Related papers: On the Landscape of Superstring Theory in D > 10
Superstring theories in the critical dimension D=10 are connected to one another by a well-explored web of dualities. In this paper we use closed-string tachyon condensation to connect the supersymmetric moduli space of the critical…
A non-supersymmetric ten-dimensional open string theory is constructed as an orbifold of type I string theory, and as an orientifold of the bosonic type B theory. It is purely bosonic, and cancellation of massless tadpoles requires the…
We extend strong/weak coupling duality to string theories without spacetime supersymmetry, and focus on the case of the unique ten-dimensional, nonsupersymmetric, tachyon-free $SO(16)\times SO(16)$ heterotic string. We construct a…
We propose that the ten-dimensional $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string is related to an eleven-dimensional theory on the orbifold ${\bf R}^{10}\times {\bf S}^1/{\bf Z}_2$ in the same way that the Type IIA string in ten dimensions is related…
The strong coupling dynamics of string theories in dimension $d\geq 4$ are studied. It is argued, among other things, that eleven-dimensional supergravity arises as a low energy limit of the ten-dimensional Type IIA superstring, and that a…
Both the supersymmetric $SO(32)$ and $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic strings in ten dimensions have known strong-coupling duals. However, it has not been known whether there also exist strong-coupling duals for the non-supersymmetric heterotic…
We consider tachyon condensation in unstable ten-dimensional heterotic string theory with gauge group E8. In the background of a lightlike linear dilaton rolling to weak coupling, we find an exact solution in which the theory decays to a…
We consider non-critical heterotic strings compactified on $S^1$. For full rank theories, they are related to odd self-dual lattices and are structurally of the same form as the critical non-supersymmetric theories. For dimensions up to 14…
In addition to the familiar string theories with spacetime supersymmetry, there exist a number of non-supersymmetric ten-dimensional superstrings. Nearly all of these theories have closed string tachyons, indicating a misidentification of…
It is shown that the heterotic string emerges as a soliton in the type I superstring theory in ten dimensions. The collective coordinates of the soliton are described by a smooth, chiral worldsheet theory. There are eight bosonic and eight…
We construct heterotic string theories on spacetimes of the form R^{d-1,1} times N=2 linear dilaton, where d=6,4,2,0. There are two lines of supersymmetric theories descending from the two supersymmetric ten-dimensional heterotic theories.…
It is well-known that the SO(32) and $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic strings can be continuously connected to each other in nine dimensions. Since the strong-coupling duals of these theories are respectively the SO(32) Type I theory and M-theory…
The tachyon-free nonsupersymmetric string theories in ten dimensions have dilaton tadpoles which forbid a Minkowski vacuum. We determine the maximally symmetric backgrounds for the $USp(32)$ Type I string and the $SO(16)\times SO(16)$…
The heterotic string occurs as a soliton of the type I superstring in ten dimensions, supporting the conjecture that these two theories are equivalent. The conjecture that the type IIB string is self-dual, with the strong coupling dynamics…
The heterotic string theory, compactified to four dimensions, has been conjectured to have a duality symmetry (S duality) that transforms the dilaton nonlinearly. If valid, this symmetry could provide an important means of obtaining…
We discuss the duality between two type I compactifications to four dimensions and an heterotic construction with spontaneous breaking of the N=4 supersymmetry to N=2. This duality allows us to gain insight into the non-perturbative…
We study the asymptotic limits of the heterotic string theories compactified on tori. We find a bilinear form uniquely determined by dualities which becomes Lorentzian in the case of one spacetime dimension. For the case of the SO(32)…
These lectures begin by reviewing the evidence for S duality of the toroidally compactified heterotic string in 4d that was obtained in the period 1992--94. Next they review recently discovered dualities that relate all five of the 10d…
We derive the ten-dimensional effective action of the strongly coupled heterotic string as the low energy limit of M-theory on S^1/Z_2. In contrast to a conventional dimensional reduction, it is necessary to integrate out nontrivial heavy…
I argue that the ten dimensional non--supersymmetric tachyonic superstrings may serve as good starting points for the construction of viable phenomenological vacua. Thus, enlarging the space of possible solutions that may address some of…