Related papers: Internal circle uplifts, transversality and strati…

We reduce the classification of all supersymmetric backgrounds in eleven dimensions to the evaluation of the supercovariant derivative and of an integrability condition, which contains the field equations, on six types of spinors. We…

In these lectures we review Generalized Complex Geometry and discuss two main applications to string theory: the description of supersymmetric flux compactifications and the supersymmetric embedding of D-branes. We start by reviewing…

We rewrite the N=(2,2) non-linear sigma model using auxiliary spinorial superfields defining the model on ${\cal T}\oplus^ *{\cal T}$, where ${\cal T}$ is the tangent bundle of the target space. This is motivated by possible connections to…

Complementing the previous paper in the series, this paper classifies $|2|$-graded parabolic geometries, listing their important properties: the group $G_0$, the graded tangent bundle $gr(T)$ and its algebra\"ic bracket, the relevant…

Let $\nu=(n_1,\ldots, n_s), s\ge 2,$ be a sequence of positive integers and let $n=\sum_{1\le j\le s}n_j$. Let $\mathbb CG(\nu)=U(n)/(U(n_1)\times \cdots\times U(n_s))$ be the complex flag manifold. Denote by $P(m,\nu)=P(\mathbb S^m,\mathbb…

We review two ways in which smooth cosmological evolution between two de Sitter phases can be obtained from M/string-theory. Firstly, we perform a hyperbolic reduction of massive IIA* theory to D=6 N=(1,1) SU(2)xU(1) gauged de Sitter…

We construct a smooth Deligne-Mumford compactification for the moduli space of curves with an m-tuple of spin structures using line bundles on quasi-stable curves as limiting objects, as opposed to line bundles on stacky curves. For all m,…

We prove a transversality "lifting property" for compactified configuration spaces as an application of the multijet transversality theorem: the submanifold of configurations of points on an arbitrary submanifold of Euclidean space may be…

In this paper we discuss compactifications of M-theory to four dimensions on X \times S^1/Z_2, in which nonstandard embeddings in the E_8 \times E_8 vacuum gauge bundle are considered. At the level of the effective field theory description…

We construct M-theory curves associated with brane configurations of SU(N), SO(N) and $Sp(2N)$ 5d supersymmetric gauge theories compactified on a circle. From the curves we can account for all the existing different SU(N) field theories…

We define new Riemannian structures on 7-manifolds by a differential form of mixed degree which is the critical point of a (possibly constrained) variational problem over a fixed cohomology class. The unconstrained critical points…

In this paper, we explore the theme of orbifold stratified spaces and establish a general criterion for them to be smooth orbifolds. This criterion utilizes the notion of linear stratification on the gluing bundles for the orbifold…

In this thesis we study compactifications of type II string theories and M-theory to four dimensions. We construct the four-dimensional N=2 supergravities that arise from compactifications of type IIA string theory and M-theory on manifolds…

We derive the explicit formula for the intrinsic torsion of a ${\rm Spin}(7)$-structure on a $8$--dimensional Riemannian manifold $M$. Here, the intrinsic torsion is a difference of the minimal ${\rm Spin}(7)$--connection and the…

We consider G-equivariant dimensional reduction of Yang-Mills theory with torsion on manifolds of the form MxG/H where M is a smooth manifold, and G/H is a compact six-dimensional homogeneous space provided with a never integrable almost…

We explain how structures related to octonions are ubiquitous in M-theory. All the exceptional Lie groups, and the projective Cayley line and plane appear in M-theory. Exceptional G_2-holonomy manifolds show up as compactifying spaces, and…

In flux compactifications of M-theory a superpotential is generated whose explicit form depends on the structure group of the 7-dimensional internal manifold. In this note, we discuss superpotentials for the structure groups: G_2, SU(3) or…

We study Z2-orbifolds of 11-dimensional M-theory on tori of various dimensions. The most interesting model (besides the known S1/Z2 case) corresponds to T5/Z2, for which we argue that the resulting six-dimensional theory is equivalent to…

Let M_0=G_0/H be a (pseudo)-Riemannian homogeneous spin manifold, with reductive decomposition g_0=h+m and let S(M_0) be the spin bundle defined by the spin representation Ad:H->\GL_R(S) of the stabilizer H. This article studies the…

We show that the formation of large-scale structures through gravitational instability in the expanding universe can be fully described through a path-integral formalism. We derive the action S[f] which gives the statistical weight…