Related papers: Topological Gravity, the Hierarchy Problem and Axi…
In this paper, we derive the field equations of quartic quasi-topological gravity by varying the action with respect to the metric. Also, we obtain the linearized graviton equations in the AdS background and find that it is governed by a…
The effective action of string theory in three dimensions is investigated, incorporating the Lorentz and gauge Chern-Simons terms in the definition of the Kalb-Ramond axion field strength. Since in three dimensions any three-form is…
Massive gravity models in 2+1 dimensions, such as those obtained by adding to Einstein's gravity the usual Fierz-Pauli, or the more complicated Ricci scalar squared ($R^2$), terms, are tree level unitary. Interesting enough these seemingly…
A topological theory for euclidean gravity in eight dimensions is built by enforcing octonionic self-duality conditions on the spin connection. The eight-dimensional manifold must be of a special type, with G_2 or Spin(7) holonomy. The…
Some classical aspects of Metric-Affine Gravity are reviewed in the context of the $F^{(n)}(R)$ type models (polynomials of degree $n$ in the Riemann tensor) and the topologically massive gravity. At the non-perturbative level, we explore…
We analyze AdS and dS swampland conjectures in a three-dimensional higher spin theory with self-interacting matter, which contains conformal gravity and is almost topological. A theory of a similar type was proposed as the effective theory…
We consider Randall-Sundrum model with localized gravity, replacing the extra compact space-like dimension by a time-like one. In this way the solution to the hierarchy problem can be reconciled with a correct cosmological expansion of the…
We present a systematical study of brane worlds in string theory on $S^{1}/Z_{2}$. Starting with the toroidal compactification of the NS/NS sector in (D+d) dimensions, we first obtain an effective $D$-dimensional action, and then compactify…
We consider the higher order clockwork theory of gravitational interactions, whereby a number of gravitons are coupled together with TeV strength, but nevertheless generate a Planck scale coupling to matter without the need for a dilaton.…
In this paper we show, through the study of concrete examples, that, depending on the cosmic dynamics of the energy density of matter degrees of freedom living in the brane, Randall-Sundrum (RS) brane effects can be important not only at…
This dissertation investigates three main topics, all of which dealing with alternative, higher-order gravity theories in four dimensions. Firstly, we study the variational and conformal structure of those theories. Next, we analyse their…
We obtain a bosonization prescription that allows to represent the energy-momentum tensor and supersymmetry generators of non-critical superstring theories with minimal matter as those of topological supergravity. Superstrings with $N=1$…
We recently proposed a solution to the hierarchy problem not relying on low-energy supersymmetry or technicolor. Instead, the problem is nullified by bringing quantum gravity down to the TeV scale. This is accomplished by the presence of $n…
These lectures present some topics of string phenomenology and contain two parts. In the first part, I review the possibility of lowering the string scale in the TeV region, that provides a theoretical framework for solving the mass…
Studying spacetimes with continuous symmetries by dimensional reduction to a lower dimensional spacetime is a well known technique in field theory and gravity. Recently, its use has been advocated in numerical relativity as an efficient…
Low-energy effective theories provide a natural description of four-dimensional physics in higher-dimensional geometries, where the imprint of the bulk geometry appears as parameters of the lower-dimensional theory. Inspired by the…
In the context of holography, we analyse aspects of supersymmetric geometries based on two-dimensional orbifolds known as spindles. By analysing spin$^c$ spinors on a spindle with an azimuthal rotation symmetry we show that under rather…
We perform a systematic study of the applicability of swampland constraints to theories of localized gravity. We find that these gravity theories can violate swampland constraints, but can be reconciled with them when coupled to a…
In the first part of this paper we investigate the operator aspect of higher-rank supersymmetric model which is introduced as a Lie theoretic extension of the $N=2$ minimal model with the simplest case $su(2)$ corresponding to the $N=2$…
We study a scenario allowing a solution of the strong charge parity problem via the Peccei-Quinn mechanism, implemented in gravity with torsion. In this framework there appears a torsion-related pseudoscalar field known as Kalb-Ramond…