Related papers: Conifold dynamics and axion monodromies
Deformation of N=2 quiver gauge theories by adjoint masses leads to fixed manifolds of N=1 superconformal field theories. We elaborate on the role of the complex three-form flux in the IIB duals to these fixed point theories, primarily…
Axions with broken discrete shift symmetry (axion monodromy) have recently played a central role both in the discussion of inflation and the `relaxion' approach to the hierarchy problem. We suggest a very minimalist way to constrain such…
We consider twisted tachyons on C/Z_N orbifolds of bosonic closed string theory. It has been conjectured that these tachyonic instabilities correspond to decays of the orbifolds into flat space or into orbifolds with smaller deficit angles.…
We investigate multi-field inflationary scenarios with fields that drop out of the model in a staggered fashion. This feature is natural in certain multi-field inflationary setups within string theory; for instance, it can manifest itself…
We present a curvaton model from type IIB string theory compactified on a warped throat with approximate isometries. Considering an (anti-)D3-brane sitting at the throat tip as a prototype standard model brane, we show that the brane's…
A naive dimensional reduction of the $N=1, D=10$ supergravity theory that naturally arises in five-brane models is used to determine the r\^ole of two fields which are basic ingredients of string models: the dilaton and, among the moduli,…
In this paper we discuss the issues of supersymmetry breaking and moduli stabilization within the context of E_8 x E_8 heterotic orbifold constructions and, in particular, we focus on the class of "mini-landscape" models. In the…
We propose new large field inflation scenarios built on the framework of F-term axion monodromy. Our setup is based on string compactifications where D-branes create potentials for closed string axions via F-terms. Because the source of the…
Stabilization of closed string moduli in toroidal orientifold compactifications of type IIB string theory are studied using constant internal magnetic fields on D-branes and 3-form fluxes that preserve N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions.…
We elucidate various aspects of the physics of thraxions, ultra-light axions arising at Klebanov-Strassler multi-throats in the compactification space of IIB superstring theory. We study the combined stabilization of K\"ahler moduli and…
We embed natural inflation in an explict string theory model and derive observables in cosmology. We achieve this by compactifying the type IIB string on a Calabi-Yau orientifold, stabilizing moduli via the Large Volume Scenario, and…
The region of moduli space of string theories which is most likely to describe the "real world" is where the string coupling is about unity and the volume of extra compact dimensions is about the same size as the string volume. Here we map…
We consider a probe codimension-2 brane inflation scenario in a warped six-dimensional flux compactification. Our background model is Salam-Sezgin gauged supergravity with codimension-2 brane sources, which preserve N=1 supersymmetry. The…
A scenario of moduli stabilisation based on the interplay between closed and open string sectors is explored in a bottom-up approach. We study N=1 effective supergravities inspired by type IIB orientifold constructions that include…
As shown in arXiv:hep-th/0405282, the warped deformed conifold has two bosonic massless modes, a pseudoscalar and a scalar, that are dual to the phase and the modulus of the baryonic condensates in the cascading gauge theory. We reconsider…
Using the generalised AdS/CFT correspondence, we show that there are certain ten-dimensional differentiable manifolds such that string theory on such a manifold is unstable [to the emission of "large branes"] no matter what the metric may…
We consider supergravity compactifications on 6-dimensional twisted tori, which are 5-torus fibrations of the circle. The motion of branes on such manifolds can lead to power-law potentials at low energy, that may be useful for inflation.…
We investigate brane inflation, focusing on warm inflation realizations within a warped throat geometry. While the standard scenario relies on a single mobile $D3$-brane moving radially toward an anti-$D3$-brane at the tip of the throat, we…
In this thesis we study String Theory compactifications to four dimensions focusing on the moduli stabilization process and the associated vacua structure in various frameworks, from Type IIA to F-theory, interpreting the results in the…
We analyze the perturbative stability of non-supersymmetric intersecting brane world models on tori. Besides the dilaton tadpole, a dynamical instability in the complex structure moduli space occurs at string disc level, which drives the…