Related papers: Orbifold Compactification and Related Phenomenolog…
Motivated by the simplicity and direct phenomenological applicability of field-theoretic orbifold constructions in the context of grand unification, we set out to survey the immensely rich group-theoretical possibilities open to this type…
Finite Unified Theories (FUTs) are N=1 supersymmetric Grand Unified Theories that can be made all-loop finite. The requirement of all-loop finiteness leads to a severe reduction of the free parameters of the theory and, in turn, to a large…
Positive vacuum energy together with extra dimensions of space imply that our four-dimensional Universe is unstable, generically to decompactification of the extra dimensions. Either quantum tunneling or thermal fluctuations carry one past…
These lectures give an introduction to Gravitational Lensing. We discuss lensing by point masses, lensing by galaxies, and lensing by clusters and larger-scale structures in the Universe. The relevant theory is developed and applications to…
We present a precise definition of extended homotopy quantum field theories and develop an orbifold construction for these theories when the target space is the classifying space of a finite group $G$, i.e. for $G$-equivariant topological…
We use recently obtained 2-loop string coupling constants to analyze a class of string models based on orbifold compactification. Assuming weak coupling at the string scale and single-scale unification leads to restrictions on the spectrum…
We use the linear supermultiplet formalism of supergravity to study axion couplings and chiral anomalies in the context of field-theoretical Lagrangians describing orbifold compactifications beyond the classical approximation. By matching…
In these lectures we present a few topics in Quantum Field Theory in detail. Some of them are conceptual and some more practical. They have been selected because they appear frequently in current applications to Particle Physics and String…
We explore a mechanism to obtain the observational small value for the 4-dimensional vacuum energy through an exponential warp-factor suppression. Intriguingly the required suppression scale relates directly to the GUT scale. We demonstrate…
A brief overview of the current state of the problem of electromagnetic field singularities arising from the refraction and scattering of light by material objects is given. The discussion begins with caustics arising from ray tracing in…
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…
We introduce continuous Wilson lines to reduce the rank of the gauge group in orbifold constructions. In situations where the orbifold twist can be realised as a rotation in the root lattice of a grand unified group we derive an appealing…
We study the physics of globally consistent four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetric M-theory compactifications on $G_2$ manifolds constructed via twisted connected sum; there are now perhaps fifty million examples of these…
Recently, an attractive model of GUT breaking has been proposed in which a 5 dimensional supersymmetric SU(5) gauge theory on an S^1/(Z_2\times Z_2') orbifold is broken down to the 4d MSSM by SU(5)-violating boundary conditions. Motivated…
We discuss compactifications of the heterotic string in the presence of background fluxes. Specifically we consider compactifications on T^6, T^5, K3 x T^2 and K3 x S^1 for which we derive the bosonic sector of the low energy effective…
We briefly review attempts to construct string theories that yield the standard model, concentrating on models with a geometric interpretation. Calabi-Yau compactifications are discussed in the context of both the weakly coupled heterotic…
We initiate the study of Brane Gas Cosmology (BGC) on manifolds with non-trivial holonomy. Such compactifications are required within the context of superstring theory in order to make connections with realistic particle physics. We study…
Particle physics has evolved in the past decade through evaluating the consequences of experimental measurements as well as exploiting theoretical tools that permit exploration of new model building and cosmological possibilities.…
The quantum theory of General Relativity at low energy exists and is of the form called "effective field theory". In this talk I describe the ideas of effective field theory and its application to General Relativity.
These Lectures summarize the relevant material on existent applications of jet manifold techniques to classical and quantum field theory. The following topics are included: 1. Fibre bundles, 2. Jet manifolds, 3. Connections, 4. Lagrangian…