Related papers: Tameness, Strings, and the Distance Conjecture
The Emergent String Conjecture constrains the possible types of light towers in infinite-distance limits in quantum gravity moduli spaces. In this paper, we use these constraints to restrict the geometry of the scalar charge-to-mass vectors…
We consider spacetime-dependent solutions to string theory models with tadpoles for dynamical fields, arising from non-trivial scalar potentials. The solutions have necessarily finite extent in spacetime, and are capped off by boundaries at…
There is evidence that string theory possesses a large discretuum of stable and/or metastable ground states, with zero or four supersymmetries in four dimensions. I discuss critically the nature of this evidence. Assuming this "landscape"…
We use freely acting asymmetric orbifolds of type IIB string theory to construct a class of theories in four dimensions with eight supercharges. Their low energy effective field theories resemble $STU$ models, but have different duality…
The distance conjecture diagnoses viable low-energy effective realisation of consistent theories of quantum gravity by examining their breakdown at infinite distance in their parameter space. At the same time, infinite distance points in…
The axion Weak Gravity Conjecture implies that when parametrically increasing the axion decay constants, instanton corrections become increasingly important. We provide strong evidence for the validity of this conjecture by studying the…
We show that cosmological observables can constrain the topology of the compact additional dimensions predicted by string theory. To do this, we develop a general strategy for relating cosmological observables to the microscopic parameters…
We examine recent claims of a large set of flux compactification solutions of string theory. We conclude that the arguments for AdS solutions are plausible. The analysis of meta-stable dS solutions inevitably leads to situations where long…
Effective field theories consistent with quantum gravity obey surprising finiteness constraints, appearing in several distinct but interconnected forms. In this work we develop a framework that unifies these observations by proposing that…
We formulate a series of conjectures relating the geometry of conformal manifolds to the spectrum of local operators in conformal field theories in $d>2$ spacetime dimensions. We focus on conformal manifolds with limiting points at infinite…
We revisit type II$_0$ limits in the vector multiplet moduli space of compactifications of Type IIB string theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds. These limits are special because they cannot be described using mirror symmetry. While we showed in…
We study effective potentials coming from compactifications of string theory. We show that, under mild assumptions, such potentials are bounded from below in four dimensions, giving an affirmative answer to a conjecture proposed by the…
We study limits of infinite distance in the moduli space of 4d $\mathcal{N} = 2$ string compactifications, in which instanton effects dominate. We first consider trajectories in the hypermultiplet moduli space of type IIB Calabi-Yau…
Quantization of two-dimensional Yang-Mills theory on a torus in the gauge where the field strength is diagonal leads to twisted sectors that are completely analogous to the ones that originate long string states in Matrix String Theory. If…
In presence of a static pair of sources, the spectrum of low-lying states of any confining gauge theory in D space-time dimensions is described, at large source separations, by an effective string theory. Recently two important advances…
We investigate infinite distance limits in the complex structure moduli space of F-theory compactified on K3 to eight dimensions. While this is among the simplest possible arenas to test ideas about the Swampland Distance Conjecture, it is…
We study particle theories that have a tower of worldline internal degrees of freedom. Such a theory can arise when the worldsheet of closed strings is dimensionally reduced to a worldline, in which case the tower is infinite with regularly…
We propose a generalized finiteness principle for physical theories, in terms of the concept of tameness in mathematical logic. A tame function or space can only have a finite amount of structure, in a precise sense which we explain.…
We systematically analyse weak coupling limits for 2-form tensor fields in the presence of gravity. Such limits are significant for testing various versions of the Weak Gravity and Swampland Distance Conjectures, and more broadly, the…
Four-dimensional compactifications of string theory provide a controlled set of possible gauge representations accounting for BSM particles and dark sector components. In this review, constraints from perturbative Type II string…