Related papers: Topological G$_{2}$ and Spin(7) strings at 1-loop …
We study N=1 Minkowski vacua in compactifications of type II string theory in the language of exceptional generalized geometry (EGG). We find the differential equations governing the EGG analogues of the pure spinors of generalized complex…
A brief, example-oriented introduction is given to special holonomy and its uses in string theory and M-theory. We discuss A_k singularities and their resolution; the construction of a K3 surface by resolving T^4/Z_2; holomorphic cycles,…
We derive the topological obstruction to spin-Klein cobordism. This result has implications for signature change in general relativity, and for the $N=2$ superstring.
Let G be a compact Lie group. By work of Chataur and Menichi, the homology of the space of free loops in the classifying space of G is known to be the value on the circle in a homological conformal field theory. This means in particular…
In this paper we make further refinements to the duality proposed between N=1 SQCD and certain string (supergravity plus branes) backgrounds, working in the regime of comparable large number of colors and flavors. Using the string theory…
We review the relation between Chern-Simons gauge theory and topological string theory on noncompact Calabi-Yau spaces. This relation has made possible to give an exact solution of topological string theory on these spaces to all orders in…
We show that the BRST structure of the topological string is encoded in the ``small'' $N=4$ superconformal algebra, enabling us to obtain, in a non-trivial way, the string theory from hamiltonian reduction of $A(1|1)$. This leads to the…
We show that certain type II string amplitudes at genus $g$ are given by the topological partition function $F_g$ discussed recently by Bershadsky, Cecotti, Ooguri and Vafa. These amplitudes give rise to a term in the four-dimensional…
This paper studies in great detail a family of supersymmetric Wilson loop operators in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory we have recently found. For a generic curve on an S^3 in space-time the loops preserve two supercharges but we will…
We construct a world-sheet action for Green-Schwarz superstring in terms of doubled-yet-gauged spacetime coordinates. For an arbitrarily curved NS-NS background, the action possesses $\mathbf{O}(10,10)$ T-duality,…
We consider type IIB string theory on a seven dimensional orbifold with holonomy in G2. The motivation is to use D1-branes as probes of the geometry. The low energy theory on the D1-brane is a sigma-model with two real supercharges (N =…
We show that certain heterotic string amplitudes are given in terms of correlators of the twisted topological (2,0) SCFT, corresponding to the internal sector of the N=1 spacetime supersymmetric background. The genus g topological partition…
We collect together various facts about G_2 and Spin(7) geometry which are likely well known but which do not seem to have appeared explicitly in the literature before. These notes should be useful to graduate students and new researchers…
We construct an algebraic model for the Chas-Sullivan product and the Goresky-Hingston coproduct in string topology. The construction takes as its initial input a simplicial complex equipped with a local pairing on its simplicial chains,…
The anomalous dimension of twist-2 operators of arbitrary spin in planar N=4 SYM theory is found at seven loops by using the quantum spectral curve to compute values at fixed spin, and reconstructing the general result using the…
We study mirror symmetry of type II strings on manifolds with the exceptional holonomy groups $G_2$ and Spin(7). Our central result is a construction of mirrors of Spin(7) manifolds realized as generalized connected sums. In parallel to…
In the context of holography, we analyse aspects of supersymmetric geometries based on two-dimensional orbifolds known as spindles. By analysing spin$^c$ spinors on a spindle with an azimuthal rotation symmetry we show that under rather…
We demonstrate that for a broad class of local Calabi-Yau geometries built around a string of IP^1's - those whose toric diagrams are given by triangulations of a strip - we can derive simple rules, based on the topological vertex, for…
We develop a non planar topological vertex formalism and we use it to study the A-model partition function $\mathcal{Z}_{top}$ of topological string on the class of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds (CY3) in large complex structure limit. To that…
In this paper, we discuss Hochschild chain models for some of the string topology operations. We use these models to simplify the proofs and computations of some of the results in string topology. Along the way we also make some new…