actions, the mixing being achieved with the help of a collection of integer coupling constants.…
The Chern-Simons approach has been widely used to explain fractional quantum Hall states in the framework of trial wave functions. In the present paper, we generalise the concept of Chern-Simons transformations to systems with any number of…
Topological quantum field theories can be used as a powerful tool to probe geometry and topology in low dimensions. Chern-Simons theories, which are examples of such field theories, provide a field theoretic framework for the study of knots…
We construct a new class of topological surface defects in Chern-Simons theory with non-compact, non-Abelian gauge groups. These defects are characterized by isotropic subalgebras defined by solutions of the modified classical Yang-Baxter…
We develop representation theoretic techniques to construct three dimensional non-semisimple topological quantum field theories which model homologically truncated topological B-twists of abelian Gaiotto-Witten theory with linear matter.…
We consider quantum field theories on supermanifolds using integral forms. The latter are used to define a geometric theory of integration and they are essential for a consistent action principle. The construction relies on Picture Changing…
We construct vortex loop operators in the three-dimensional N = 6 supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory recently constructed by Aharony, Bergman, Jafferis and Maldacena. These disorder loop operators are specified by a vortex-like singularity…
We investigate the Chern-Simons-like formulation of 3D MMG-like massive gravity models that are "third-way consistent". Building on previous work on exotic massive gravities, we analyze a class of MMG-like theories characterized by a…
The proper action functional of (4k+3)-dimensional U(1)-Chern-Simons theory including the instanton sectors has a well known description: it is given on the moduli space of fields by the fiber integration of the cup product square of…
We investigate (2+1)-dimensional quiver Chern-Simons theories that arise from the study of M2-branes probing toric Calabi-Yau 4-folds. These theories can be elegantly described using brane tilings. We present several theories that admit a…
This paper (completed March 1992) is an extensively revised and expanded version of work which appeared July 1991 on the initial incarnation of the hepth bulletin board, and which was published in the Proceedings of the Workshop on String…
We introduce an unrolled quantization $U_q^E(\mathfrak{gl}(1 \vert 1))$ of the complex Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{gl}(1 \vert 1)$ and use its categories of weight modules to construct and study new three dimensional non-semisimple…
In this note we present a brief overview of connections between Chern-Simons theory and topological strings. A prominent role in this link has been played by large N dualities and holography. We demystify this by explaining why the Kahler…