Related papers: A Moduli Fixing Mechanism in M theory
We examine the mechanism of moduli stabilization by fluxes in the limit of a large number of moduli. We conjecture that one cannot stabilize all complex-structure moduli in F-theory at a generic point in moduli space (away from…
In this paper, we show that the presence of gauge fields in heterotic Calabi-Yau compacitifications causes the stabilisation of some, or all, of the complex structure moduli of the Calabi-Yau manifold while maintaining a Minkowski vacuum.…
We propose a topological version of four-dimensional (Euclidean) Einstein gravity, in which anti-self-dual 2-forms and an SU(2) connection are used as fundamental fields. The theory describes the moduli space of conformally self-dual…
We show that in certain compactifications of ${\cal M}$-theory on eight-manifolds to three-dimensional Minkowski space-time the four-form field strength can have a non-vanishing expectation value, while an $N=2$ supersymmetry is preserved.…
In extra-dimensional models which are compactified on an n-torus (n>1) there exist moduli associated with the torus volume (which sets the fundamental Planck scale), the ratios of the torus radii, and the angle(s) of periodicity. We…
The tadpole conjecture suggests that the complete stabilization of complex structure deformations in Type IIB and F-theory flux compactifications is severely obstructed by the tadpole bound on the fluxes. More precisely, it states that the…
We analyse the geometry of generic Minkowski $\mathcal{N}=1$, $D=4$ flux compactifications in string theory, the default backgrounds for string model building. In M-theory they are the natural string theoretic extensions of $\mathrm{G}_2$…
A longstanding question in superstring/$M$ theory is does it predict supersymmetry below the string scale? We formulate and discuss a necessary condition for this to be true; this is the mathematical conjecture that all stable, compact…
In this paper we derive part of the low energy action corresponding to F-theory compactifications on specific eight manifolds with SU(3) structure. The setup we use can actually be reduced to compactification of six-dimensional supergravity…
While M- and F-theory compactifications describe a much larger class of vacua than perturbative string compactifications, they typically need singularities to generate non-abelian gauge fields and charged matter. The physical explanation…
In this paper we study compactifications of heterotic string theory on manifolds satisfying the ddbar-lemma. We consider the Strominger system description of the low energy supergravity to first order in alpha' and show that the moduli of…
Type II orientifolds based on Landau-Ginzburg models are used to describe moduli stabilization for flux compactifications of type II theories from the world-sheet CFT point of view. We show that for certain types of type IIB orientifolds…
A brief, example-oriented introduction is given to special holonomy and its uses in string theory and M-theory. We discuss A_k singularities and their resolution; the construction of a K3 surface by resolving T^4/Z_2; holomorphic cycles,…
We characterize compact eight-manifolds M which arise as internal spaces in N=1 flux compactifications of M-theory down to AdS3 using the theory of foliations, for the case when the internal part of the supersymmetry generator is everywhere…
We relate the theory of moduli spaces $\overline{\mathcal{M}}_{0,\mathcal{A}}$ of stable weighted curves of genus $0$ to the equivariant topology of complex Grassmann manifolds $G_{n,2}$, with the canonical action of the compact torus…
We consider various aspects of compactifications of the Type I/heterotic $Spin(32)/\Z_2$ theory on K3. One family of such compactifications includes the standard embedding of the spin connection in the gauge group, and is on the same moduli…
We consider compactifications of type II string theory using exact internal CFT's with central charge $c=9+\epsilon$, $|\epsilon| \ll 1$, leading to an effective potential for the dilaton. For $\epsilon>0$ the potential is positive and the…
In a recent paper \cite{Acharya:2006ia} it was shown that in $M$ theory vacua without fluxes, all moduli are stabilized by the effective potential and a stable hierarchy is generated, consistent with standard gauge unification. This paper…
We study the rational homology of the Deligne--Mumford compactification $\overline{\mathcal M}_{g,n}$ of the moduli space of stable curves via a family of Morse functions, namely the $\text{sys}_T$ functions. Exploiting the geometric and…
In order to lift the continuous moduli space of string vacua, non-trivial fluxes may be the essential input. In this talk I summarize aspects of two approaches to compactifications in the presence of fluxes: (i) generalized Scherk-Schwarz…