Related papers: The M5-brane on K3 and del Pezzo's and multi-loop …
We review some recent developments in the study of M-theory compactifications via Matrix theory. In particular we highlight the appearance of IIA strings and their interactions, and explain the unifying role of the M-theory five-brane for…
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…
We study the central charges of the supersymmetry algebra of branes in backgrounds corresponding to wrapped M5-branes. In the case of M5-branes wrapping a holomorphic 2-cycle in two complex-dimensional space, we find this allows for a…
We study M(atrix) theory description of M theory compactified on T5/Z2 orbifold. In the large volume limit we show that M theory dynamics is described by N=8 supersymmetric USp(2N) M(atrix) quantum mechanics. Via zero-brane parton…
We construct modular invariant partition functions for strings propagating on non-compact manifolds of G_2 holonomy. Our amplitudes involve a pair of N=1 minimal models M_m, M_{m+2} (m=3,4,...) and are identified as describing strings on…
We construct an M-theory dual of a 6 dimensional little string theory with reduced supersymmetry, along the lines of Polchinski and Strassler. We find that upon perturbing the (2,0) theory with an R-current, the M5 branes polarize into a…
By identifying the moduli space of coupling constants in the SYM description of toroidal compactifications of M(atrix)-Theory, we construct the M(atrix) description of the moduli spaces of Type IIA string theory compactified on T^n.…
The Matrix theory description of Type IIA string theory on a compact K3 surface as the theory of Neveu-Schwarz five-branes on $\tilde{K3}\times S^1$ is analyzed. The full multiplet of space-time BPS states is identified in the five-brane…
BPS saturated p-branes play an important role in recent progress in understanding superstring theory and M theory. One approach to understanding the dynamics of p-branes is to formulate an effective (p+1)-dimensional world-volume theory.…
We establish a correspondence between toroidal compactifications of M-theory and del Pezzo surfaces. M-theory on T^k corresponds to P^2 blown up at k generic points; Type IIB corresponds to P^1\times P^1. The moduli of compactifications of…
We show how the topological string partition function, which is known to capture the degeneracies of a gas of BPS spinning M2-branes in M-theory compactified to 5 dimensions, is related to a 4-dimensional D-brane system that consists of…
We consider, in flux compactification of heterotic string theory, spacetime-filling five-branes. Stabilizing the fivebrane involves minimizing the combined energy density of the tension and a Coulomb potential associated with an internal…
We analyze in detail the D-branes in the near-horizon limit of NS5-branes on a circle, the holographic dual of little string theory in a double scaling limit. We emphasize their geometry in the background of the NS5-branes and show the…
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…
This thesis is based on two papers by the author and consists of two parts. We review the recent developments in the theory of multiple M2-branes and 3-algebras leading to multiple D2-brane theories. The inclusion of flux terms for the…
We give a simple proof of the known S-duality of Heterotic String theory compactified on a T^6. Using this S-duality we calculate the tensions for a class of BPS 5-branes in Heterotic String theory on a circle. One of these, the…
The low-energy description of wrapped M5 branes in compactifications of M-theory on a Calabi-Yau threefold times a circle is given by a conformal field theory studied by Maldacena, Strominger and Witten and known as the MSW CFT. Taking the…
We conjecture the existence of two new non-gravitational six-dimensional string theories, defined as the decoupling limit of NS5-branes in the background of near-critical electrical two- and three-form RR fields. These theories are…
We study BPS saturated one-loop amplitudes in type II string theory compactified on K3 x T^2. The classes of amplitudes we consider are only sensitive to the very basic topological data of the internal K3 manifold. As a consequence, the…
We study little string theory on R^1 x S^5, defined by a theory which lives on type IIA N NS5 branes wrapped on S^5, using its supergravity dual. In particular we study semiclassical rotating closed strings in this background. We also…