Related papers: Swampland Conjectures for an Almost Topological Gr…
We propose to sharpen the weak gravity conjecture by the statement that, except for BPS states in a supersymmetric theory, the gravitational force is strictly weaker than any electric force and provide a number of evidences for this…
We study three-dimensional superconformal field theories on wrapped M5-branes. Applying the gauge/gravity duality and the recently proposed 3d-3d relation, we deduce quantitative predictions for the perturbative free energy of a…
We explore BPS strings in supergravity theories in six-dimensions and related Swampland Conjectures. We first propose a general modular ansatz for bootstrapping elliptic genera of 2d worldvolume theories on strings in the 6d theories. By…
We analyze the anomaly constraints on 6D supergravity theories with a single abelian U(1) gauge factor. For theories with charges restricted to $q = \pm1, \pm2$ and no tensor multiplets, anomaly-free models match those models that can be…
We construct solutions in the form of $AdS_2\times\Sigma$, where $\Sigma$ denotes a spindle geometry, within a particular 4d $\mathcal{N}=2$ gauged supergravity with vector multiplets and a charged hypermultiplet stemming from a consistent…
The physics of quantum gravity is discussed within the framework of topological quantum field theory. Some of the principles are illustrated with examples taken from theories in which space-time is three dimensional.
We propose a version of the Weak Gravity Conjecture that applies to AdS spacetime. We find that the condition on the charge-to-mass ratio of a charged particle in AdS$_D$ spacetime is corrected compared to the one in Minkowski spacetime by…
This dissertation consists of three parts. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the study of gravity and higher spin gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. The first part deals with cosmological solutions of spin-3 gravity and their…
The effective action of string theory in three dimensions is investigated, incorporating the Lorentz and gauge Chern-Simons terms in the definition of the Kalb-Ramond axion field strength. Since in three dimensions any three-form is…
We study the Swampland Distance Conjecture for supersymmetric theories with AdS${}_5$ backgrounds and fixed radius through their $\mathcal{N}=2$ SCFT holographic duals. By the Maldacena-Zhiboedov theorem, around a large class of…
Drawing on insights from the Swampland program, we initiate a classification of infinite distance limits in the conformal manifolds of 4d SCFTs. Each limit is characterized by a Hagedorn-like behavior of the large $N$ density of states,…
An $N = 1$ supersymmetric version of two dimensional dilaton gravity coupled to matter is considered. It is shown that the linear dilaton vacuum spontaneously breaks half the supersymmetries, leaving broken a linear combination of left and…
We provide a conceptual assessment of some aspects of fundamental quantum field theories of gravity in light of foundational aspects of the swampland program. On the one hand, asymptotically safe quantum gravity may provide a simple and…
Our current best guess for a unified theory of gravitation and quantum field theory (string theory) generically predicts a set of requirements for a consistently quantized theory, the Swampland criteria. Refined versions of these criteria…
This thesis is dedicated to the study of quasi-local boundary in quantum gravity in the 3D space-time case. This research takes root in the holographic principle, which conjectures that the geometry and the dynamic of a space-time region…
An important unsolved problem that affects practically all attempts to connect string theory to cosmology and phenomenology is how to distinguish effective field theories belonging to the string landscape from those that are not consistent…
We investigate states on the surface of strong and weak topological insulators and superconductors that have been gapped by a symmetry breaking term. The surface of a strong 3D topological insulator gapped by a magnetic material is well…
In (2+1) space-time dimensions the Einstein theory of gravity has no local degrees of freedom. In fact, in the presence of a negative cosmological term, it is described by a (1+1) dimensional theory living on its boundary: Liouville theory.…
Introductory lectures on higher-spin gauge theory given at 7 Aegean workshop on non-Einstein theories of gravity. The emphasis is on qualitative features of the higher-spin gauge theory and peculiarities of its space-time interpretation. In…
We study Kundt solutions of topologically massive gravity (TMG) and the new theory of massive gravity (NMG), proposed recently in arXiv:0901.1766. For topologically massive gravity, only the CSI Kundt solutions (i.e., solutions with…