Related papers: de Sitter extrema and the swampland
We initiate the systematic study of flux scalar potentials and their vacua by using asymptotic Hodge theory. To begin with, we consider F-theory compactifications on Calabi-Yau fourfolds with four-form flux. We argue that a classifications…
We review some of the features of Type IIA compactifications in the presence of fluxes. In particular, the case of $T^6/(\Omega (-1)^{F_L} \sigma)$ orientifolds with RR, NS and metric fluxes is considered. This has revealed to possess…
Superstring theories are the most promising theories for unified description of all fundamental interactions including gravity. However, these theories are formulated consistently only in 10 spacetime dimensions. Therefore, to connect to…
We consider classical type II supergravity with arbitrary fluxes, Dirichlet branes and orientifold planes and prove that a four-dimensional compactification of this theory can never correspond to a metastable de Sitter state.
We use type I string models with supersymmetry broken by compactification (\`a la Scherk-Schwarz) in order to test the weak gravity conjecture in the presence of runaway potentials in a perturbative string theory setting. For a finite value…
We consider flux compactification of type II string theory with local sources on SU(3)-structure manifolds. By adding pseudo-calibrated anti-$Dp$-branes wrapped on supersymmetric cycles we generalize all existing models so that the…
After a short introduction to Matrix theory, we explain how can one generalize matrix models to describe toroidal compactifications of M-theory and the heterotic vacua with 16 supercharges. This allows us, for the first time in history, to…
We extend a recent scenario of Kachru, Kallosh, Linde and Trivedi to fix the string moduli fields by using a combination of fluxes and non-perturbative superpotentials, leading to de Sitter vacua. In our scenario the non-perturbative…
We discuss a novel strategy to construct 4D N=0 stable flux vacua of type II string theory, based on the existence of BPS bounds for probe D-branes in some of these backgrounds. In particular, we consider compactifications where D-branes…
The R^4 terms in the effective action for M-theory compactified on a two-torus are motivated by combining one-loop results in type II superstring theories with the Sl(2,Z) duality symmetry. The conjectured expression reproduces precisely…
A recently introduced framework for the compactification of supersymmetric string theory involving noncritical manifolds of complex dimension $2k+D_{crit}$, $k\geq 1$, is reviewed. These higher dimensional manifolds are spaces with…
The data of a "2D field theory with a closed string compactification" is an equivariant chain level action of a cell decomposition of the union of all moduli spaces of punctured Riemann surfaces with each component compactified as a…
We discuss some basic aspects of effective field theory applied to supergravity theories which arise in the low-energy limit of string theory. Our discussion is particularly relevant to the effective field theories of no-scale…
These lectures provide a self-contained introduction to flux compactifications of type IIB string theory on Calabi-Yau orientifolds. The first lecture begins with geometric foundations, then presents vacuum solutions in Calabi-Yau…
The possible existence of (meta-) stable de Sitter vacua in string theory is of fundamental importance. So far, there are no fully stable solutions where all effects are under perturbative control. In this paper we investigate the presence…
We search for $N=2$, $d=4$ theories which can be realized both as heterotic string compactifications on $K_{3}\times T^{2}$ and as type II string compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds. In such cases, the exact non-perturbative…
In this Thesis we investigate properties of stability, rigidity and unitarity of the string landscape in ten and lower dimensions. The dissertation explores these aspects by intertwining a detailed analysis of string vacua, with and without…
In this note, we study the Swampland Distance Conjecture in TCS $G_2$ manifold compactifications of M-theory. In particular, we are interested in testing a refined version -- the Emergent String Conjecture, in settings with 4d $N=1$…
This is a review. Comments are welcome. The observation that the structure of string theory is rich enough to include the standard model in rough outline is an old one, starting with the early constructions of free field constructions,…
We discuss string theories with small numbers of non-compact moduli and describe constructions of string theories whose low-energy limit is described by various pure supergravity theories. We also construct a D=4,N=4 compactification of…