Related papers: Surface Operators from M-strings
The actions, anomalies, and quantization conditions allow the M2-brane and the M5-brane to support, in a natural way, structures beyond Spin on their worldvolumes. The main examples are twisted String structures. This also extends to…
We investigate 1/2 BPS conformal surface operators in the Klebanov-Witten theory. These surface operators preserve certain parts of the conformal symmetry and R-symmetry as well as half of the supersymmetry. We propose the gravity dual of…
We show how the topological string partition function, which is known to capture the degeneracies of a gas of BPS spinning M2-branes in M-theory compactified to 5 dimensions, is related to a 4-dimensional D-brane system that consists of…
We describe two major string topology operations, the Chas-Sullivan product and the Goresky-Hingston coproduct, from geometric and algebraic perspectives. The geometric construction uses Thom-Pontrjagin intersection theory while the…
We show, in a number of simple examples, that Macdonald-type $qt$-deformations of topological string partition functions are equivalent to topological string partition functions that are without $qt$-deformations but with brane condensates,…
U-duality symmetry of M-theory and S and T-duality of string theory can be used to study various black branes solutions. We explore some aspect of this idea here. This symmetry can be used to get relations among various components of the…
By analyzing super-torsion and brane super-cocycles, we derive a new duality in M-theory, which takes the form of a higher version of T-duality in string theory. This involves a new topology change mechanism abelianizing the 3-sphere…
R7-branes are a class of recently discovered non-supersymmetric real codimension-two duality defects in type IIB string theory predicted by the Swampland Cobordism Conjecture. For type IIB realizations of 6D SCFTs with $\mathcal{N} = (2,0)$…
This is the text of my habilitation thesis defended at the \'Ecole Normale Sup\'erieure. The topological string presents an arena in which many features of string theory proper, such as the interplay between worldsheet and target space…
Here we initiate an investigation of the equational classes of m-symmetric algebras endowed with two tense operators. These varieties is a generalization of tense algebras. Our main interest is the duality theory for these classes of…
Superstrings and topological strings with supermanifolds as target space play a central role in the recent developments in string theory. Nevertheless the rules for higher-genus computations are still unclear or guessed in analogy with…
The partition function of the membrane is investigated. In particular, the case relevant to perturbative string theory of a membrane with topology $S^1 \times \Sigma$ is examined. The coupling between the string world sheet Euler character…
Using the topological membrane approach to string theory, we suggest a geometric origin for the heterotic string. We show how different membrane boundary conditions lead to different string theories. We discuss the construction of closed…
We explore two different problems in string theory in which duality relates an ordinary p-form in one theory to a self-dual (p+1)-form in another theory. One problem involves comparing D4-branes to M5-branes, and the other involves…
In this paper, we study solution operators of physical field equations on geometric meshes from a function-space perspective. We reveal that Hodge orthogonality fundamentally resolves spectral interference by isolating unlearnable…
We present here a careful study of the holographic duals of BPS surface operators in the 6d ${\cal N}=(2,0)$ theory. Several different classes of surface operators have been recently identified and each class has a specific calibration form…
We study elliptic fibrations by analyzing suitable deformations of the fibrations and vanishing cycles. We introduce geometric string junctions and describe some of their properties. We show how the structure of the geometric string…
We show how networks of Wilson lines realize quantum groups U_q(sl(m)), for arbitrary m, in 3d SU(N) Chern-Simons theory. Lifting this construction to foams of surface operators in 4d theory we find that rich structure of junctions is…
We formulate a theory of topological membranes on manifolds with G_2 holonomy. The BRST charges of the theories are the superspace Killing vectors (the generators of global supersymmetry) on the background with reduced holonomy G_2. In the…
This thesis presents several new insights on the interface between mathematics and theoretical physics, with a central role for fermions on Riemann surfaces. First of all, the duality between Vafa-Witten theory and WZW models is embedded…