Related papers: M-theory and the string genus expansion
We reinvestigate the dilaton coupling in the string theory, which comes from a wrapped membrane. The ghost number anomaly associated with the string worldsheet diffeomorphism is shown to induce the dilaton coupling.
The bosonic membrane in a partial gauge, where one space dimension is eliminated, is formulated as a perturbation theory around an exact free string-like solution. This perturbative regime corresponds to a situation where one of the…
String and membrane dynamics may be unified into a theory of 2+2 dimensional self-dual world-volumes living in a 10+2 dimensional target space. Some of the vacua of this M-theory are described by the N=(2,1) heterotic string, whose target…
We analyze how string theory dualities may be described in M theory. T dualities arise from scalar-vector dualities in the worldvolume of the membrane of M theory. ``Electric-magnetic'' dualities arise from a duality transformation in M…
We examine the extent to which the action for the membrane of M-theory (the eleven-dimensional construct which underlies and unifies all of the known string theories) simplifies in the so-called Open Membrane (OM) limit, a limit which lies…
We show how the topological string partition function, which is known to capture the degeneracies of a gas of BPS spinning M2-branes in M-theory compactified to 5 dimensions, is related to a 4-dimensional D-brane system that consists of…
A first-quantized string (and membrane) theory is developed here by using a general wave function of the string (and membrane), analogously to the first-quantized quantum theory of a point particle. From the general wave function of the…
It is pointed out that string-loop effects may generate matter couplings for the dilaton allowing this scalar partner of the tensorial graviton to stay massless while contributing to macroscopic gravity in a way naturally compatible with…
We study and extend the duality web unifying different decoupling limits of type II superstring theories and M-theory. We systematically build connections to different corners, such as Matrix theories, nonrelativistic string and M-theory,…
This thesis presents several new insights on the interface between mathematics and theoretical physics, with a central role for fermions on Riemann surfaces. First of all, the duality between Vafa-Witten theory and WZW models is embedded…
Two topological issues on membranes in M-theory are studied: (1) Soliton is an important subject in M-theory. Under the framework of obstruction theory with the help from framed links in $S^3$, we give a complete enumeration of topological…
The $R^2 F^{2g-2}$ terms of Type IIA strings on Calabi-Yau 3-folds, which are given by the corresponding topological string amplitudes (a worldsheet instanton sum for all genera), are shown to have a simple M-theory interpretation. In…
An overview is given of the way in which the unification program of particle physics has evolved into the proposal of superstring theory as a prime candidate for unifying quantum gravity with the other forces and particles of nature. A key…
In this article we examine the compatibility of some recent results, results relating M-Theory to String Theory, with the string-string duality conjecture in six-dimensions. In particular, we rederive the relation between M-Theory and Type…
The dynamics of brane-like extended objects in spacetimes with torsion is derived from the conservation equations of stress-energy and spin tensors. Thus obtained world-sheet equations are applied to macroscopic test membranes made of…
We introduce and develop the theory of metaparticles. At the classical level, this is a world-line theory with the usual reparameterization invariance and two additional features. The theory is motivated by string theory on compact targets,…
We study mass-deformed N=2 gauge theories from various points of view. Their partition functions can be computed via three dual approaches: firstly, (p,q)-brane webs in type II string theory using Nekrasov's instanton calculus, secondly,…
This presentation is intended to give a flavour of the physics to be studied and discovered by exploiting the interface between string theory, M-theory and field theory provided by the dynamics of extended objects called `branes', and their…
It is here explained how the Green-Schwarz superstring theory arises from Matrix String Theory. This is obtained as the strong YM-coupling limit of the theory expanded around its BPS instantonic configurations, via the identification of the…
A study is made of the implications of heterotic string $T$-duality and extended gauge symmetry for the conjectured equivalence of heterotic and Type I superstrings. While at first sight heterotic string world-sheet dynamics appears to…