Related papers: Sharp Boundaries for the Swampland
Massive $U(1)$ gauge theories featuring parametrically light vectors are suspected to belong in the Swampland of consistent EFTs that cannot be embedded into a theory of quantum gravity. We study four-dimensional, chiral $U(1)$ gauge…
We consider constraints on the S-matrix of any gapped, Lorentz invariant quantum field theory in 3+1 dimensions due to crossing symmetry, analyticity and unitarity. We extremize cubic couplings, quartic couplings and scattering lengths…
We study the most general renormalizable ${\cal N}=1$ $U(N)$ Chern-Simons gauge theory coupled to a single (generically massive) fundamental matter multiplet. At leading order in the 't Hooft large $N$ limit we present computations and…
Tests of gauge coupling unification require knowledge of thresholds between the weak scale and the high scale of unification. If these scales are far separated, as is the case in most unification scenarios considered in the literature, the…
Going beyond the theta function approximation we discuss supersymmetric unification of gauge couplings with exact decoupling of light and heavy particles at energy scales below their masses. We find that the Minimal SUSY model is strongly…
We consider $U(N)$ $\mathcal N=4$ super Yang-Mills theory and discuss how to extract the strong coupling limit of non-planar corrections to observables involving the $\frac{1}{2}$-BPS Wilson loop. Our approach is based on a suitable saddle…
Higher dimensional grand unified theories, with gauge symmetry breaking by orbifold compactification, possess SU(5) breaking at fixed points, and do not automatically lead to tree-level gauge coupling unification. A new framework is…
In this paper, we explore the physics of electromagnetically and gravitationally coupled massive higher spin states from the on-shell point of view. Starting with the three-point amplitude, we focus on the simplest amplitude which is…
We study the gravitational correction to the gauge couplings in the extra dimension model where the gravity propagates in the (4+n)-dimensional bulk. We show by explicit calculation in the background field method that the one-loop…
We have combined perturbative unitarity and renormalisation group equation arguments in order to find a dynamical way to constrain the space of the gauge couplings ($g'_1$, $\widetilde{g}$) of the so-called "Minimal $Z'$ Models". We have…
We analyse the renormalisation group flow of quantum gravity at sixth order in the derivative expansion within the background field approximation. Non-linear field redefinitions are used to ensure that only essential couplings flow. Working…
The problem of gauge symmetry in higher derivative Lagrangian systems is discussed from a Hamiltonian point of view. The number of independent gauge parameters is shown to be in general {\it{less}} than the number of independent primary…
We classify the allowed structures of the discrete 1-form gauge sector in six-dimensional supergravity theories realized as F-theory compactifications. This provides upper bounds on the 1-form gauge factors $\mathbb{Z}_m$ and in particular…
We survey recent studies of Gauss-Bonnet gravity and its dual conformal field theories, including their relation to the violation of the Kovtun-Starinets-Son viscosity bound. Via holography, we can also study properties such as…
In this work, we study a class of higher derivative couplings in the string effective action arising at the junction of topological string theory and supersymmetric gauge theories in the $\Omega$-background. They generalise a series of…
What is the space of weakly-coupled, gravitational theories which contain massive, higher-spin particles? This class of theories is highly constrained and it is conjectured their ultraviolet completion must be string theory. We provide more…
Supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model generally give a theoretical upper limit on the lightest Higgs boson mass which may be uncomfortably close to the current experimental lower bound of $m_h$ > 114 GeV. Here we show ways in…
The Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) bounds the mass of a particle by its charge. It is expected that this bound can not be below the ultraviolet cut-off scale of the effective theory. Recently, an extension of the WGC was proposed in the…
In the presence of non-minimal gravitational coupling $ \xi H^\dagger H {\cal R}$ between the standard model (SM) Higgs doublet $H$ and the curvature scalar ${\cal R}$, the effective ultraviolet cutoff scale is given by $\Lambda_{\rm…
We study several aspects of supersymmetric models with a $U(1)_R$ symmetry where the Higgs doublet is identified with the superpartner of a lepton. We derive new, stronger bounds on the gaugino masses based on current measurements, and also…