Related papers: Heterotic/Type II Triality and Instantons on $K_3$
In this lecture we summarize some recent work on the understanding of instanton effects in string theories with 16 supersymmetries. In particular, we consider F^4 couplings using the duality between the heterotic string on T^4 and type IIA…
In these lecture notes duality tests and instanton effects in supersymmetric vacua of string theory are discussed. A broad overview of BPS-saturated terms in the effective actions is first given. Their role in testing the consistency of…
We compute certain 2K+4-point, one-loop couplings in the type IIA string compactified on K3 x T^2, which are related to a topological index on this manifold. Their special feature is that they are sensitive to only short and intermediate…
D-instanton effects are studied for the IIB orientifold T^2/I\Omega(-1)^{F_L} of Sen using type I/heterotic duality. An exact one loop threshold calculation of t_8 \tr F^4 and t_8(\tr F^2)^2 terms for the heterotic string on T^2 with Wilson…
We consider type IIA compactification on $K3$. We show that the instanton subsectors of the worldvolume of $N$ 4-branes wrapped around $K3$ lead to a Hagedorn density of BPS states in accord with heterotic-type IIA duality in 6 dimensions.…
Three-dimensional string theories with 16 supersymmetries are believed to possess a non-perturbative U-duality symmetry $SO(8,24,\Zint)$. By covariantizing the heterotic one-loop amplitude under U-duality, we propose an exact expression for…
The 1/8 BPS $D^6\mathcal{R}^4$ coupling in type II string theory compactified on $T^2$ receives contributions from worldsheet instantons and anti-instantons wrapping the $T^2$, up to genus three in string perturbation theory. These involve…
We study heterotic/type I duality in d=8,9 uncompactified dimensions. We consider the special (``BPS saturated'') F^4 and R^4 terms in the effective one-loop heterotic action, which are expected to be non-perturbatively exact. Under the…
We discuss a string model where a conformal four-dimensional N=2 gauge theory receives corrections to its gauge kinetic functions from "stringy" instantons. These contributions are explicitly evaluated by exploiting the localization…
We discuss the equivalence between Type I, Type II and Heterotic N=2 superstring theories in four dimensions. We study the effective field theory of Type I models obtained by orientifold reductions of Type IIB compactifications on…
We discuss K-theoretic matching of D-brane charges in the string duality between type I on the 4-torus and type IIA on a K3 surface. This case is more complex than the familiar case of IIA/IIB duality, which is already well understood, but…
We investigate the non-perturbative equivalence of some heterotic/type IIA dual pairs with N=2 supersymmetry. We compute R2-like corrections, both on the type IIA and on the heterotic side. The coincidence of their perturbative part…
We revisit the duality between heterotic string theory compactified on K3 x T^2 and type IIA compactified on a Calabi-Yau threefold X in the hypermultiplet sector. We derive an explicit map between the field variables of the respective…
We review quantitative tests on the duality between the heterotic string on T^2 and F-theory on K3. On the heterotic side, certain threshold corrections to the effective action can be exactly computed at one-loop order, and the issue is to…
We express the infinite sum of D-fivebrane instanton corrections to ${\cal R}^2$ couplings in ${\cal N}=4$ type I string vacua, in terms of an elliptic index counting 1/2-BPS excitations in the effective $Sp(N)$ brane theory. We compute the…
We review aspects of N=2 duality between the heterotic and the type IIA string. After a description of string duality intended for the non-specialist the computation of the heterotic prepotential and the $F_1$ function for the ST, STU and…
We compute the gravitational coupling $F_1$ for IIA string theory on $K3 \times T^2$ and use string-string duality to deduce the corresponding term for heterotic string on $T^6$. The latter is an infinite sum of gravitational instanton…
The relation between some perturbative non-BPS states of the heterotic theory on T^4 and non-perturbative non-BPS states of the orbifold limit of type IIA on K3 is exhibited. The relevant states include a non-BPS D-string, and a non-BPS…
We continue our study of heterotic/type-I duality in D<10 dimensions. We consider the heterotic and type-I theories compactified on tori to lower dimensions. We calculate the special (``BPS saturated'') F^4 and R^4 terms in the effective…
The non-perturbative equivalence of four-dimensional N=2 superstrings with three vector multiplets and four hypermultiplets is analysed. These models are obtained through freely acting orbifold compactifications from the heterotic, the…