Related papers: Vortex-Strings in N=2 SQCD and Bulk-String Decoupl…

We continue the study of non-Abelian vortex string in 4D $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetric QCD as critical superstring, and extend this analysis to $U(N)$ gauge theory with arbitrary even $N$ and $N_f=2N$ number of quarks. We introduce a…

We investigate the microphysics of supersymmetric cosmic strings. In particular we focus on the vortices admitted by N=1 supersymmetric abelian Higgs models. We find the vortex solutions and demonstrate that the two simplest supersymmetric…

We investigate the connections between four-dimensional, N=2 M-theory vacua constructed as orbifolds of type II, heterotic, and type I strings. All these models have the same massless spectrum, which contains an equal number of vector…

We use lattice techniques to study the closed-string spectrum of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. We calculate the energies of the lowest lying ~30 states for strings with lengths between l ~ 0.45 fm and l ~ 3 fm, and compare to…

The interaction of defects can lead to a phenomenon of erasure. During this process, a lower-dimensional object gets absorbed and dissolved by a higher-dimensional one. The phenomenon is very general and has a wide range of implications,…

We conjecture the existence of two new non-gravitational six-dimensional string theories, defined as the decoupling limit of NS5-branes in the background of near-critical electrical two- and three-form RR fields. These theories are…

It was recently shown that non-Abelian vortex strings supported in a version of four-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric QCD (SQCD) become critical superstrings. In addition to four translational moduli, non-Abelian strings under consideration…

Recently we observed a crossover transition (in the Fayet-Iliopoulos parameter) from weak to strong coupling in N=2 supersymmetric QCD with the U(N) gauge group and N_f > N quark flavors. At strong coupling this theory can be described by a…

We investigate cosmic strings arising from a hierarchical gauge symmetry breaking sequence, $\mathrm{SU}(2) \times \mathrm{U}(1) \rightarrow \mathrm{U}(1) \times \mathrm{U}(1) \rightarrow \mathrm{U}(1)' \rightarrow \text{Nothing}$. This…

We study nonabelian vortices (flux tubes) in SU(N) gauge theories, which are responsible for the confinement of (nonabelian) magnetic monopoles. In particular a detailed analysis is given of ${\cal N}=2$ SQCD with gauge group SU(3) deformed…

String and membrane dynamics may be unified into a theory of 2+2 dimensional self-dual world-volumes living in a 10+2 dimensional target space. Some of the vacua of this M-theory are described by the N=(2,1) heterotic string, whose target…

We consider an exactly solvable worldsheet string theory in the background of a black brane with a gauge field flux. Holographically, such a system can be interpreted as a field theory with finite number of degrees of freedom at finite…

1. Preliminaries. 2. Heterotic string and motivations for large volume compactifications; 2.1 Gauge coupling unification; 2.2 Supersymmetry breaking by compactification. 3. M-theory on S^1/Z_2 \times Calabi-Yau. 4. Type I/I' string theory…

We generalize the results of Polchinski and Strassler regarding the N=1-preserving mass deformation of N=4 SU(N) SYM theories and its string theory dual to SO(N) and USp(2N) gauge groups. The string theory duals involve 5-branes wrapped on…

We study Little String Theories (LST) with ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ supersymmetry arising, in a suitable double scaling limit, from 5-branes in heterotic string theory or in the heterotic-like type II/$(-)^{F_L}\times {\rm shift}$. The limit in…

Recently, a new framework for solving the hierarchy problem has been proposed which does not rely on low energy supersymmetry or technicolor. The gravitational and gauge interactions unite at the electroweak scale, and the observed weakness…

We discuss supersymmetry breaking mechanisms at the level of low energy N=1 effective heterotic superstring actions that exhibit $SL(2,Z)_T$ target space modular duality or $SL(2,Z)_S$ strong-weak coupling duality. The allowed…

Recently, Baykara, Tarazi and Vafa discussed the existence of quasicrystalline string vacua that contain a single neutral moduli, the dilaton, and studied compactifications of the non-supersymmetric $SO(16)\times SO(16)$ heterotic-string on…

The first part of this review tries to provide a self-contained view of supersymmetry breaking from the bottom-up perspective. We thus describe N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions, the Standard Model and the MSSM, with emphasis on the…

String theory, if it describes nature, is probably strongly coupled. As a result, one might despair of making any statements about the theory. In the framework of a set of clearly spelled out assumptions, we show that this is not…