Related papers: Exact thresholds and instanton effects in D=3 stri…
We discuss a set of universal couplings between superstring Ramond-Ramond gauge fields and the gauge fields internal to D-branes, with emphasis on their topological consequences, and argue that instanton solutions in these internal theories…
We consider SO(4) x SO(6) invariant type IIB string solution describing D3-branes superposed with D-instantons homogeneously distributed over D3-brane world-volume. In the near D3-brane horizon limit this background interpolates between…
The non-perturbative dynamics of quantum field theories is studied using theoretical tools inspired by string formalism. Two main lines are developed: the analysis of stringy instantons in a class of four-dimensional N=2 gauge theories and…
We discuss the possible applications of string theory for the construction of generalizations of the $SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1)$ standard model of strong and electroweak interactions. This includes an investigation of effective $d=4$…
The strong coupling dynamics of string theories in dimension $d\geq 4$ are studied. It is argued, among other things, that eleven-dimensional supergravity arises as a low energy limit of the ten-dimensional Type IIA superstring, and that a…
In this letter, we investigate corrections to quartic gauge couplings in compactifications of string theories on a 2-torus without vector structure. First, we calculate the threshold corrections to F^4 terms in the heterotic CHL string.…
In the reduction of 4d dualities to 3d there are non-perturbative effects arising from monopoles acting as instantons. This mechanism has been reproduced in string theory by engineering the theories in a IIA brane setup. Nevertheless there…
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…
In this thesis we elaborate on the three subjects of the title. We first show that supertubes exist and still preserve some supersymmetry in a large variety of curved backgrounds. Within the AdS/CFT correspondence we study the supersymmetry…
We develop a new approach to extracting the physical consequences of S-duality of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills (SYM) and its string theory dual, based on $SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ spectral theory. We observe that CFT…
We investigate the infinite-distance properties of families of unstable flux vacua in string theory with broken supersymmetry. To this end, we employ a generalized notion of distance in the moduli space and we build a holographic…
Certain scattering amplitudes in the gravitational sector of type II string theory on K3 x T^2 are found to be computed by correlation functions of the N=4 topological string. This analysis extends the already known results for K3 by…
We study the spectrum of solvable string models on plane waves descending from non-conformal Dp-brane geometries. We mainly focus on S-dual F1/D1-waves in type IIB and type I/heterotic 10D superstrings. We derive the Kaluza-Klein spectrum…
N=2 heterotic strings may provide a window into the physics of M-theory radically different than that found via the other supersymmetric string theories. In addition to their supersymmetric structure, these strings carry a four-dimensional…
We propose a novel string theory propagating in a non-commutative deformation of the four dimensional space T* T^2 whose scattering states correspond to superconformal theories in 5 dimensions and the scattering amplitudes compute…
We explore the space of non-gravitational, maximally supersymmetric, planar 4d effective field theories (EFTs) that have $\mathcal{N}=4$ super Yang-Mills (SYM) at leading order. We show that in the weakly-coupled regime, highly non-trivial…
We study five-dimensional supersymmetric field theories with one-dimensional Coulomb branch. We extend a previous analysis which led to non-trivial fixed points with $E_n$ symmetry ($E_8$, $E_7$, $E_6$, $E_5=Spin(10)$, $E_4=SU(5)$,…
Using instanton calculus we check, in the weak coupling region, the nonperturbative relation $$ <\Tr\phi^2>=i\pi\left(\cf-{a\over 2} {\partial\cf\over\partial a}\right)$$ obtained for a N=2 globally supersymmetric gauge theory. Our…
Making use of non-perturbative U-duality symmetries of type II strings we construct new `superstring' vacua in three dimensions with N=1 supersymmetry. This has an interpretation as compactifying formally from 13 dimensions (S-theory) on…
In this paper we first address four point functions of string amplitudes in both type IIA and IIB string theories. Making use of non-BPS scattering amplitudes, we explore not only several Bianchi identities that hold in both transverse and…