Related papers: Does Superstring Theory Have a Conformally Invaria…
A brief review of the motivation and the present status of Fractional Superstring is presented. Talk at ``Strings 93'', Berkeley, May 1993.
We give a mathematical perspective on string compactifications. Submitted as a chapter in the Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics.
We obtain an explicit expression for the supersymmetric Wilson loop in terms of chiral superfields and supercurrents in superspace. The result turns out to be different from what one would expect from the simple replacement of Lie algebra…
We consider field theories with sixteen supersymmetries, which includes U(N) Yang-Mills theories in various dimensions, and argue that their large N limit is related to certain supergravity solutions. We study this by considering a system…
The recent discovery of an explicit conformal field theory description of Type II $p$-branes makes it possible to investigate the existence of bound states of such objects. In particular, it is possible with reasonable precision to verify…
Recent progress concerning regularization of supersymmetric theories is reviewed. Dimensional reduction is reformulated in a mathematically consistent way, and an elegant and general method is presented that allows to study the…
We study the 6d $\mathcal{N}=(1,0)$ superconformal field theory with smallest non-Higgsable gauge symmetry $SU(3)$. In particular, we propose new 2d gauge theory descriptions of its self-dual strings in the tensor branch. We use our gauge…
In an effort to promote communication between the formal and phenomenological branches of the high-energy theory community, we provide a description of some important issues in supersymmetric and string phenomenology. We describe each…
In these lectures, we review the D=11 supermembrane and supersymmetric matrix models at an introductory level. We also discuss some more recent developments in connection with non-perturbative string theory.
The strongly coupled limit of string scattering and the automorphic construction of the graviton S-matrix is compared with the eleven dimensional formulation of M-theory. In a particular scaling limit at strong string coupling, M-theory is…
We study a family of unstable heterotic string theories in more than ten dimensions which are connected via tachyon condensation to the ten-dimensional supersymmetric vacuum of heterotic string theory with gauge group SO(32). Calculating…
We discuss the singularities in the moduli space of string compactifications to six dimensions with $N=1$ supersymmetry. Such singularities arise from either massless particles or non-critical tensionless strings. The points with…
Superstring theory has continued to develop at a rapid clip in the past few years. Following a quick review of some of the major discoveries prior to 1998, this talk focuses on a few of the more recent developments. The topics I have chosen…
In any string theory there is a hidden, twisted superconformal symmetry algebra, part of which is made up by the BRST current and the anti-ghost. We investigate how this algebra can be systematically constructed for strings with $N\!-\!2$…
We explicitly construct and list all unitary superconformal multiplets, along with their index contributions, in five and six dimensions. From this data, we uncover various unifying themes in the representation theory of five- and…
We derive the universal threshold corrections in heterotic string theory including a continuous Wilson line. Unification of gauge and gravitational couplings is shown to be possible even within perturbative string theory. The relative…
We propose a non-perturbative definition for refined topological strings. This can be used to compute the partition function of superconformal theories in 5 dimensions on squashed S^5 and the superconformal index of a large number of 6…
Multiloop superstring amplitudes are calculated in the explicit form by the solution of Ward identities. A naive generalization of Belavin-Knizhnik theorem to the superstring is found to be incorrect since the period matrix turns out to be…
We suggest a supergravity dual for the $(1,0)$ superconformal field theory in six dimensions which has $E_8$ global symmetry. Compared to the description of the (2,0) field theory, the 4-sphere is replaced by a 4-hemisphere, or by…
Simple scaling properties of correlation functions of a confining gauge theory in d-dimensions lead to the conclusion that k-string dynamics is described, in the infrared limit, by a two-dimensional conformal field theory with conformal…