Related papers: The Family Problem: Hints from Heterotic Line Bund…
We show that, within the framework of $SU(5)$ Grand Unified Theories (GUTs), multiple vector-like families at the GUT scale which transform under a gauged $U(1)'$ (under which the three chiral families are neutral) can result in a single…
We explore large-$N$ symmetric orbifolds of the $\mathcal N=2$ minimal models, and find evidence that their moduli spaces each contain a supergravity point. We identify single-trace exactly marginal operators that deform them away from the…
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…
The spin-charge-family theory offers a possible explanation for the assumptions of the standard model - for the charges of a family members, for the gauge fields, for the appearance of families, for the the scalar fields - interpreting the…
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 study one-loop quantum corrections to gauge couplings in heterotic vacua with spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. Although in non-supersymmetric constructions these corrections are not protected and are typically model dependent, we show…
We establish a direct connection between inhomogeneous XX spin chains (or free fermion systems with nearest-neighbors hopping) and certain QES models on the line giving rise to a family of weakly orthogonal polynomials. We classify all such…
Additional Abelian gauge interactions are generic to string compactifications. In heterotic string models, gauge coupling unification of such forces and other gauge interactions is natural due to their common origin. In this letter we study…
We desribe in detail a Z_6 orbifold compactification of the heterotic E_8 x E_8 string which leads to the (supersymmetric) standard model gauge group and matter content. The quarks and leptons appear as three 16-plets of SO(10), two of…
We extend the N=4 superconformal Chern-Simons theories of Gaiotto and Witten to those with additional twisted hyper-multiplets. The new theories are generically linear quiver gauge theories with the two types of hyper-multiplets alternating…
Heterotic vacua of string theory are realised, at large radius, by a compact threefold with vanishing first Chern class together with a choice of stable holomorphic vector bundle. These form a wide class of potentially realistic…
In this paper, we present a systematic analysis of eleven-dimensional supergravity on a manifold with boundary, which is believed to be relevant to the strong coupling limit of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string. Gauge and gravitational…
The new mechanism for the generation of the chiral generations is proposed based on the SU(1,1) horizontal gauge symmetry. The appearance of the chiral generations is controlled by the coupling constant s of the model. This is crucial in…
We describe blowups of C^n/Z_n orbifolds as complex line bundles over CP^{n-1}. We construct some gauge bundles on these resolutions. Apart from the standard embedding, we describe U(1) bundles and an SU(n-1) bundle. Both blowups and their…
A complete analysis of all heterotic Calabi-Yau compactifications based on positive two-term monad bundles over favourable complete intersection Calabi-Yau threefolds is performed. We show that the original data set of about 7000 models…
We analyse the classical moduli spaces of supersymmetric vacua of 3d N=2 Chern-Simons quiver gauge theories. We show quite generally that the moduli space of the 3d theory always contains a baryonic branch of a parent 4d N=1 quiver gauge…
I describe recent examples of phase transitions in four-dimensional M theory vacua in which the net generation number changes. There are naive obstructions to transitions lifting chiral matter, but loopholes exist which enable us to avoid…
A generalized theory of the self-limiting assembly of twisted bundles of filaments and columns is presented. Bundles and fibers form in a broad variety of supramolecular systems, from biological to synthetic materials. A widely-invoked…
We present the first example of a grand unified theory (GUT) with a modular symmetry interpreted as a family symmetry. The theory is based on supersymmetric $SU(5)$ in 6d, where the two extra dimensions are compactified on a…
How likely is it that there are particles in a vector-like pair of representations in low-energy spectrum, when neither symmetry nor anomaly consideration motivates their presence? We address this question in the context of supersymmetric…