Related papers: M2-brane partition functions and HD supergravity f…
We develop a framework to construct worldvolume gauge theories on D2-branes probing compound Du Val (cDV) Calabi-Yau threefold singularities. By viewing these singularities as ADE surface fibrations over the complex $w$-plane, we encode…
Partition functions for M2-brane theories in various backgrounds are computed. We consider in particular configurations of membranes at orbifold singularities preserving N=5 or N=6 supersymmetry. The worldvolume membrane theory for some of…
We use the 5-sphere partition functions of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories to explore the (2,0) superconformal theory on S^5 x S^1. The 5d theories can be regarded as Scherk-Schwarz reductions of the 6d theory along the circle. In a…
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 study a system of N D2-branes probing a generic Calabi-Yau three-fold singularity in the presence of a non-zero quantized Romans mass n. We argue that the low-energy effective N = 2 Chern-Simons quiver gauge theory flows to a…
It is shown that any anisotropic and inhomogeneous cosmological solution to the lowest-order, four-dimensional, dilaton-graviton string equations of motion may be employed as a seed to derive a curved, three-brane cosmological solution to…
We study the quantum volume of D-branes wrapped around various cycles in Calabi-Yau manifolds, as the manifold's moduli are varied. In particular, we focus on the behaviour of these D-branes near phase transitions between distinct low…
The dynamics of a stack of M5 branes probing a transverse multi-centered Taub-NUT space are described by a class of 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ superconformal field theories known as the M-string orbifold SCFTs. We determine the equivariant…
It has recently been conjectured that the AdS_5/SYM_4 correspondence can be generalized away from the conformal limit, to a duality between supergravity on the full asymptotically flat three-brane background and a theory characterized as…
We review the construction of regular p-brane solutions of M-theory and string theory with less than maximal supersymmetry whose transverse spaces have metrics with special holonomy, and where additional fluxes allow brane resolutions via…
In this review article we present an analysis of several aspects of four-dimensional, non-perturbative N=1 compactifications of string theory. Our study focuses on brane dynamics and their effective physics as encoded in the holomorphic…
We develop tools for determining the gauge theory resulting from a configuration of Type IIB D3-branes probing a non-compact, toric Calabi-Yau 3-fold, in the presence of additional flavor D7-branes with general embeddings. Two main…
We consider an open string version of the topological twist previously proposed for sigma-models with G2 target spaces. We determine the cohomology of open strings states and relate these to geometric deformations of calibrated submanifolds…
In this paper we study various cosmological solutions for a D3/D7 system directly from M-theory with fluxes and M2-branes. In M-theory, these solutions exist only if we incorporate higher derivative corrections from the curvatures as well…
Following an eight-dimensional gauged supergravity approach we construct the most general solution describing D6-branes wrapped on a Kahler four-cycle taken to be the product of two spheres of different radii. Our solution interpolates…
On the world-volume of an $M$-theory five-brane propagates a two-form with self-dual field strength. As this field is non-Lagrangian, there is no obvious framework for determining its partition function. An analogous problem exists in Type…
This is a pedagogical and extended version of the results published in Refs. [1,2] and presented by the authors in various talks during the last year. We discuss the type II D-branes (both regular and fractional) of the orbifold…
We initiate a study of the holographic duals of a class of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories that are engineered by wrapping M5-branes on a sphere with an irregular puncture. These notably include the…
We discuss BPS states preserving 1/4 supersymmetries of N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory as M2-branes holomorphically embedded and ending on M5-branes. We use techniques in electrodynamics to find the M2-brane configurations, and give…
In this paper, we study the implementation of brane worlds in type II string theory. Starting with the NS/NS sector of type II string, we first compactify the $(D+d_{+} + d_{-})$-dimensional spacetime, and reduce the corresponding action to…