Related papers: The Massive Supermembrane on a Knot
We examine the extent to which the action for the membrane of M-theory (the eleven-dimensional construct which underlies and unifies all of the known string theories) simplifies in the so-called Open Membrane (OM) limit, a limit which lies…
These lectures begin by reviewing the evidence for S duality of the toroidally compactified heterotic string in 4d that was obtained in the period 1992--94. Next they review recently discovered dualities that relate all five of the 10d…
We consider the torus compactifications with flux of a class of $6d$ $(1,0)$ SCFTs that can be engineered as the low-energy theories on M$5$-branes near an M$9$-plane on a $C^2/Z_2$ singularity. Specifically, we concentrate on the two SCFTs…
The connection between IIA superstring theory compactified on a circle of radius R and IIB theory compactified on a circle of radius 1/R is reexamined from the perspective of N=2, D=9 space-time supersymmetry. We argue that the consistency…
We describe a class of six-dimensional conformal field theories that have some properties in common with and possibly are related to a subsector of the tensionless string theories. The latter theories can for example give rise to…
We study supersymmetric AdS$_2\times Y_9$ solutions of 11d supergravity where $Y_9$ is an $S^7$ fibration over a Riemann surface equipped with a metric of non-constant curvature. We consider two classes of Riemann surface: the first is a…
The non-commutative algebra which defines the theory of zero-branes on $T^4/Z_2$ allows a unified description of moduli spaces associated with zero-branes, two-branes and four-branes on the orbifold space. Bundles on a dual space $\hat…
We study discrete fluxes in four dimensional SU(N) gauge theories with a mass gap by using brane compactifications which give ${\cal{N}} = 1$ or ${\cal{N}} = 0$ supersymmetry. We show that when such theories are compactified further on a…
The SO(10) embedding of the Standard Model spectrum is supported by evidence for neutrino masses. This thesis adapts the available formalism to study a class of heterotic M-theory vacua with SO(10) grand unification group. Compactification…
We explore the moduli space of heterotic strings in two dimensions. In doing so, we introduce new lines of compactified theories with Spin(24) gauge symmetry and discuss compactifications with Wilson lines. The phase structure of d=2…
We study the four dimensional effective action of a system of D6-branes wrapped on the K3 manifold times a torus, allowing the volume of the internal manifolds to remain dynamical. An unwrapped brane is at best a Dirac monopole of the dual…
We study five-dimensional supersymmetric field theories with one-dimensional Coulomb branch. We extend a previous analysis which led to non-trivial fixed points with $E_n$ symmetry ($E_8$, $E_7$, $E_6$, $E_5=Spin(10)$, $E_4=SU(5)$,…
This is an introductory review on the eleven-dimensional description of the BPS bound states of type II superstring theories, and on the role of supermembranes in M-theory. The first part describes classical solutions of 11d supergravity…
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 study some geometrical and topological aspects of the generalised dimensional reduction of supergravities in D=11 and D=10 dimensions, which give rise to massive theories in lower dimensions. In these reductions, a global symmetry is…
We embed the large N Chern-Simons/topological string duality in ordinary superstrings. This corresponds to a large $N$ duality between generalized gauge systems with N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions and superstrings propagating on…
For $M$-theory on the $G_2$ holonomy manifold given by the cone on ${\bf S^3}\x {\bf S^3}$ we consider the superpotential generated by membrane instantons and study its transformations properties, especially under monodromy transformations…
The quest for unification of particles and fields and for reconciliation of Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity has led us to gauge theories, string theories, supersymmetry and higher-extended objects: membranes... Our spacetime is…
Starting from an anisotropic (in all directions including the time direction of the brane) non-susy D2 brane solution of type IIA string theory we construct an anisotropic space-like D2 brane (or SD2 brane, for short) solution by the…
Certain one-loop processes in eleven-dimensional supergravity compactified on T**2 determine exact, non-perturbative, terms in the effective action of type II string theories compactified on a circle. One example is the modular invariant…