Related papers: Linear and nonlinear supersymmetry in field and st…
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…
Preliminary investigations of the topological phase of string theory along the lines of a (restricted) $\dot{w}_{\infty}$ non-linear sigma model are provided. Gauge fixing the w gravity gauge fields by preserving a geometric identity Lorenz…
Twisted supergravity is supergravity in a background where the bosonic ghost field takes a non-zero value. This is the supergravity counterpart of the familiar concept of twisting supersymmetric field theories. In this paper, we give…
Motivated by Ooguri and Vafa, we study superstrings in flat R^4 in a constant self-dual graviphoton background. The supergravity equations of motion are satisfied in this background which deforms the N=2 d=4 flat space super-Poincare…
Over the past three decades, considerable effort has been devoted to studying the rich and diverse phenomenologies of heterotic strings exhibiting spacetime supersymmetry. Unfortunately, during this same period, there has been relatively…
There are at present two known string theories in $(2,2)$ dimensions. One of them is the well known $N=2$ string, and the other one is a more recently constructed $N=1$ spacetime supersymmetric string. They are both based on certain…
We study some conditions for the hierarchy $m_{3/2} << M_P$ to occur naturally in a generic effective supergravity theory. Absence of fine-tuning and perturbative calculability require that the effective potential has a sliding gravitino…
Linearized supergravity in arbitrary dimension is reformulated into a first order formalism which treats the graviton and its dual on the same footing at the level of the action. This generalizes previous work by other authors in two…
Certain four-dimensional $N=4$ supersymmetric theories have special vacua in which massive charged vector supermultiplets become massless, resulting in an enhanced non-abelian gauge symmetry. We show here that any two $N=4$ theories having…
For type II supergravity backgrounds with superisometries the corresponding transformations and conserved currents for the superstring are constructed up to fourth order in $\Theta$. It is then shown how, for certain backgrounds related to…
We analyze $N=2,1,0$ vacua of type IIB string theory on $K3\times T^2/Z_2$ in presence of three-form fluxes from a four dimensional supergravity viewpoint. The quaternionic geometry of the $K3$ moduli space together with the special…
In this thesis, consisting of two main parts, we study observational signatures of cosmic (super)strings in the context of D-brane inflation and properties of scalar perturbations on generic homogeneous inflating backgrounds. In the first…
We summarize the main results of our recent investigation of bundles of real Clifford modules and briefly touch on some applications to string theory and supergravity.
We consider freely acting orbifold compactifications, which interpolate in two possible decompactification limits between the supersymmetric type II string and the non-supersymmetric type 0 string. In particular we discuss how D-branes are…
In the appropriate limit, a type IIB string theory setup involving D3 branes, wrapped D5 branes, and fluxes on a conifold generally leads to a supergravity background involving a warped version of the conifold with fluxes. We study the…
This thesis is focused on supersymmetric objects in gauged supergravities and their interpretation in string theory. Three particular theories are considered and analyzed: matter-coupled $d=4, 5$ abelian gauged supergravities with 8…
We study non-supersymmetric solutions of five dimensional N=2 supergravity theories coupled to an arbitrary number of abelian vector multiplets. The solutions constructed can be considered as deformations of known supersymmetric black hole…
We consider a generic scenario of spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in the hidden sector within N=1 supersymmetric orientifold compactifications of type II string theories with D-branes that support semi-realistic chiral gauge theories.…
We recently proposed a class of type IIB vacua that yield, at low energies, four--dimensional Minkowski spaces with broken supersymmetry and a constant string coupling. They are compactifications with an internal five-torus bearing a…
The two-loop chiral measure for superstring theories compactified on $\bZ_2$ reflection orbifolds is constructed from first principles for even spin structures. This is achieved by a careful implementation of the chiral splitting procedure…