Related papers: Predictions for orientifold field theories from ty…
Anomalous U(1) gauge symmetries in type II orientifold theories show some unexpected properties. In contrast to the heterotic case, the masses of the gauge bosons are in general of order of the string scale even in the absence of large…
As of today there exist consistent, gauge-invariant string field theories describing all string theories: bosonic open and closed strings, open superstrings, heterotic strings and type II strings. The construction of these theories require…
We propose non-supersymmetric analogues of 6d N=2 Type II/heterotic dualities via a quotient of a K3 surface: an Enriques surface. We start from Type~II strings on a K3 surface and construct orbifold theories using an involution of K3. We…
We discuss gauge theories on D3 branes embedded in special non-tachyonic orientifolds of the 0B string theory. In general, they correspond to non-supersymmetric SU(N) gauge theories with scalars in the adjoint representation and spinors in…
In superstring theory spin structures are present on both the 2-dimensional worldsheet and 10-dimensional spacetime. We present a new proposal for the B-field in superstring theory and demonstrate its interaction with worldsheet spin…
We use equivariant K-theory to classify charges of new (possibly non-supersymmetric) states localized on various orientifolds in Type II string theory. We also comment on the stringy construction of new D-branes and demonstrate the discrete…
We present the construction of exactly solvable superconformal field theories describing Type II string models compactified on compact G_2 manifolds. These models are defined by anti-holomorphic quotients of the form (CY*S^1)/Z_2, where we…
Effective theories with the matter content of the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model below the string scale M_string predict a wrong value for the weak--mixing angle sin^2\theta_W and strong coupling constant \alpha_S at the scale M_Z.…
We study a class of four-dimensional N=1 heterotic string theories which have nontrivial quantum dynamics arising from asymptotically free gauge groups. These models are obtained by orbifolding 4d N=2 heterotic/type II dual pairs by…
If the vacuum manifold of a field theory has the appropriate topological structure, the theory admits topological structures analogous to the D-branes of string theory, in which defects of one dimension terminate on other defects of higher…
Closed string theories on orbifolds contain both untwisted and twisted states. The latter are normally assumed to live exactly at the orbifold fixed points. We perform a calculation of a gauge field tadpole amplitude and show that off-shell…
In this paper we present a symmetry of a toroidally compactified type II string theory. This symmetry has the interpretaion that it interchanges the left and the right-moving worldsheet coordinates and reverses the orientations of some of…
String theory one-loop threshold corrections are studied in a background field approach due to Kiritsis and Kounnas which uses space-time curvature as an infrared regulator. We review the conformal field theory aspects using the…
We study large N dualities for a class of ${\cal N} = 1$ theories realized on type IIB D5 branes wrapping 2-cycles of local Calabi-Yau threefolds which is obtained from resolving orbifolded conifolds or as effective field theories on D4…
In this thesis, we explore two approaches to string phenomenology. In the first half of the work, we investigate M-theory compactifications on spaces with co-dimension four, orbifold singularities. We construct M-theory on C^2/Z_N by…
Target space modular symmetries relevant to string loop threshold corrections are studied for $Z_N$ orbifold compactified string theories containing Wilson line background fields.
We consider string theory in a time dependent orbifold with a null singularity. The singularity separates a contracting universe from an expanding universe, thus constituting a big crunch followed by a big bang. We quantize the theory both…
We consider non-supersymmetric large N orientifold field theories. Specifically, we discuss a gauge theory with a Dirac fermion in the anti-symmetric tensor representation. We argue that, at large N and in a large part of its bosonic…
We suggest that orbifold field theories which are obtained from non-commutative N=4 SYM are UV finite. In particular, non-supersymmetric orbifold truncations might be finite even at finite values of Nc.
The first part of this thesis is a general introduction to the bosonic and fermionic string theory, to the concept of D brane and to string dualities. A discussion of anomalies cancellation closes the chapter. The second part of the thesis…