Related papers: On Smooth Time-Dependent Orbifolds and Null Singul…
We consider the effective action for strings and describe in detail the evolution of a four dimensional homogeneous isotropic universe with matter included. We find that the evolution, which is singular in general, becomes singularity free…
We define string geometry: spaces of superstrings including the interactions, their topologies, charts, and metrics. Trajectories in asymptotic processes on a space of strings reproduce the right moduli space of the super Riemann surfaces…
We study a class of ${\cal N}=(1,0)$ little string theories obtained from orbifolds of M-brane configurations. These are realised in two different ways that are dual to each other: either as $M$ parallel M5-branes probing a transverse…
We propose a bottom-up approach to the building of particle physics models from string theory. Our building blocks are Type II D-branes which we combine appropriately to reproduce desirable features of a particle theory model: 1) Chirality…
We investigate boundary dynamics of orbifold conformal field theory involving T-duality twists. Such models typically appear in contexts of non-geometric string compactifications that are called monodrofolds or T-folds in recent literature.…
This thesis contains an introductory chapter on orbifolds. The following chapter explains the foundations of orientifolds. Chapters 4-7 present own research. In chapter 4 we quantize open strings with linear boundary conditions, as they…
In quantum field theory, an orbifold is a way to obtain a new theory from an old one by gauging a finite global symmetry. This definition of orbifold does not make sense for quantum gravity theories, that admit (conjecturally) no global…
We study string theory on orbifolds in the presence of an antisymmetric constant background field and discuss some of new aspects of the theory. It is shown that the term with the antisymmetric field has a topological nature like a…
We consider "sliver" states which act as projection operators in the matter star product of Witten's cubic string field theory. These sliver states, which might be associated with Dirichlet p-branes, are not finite norm states in the matter…
We construct a string theory in three-dimensional anti-de Sitter space-time that is independent of the boundary metric. It is a topologically twisted theory of quantum gravity. We study string theories with an asymptotic N=2 superconformal…
We use mirror symmetry to establish the first concrete arena of spacetime topology change in string theory. In particular, we establish that the {\it quantum theories} based on certain nonlinear sigma models with topologically distinct…
In this paper we consider a class of exactly solvable closed string flux backgrounds that exhibit non-commutativity in the closed string coordinates. They are realized in terms of freely-acting asymmetric Z_N-orbifolds, which are themselves…
We investigate maximally symmetric backgrounds in nonsupersymmetric string vacua with D-branes and O-planes localized in the compact space. We find a class of solutions with a perturbative string coupling constant in all regions of…
Fluxbrane-like backgrounds obtained from flat space by a sequence of T-dualities and shifts of polar coordinates (beta deformations) provide an interesting class of exactly solvable string theories. We compute the one-loop partition…
We study the realization of supergroup gauge theories using negative branes in string theory. We show that negative branes are intimately connected with the possibility of timelike compactification and exotic spacetime signatures previously…
We study type IIB superstring in the pp-wave time-dependent background, which has a singularity at $t=0$. We show that this background can provide a toy model to study some ideas related to the stretched horizon paradigm and the…
Arguably the simplest model of a cosmological singularity in string theory, the Lorentzian orbifold $\Real^{1,1}/boost$ is known to lead to severe divergences in scattering amplitudes of untwisted states, indicating a large backreaction…
The null-brane background is a simple smooth 1/2 BPS solution of string theory. By tuning a parameter, this background develops a big crunch/big bang type singularity. We construct the DLCQ description of this space-time in terms of a…
To illustrate the general results of the previous paper, we discuss here a large concrete example of the orbifold-string theories of permutation-type. For each of the many subexamples, we focus on evaluation of the \emph{target space-time…
We consider M-theory in the presence of M parallel M5-branes probing a transverse A_{N-1} singularity. This leads to a superconformal theory with (1,0) supersymmetry in six dimensions. We compute the supersymmetric partition function of…