Related papers: The M-Theory Three-Form and Singular Geometries

We study the physics of multiple M5-branes compactified on a hyperbolic 3-manifold. On the one hand, it leads to the 3d-3d correspondence which maps an $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theory to a pure Chern-Simons theory on the…

We argue that the following three statements cannot all be true: (i) our vacuum is a type IIB / F-theory vacuum at moderate-to-large $h^{1,1}$, (ii) the $\alpha'$-expansion is controlled via the supergravity approximation, \`a la the KKLT…

We study Chern-Simons theory on 3-manifolds $M$ that are circle-bundles over 2-dimensional surfaces $\Sigma$ and show that the method of Abelianisation, previously employed for trivial bundles $\Sigma \times S^1$, can be adapted to this…

We initiate the construction of gauge fluxes in F-theory compactifications on genus-one fibrations which only have a multi-section as opposed to a section. F-theory on such spaces gives rise to discrete gauge symmetries in the effective…

We study the 3-algebraic structure involved in the recently shown M2-branes worldvolume gauge theories. We first extend an arbitrary finite dimensional 3-algebra into an infinite dimensional 3-algebra by adding a mode number to each…

Last week, A. Sen found an explicit type I string compactification dual to the eight-dimensional F-theory construction with SO(8)^4 nonabelian gauge symmetry. He found that the perturbations around the enhanced symmetry point were described…

We demonstrate how non-simply-laced gauge and flavor symmetries arise in F-theory on spaces with non-isolated singularities. The breaking from a simply-laced symmetry to one that is non-simply-laced is induced by Calabi-Yau complex…

We review recent progress in the construction of four-dimensional vacua of Type II string theory and F-theory which yield the Standard Model of particle physics (SM) or extensions thereof. In Type II orientifold compactifications the SM…

We introduce a notion of topological M-theory and argue that it provides a unification of form theories of gravity in various dimensions. Its classical solutions involve G_2 holonomy metrics on 7-manifolds, obtained from a topological…

We analyze $M$-theory compactified on $(K3\times S^1)/Z_2$ where the $Z_2$ changes the sign of the three form gauge field, acts on $S^1$ as a parity transformation and on K3 as an involution with eight fixed points preserving SU(2)…

Using F-theory/heterotic duality, we describe a framework for analyzing non-geometric T2-fibered heterotic compactifications to six- and four-dimensions. Our results suggest that among T2-fibered heterotic string vacua, the non-geometric…

We show that the $D=11$ Supermembrane theory (M2-brane) compactified on a $M_9 \times T^2$ target space, with constant fluxes $C_{\pm}$ naturally incorporates the geometrical structure of a twisted torus. We extend the M2-brane theory to a…

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 study 4D F-theory compactifications on singular Calabi-Yau fourfolds with fluxes. The resulting N=1 effective theories can admit non-Abelian and U(1) gauge groups as well as charged chiral matter. In these setups we analyze anomaly…

We derive new dualities of topological quantum field theories in three spacetime dimensions that generalize the familiar level-rank dualities of Chern-Simons gauge theories. The key ingredient in these dualities is non-abelian anyon…

After a short introduction to Matrix theory, we explain how can one generalize matrix models to describe toroidal compactifications of M-theory and the heterotic vacua with 16 supercharges. This allows us, for the first time in history, to…

We study the duality between M-theory on compact holonomy G2-manifolds and the heterotic string on Calabi-Yau three-folds. The duality is studied for K3-fibered G2-manifolds, called twisted connected sums, which lend themselves to an…

We consider "magnetized brane" compactifications of the type I/heterotic string on K3 with U(1) background fluxes. The nonabelian gauge group and matter content of the resulting six-dimensional vacua are parameterized by a matrix encoding a…

By turning on antisymmetric background fluxes, we study how multiple M2-branes are coupled to them. Our investigation concentrates on the gauge invariance conditions for the Myers-Chern-Simons action. Furthermore, the dimensional reduction…

We study the dynamics of a single M2-brane probing toric Calabi-Yau four-fold singularity in the context of the recently proposed M-theory crystal model of AdS4/CFT3 dual pairs. We obtain an effective abelian gauge theory in which the…