Related papers: On the Universality Class of Certain String Theory…
We find a regular analytic 1st order deformation of the Klebanov-Strassler background. From the dual gauge theory point of view the deformation describes supersymmetry soft breaking gaugino mass terms. We calculate the difference in vacuum…
The mechanism of confinement in Yang-Mills theories remains a challenge to our understanding of nonperturbative gauge dynamics. While it is widely perceived that confinement may arise from chromo-magnetically charged gauge configurations…
We classify the large $N$ limits of four-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories with simple gauge groups that flow to superconformal fixed points. We restrict ourselves to the ones without a superpotential and with a fixed flavor…
We present the low-energy effective theory on long strings in quantum field theory, including a streamlined review of previous literature on the subject. Such long strings can appear in the form of solitonic strings, as in the 4d Abelian…
In this thesis we discuss non-perturbative phenomena emerging in gauge and in string/supergravity theories. We compute the partition function of 5D minimal supersymmetric U(1) gauge theory with extra adjoint matter in general…
The general form of N=2 supergravity coupled to an arbitrary number of vector multiplets and hypermultiplets, with a generic gauging of the scalar manifold isometries is given. This extends the results already available in the literature in…
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 $d=4$…
We investigate the quantum properties of the truly gauge-invariant and conserved charges of two-dimensional Yang-Mills theories, focusing on lattice QCD in the strong coupling regime. The construction of those charges uses the integral…
We invoke probe brane arguments to classify the asymptotic behavior of general five-dimensional supergravity theories with eight supercharges near infinite distance boundaries of the vector multiplet moduli space. Imposing consistency of…
Using the embedding tensor formalism we give the general conditions for the existence of N=1 vacua in spontaneously broken N=2 supergravities. Our results confirm the necessity of having both electrically and magnetically charged multiplets…
We study junctions between confining strings. These junctions arise in Yang-Mills theories, and we focus on their universal low-energy dynamics. Using open-closed duality, we map junctions with nonlinear corrections to the $s$-wave…
We construct supergravity solutions dual to twisted field theories that are the worldvolume theories of D4-branes wrapped on 2, 3-cycles, and NS-fivebranes on 3-cycles. We first obtain the solutions for the Romans' six-dimensional gauged…
We show the existence of solitonic solutions of five-dimensional supergravity, which can be interpreted as global cosmic strings in our universe. They possess the same mathematical structure as the stringy cosmic strings studied by Greene,…
Various nonsupersymmetric theories at large but finite $N$ are argued to permit light scalars and large hierarchies without fine-tuning. In a dual string description, the hierarchy results from competition between classical and quantum…
It is known, since the 70's, that the large N 't Hooft limit of gauge theories is related to string theories. In 1998, J. M. Maldacena identified precisely such a relation: the so-called AdS/CFT correspondence which speculates a duality…
We discuss two dimensional Yang -- Mills theories with massless fermions in arbitrary representations of a gauge group $G$. It is shown that the physics (spectrum and interactions) of the massive states in such models is independent of the…
The static Yang-Mills-Higgs dyonic instanton is shown to have a non-vanishing, but anti-self-dual, angular momentum 2-form with skew eigenvalues equal to the electric charge; for large charge the angular momentum causes the instanton to…
We discuss the connection between Weyl$^2$ supergravity and superstrings and further discuss holography between 4-dimensional, ${\cal N}=4$ superconformal Weyl$^2$ supergravity and ${\cal N}=8$, higher spin-four theory on $AdS_5$. The…
We consider compactifications of the matrix model of M-theory on $S^1/Z_2\times T^d$ for $d>0$, and interpret them as orbifolds of the supersymmetric U(N) Yang-Mills theory on $R\times T^{d+1}$. The orbifold group acts both on the gauge…
We study theories with sixteen supercharges and a discrete energy spectrum. One class of theories has symmetry group $SU(2|4)$. They arise as truncations of ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang Mills. They include the plane wave matrix model, 2+1 super…