Related papers: Towards Minkowski Vacua in Type II String Compacti…
Stable de Sitter solutions in minimal F-term supergravity are known to lie close to Minkowski critical points. We consider a class of STU-models arising from type IIB compactifications with generalised fluxes. There, we apply an analytical…
We consider compactifications of M-theory and type IIA string theory to four dimensions. For Minkowski space-time, a supergravity no-go theorem forbids flux supported in the internal space. We show how to evade this no-go theorem by…
We generalize the recent proposal that invariance under T-duality leads to additional non-geometric fluxes required so that superpotentials in type IIA and type IIB orientifolds match. We show that invariance under type IIB S-duality…
Flux compactification of IIB string theory associates special points in Calabi-Yau moduli space to choices of (pairs of) integral three-form fluxes. In this paper, we propose that supersymmetric flux vacua are modular. That is, to a…
We review the prospect of obtaining tree-level de Sitter (dS) vacua and slow-roll inflation models in string compactifications. Restricting ourselves to the closed string sector and assuming the absence of NSNS-sources, we classify the…
We revisit the issue of moduli stabilization in a class of N=1 four dimensional supergravity theories which are low energy descriptions of standard perturbative heterotic string vacua compactified on Calabi-Yau spaces. In particular, we…
We review a duality procedure that relates standard matter-coupled N=1 supergravity to dual formulations in which auxiliary fields are replaced by field-strengths of gauge three-forms. As examples, we consider the dualization of the rigid…
We study models of stabilization near large complex structure in type IIB O3/O7 flux compactifications. We consider a special family of examples with a single nonvanishing Yukawa coupling in the large complex structure limit, which allows…
We discuss a novel strategy to construct 4D N=0 stable flux vacua of type II string theory, based on the existence of BPS bounds for probe D-branes in some of these backgrounds. In particular, we consider compactifications where D-branes…
Moduli stabilisation in string compactifications with many light scalars remains a major blind-spot in the string landscape. In these regimes, analytic methods cease to work for generic choices of UV parameters which is why numerical…
This review article consists of two parts. In the first part we use the formalism of (exceptional) generalized geometry to derive the scalar field space of SU(2)xSU(2)-structure compactifications. We show that in contrast to SU(3)xSU(3)…
We investigate the lifting of half-maximal four-dimensional gauged supergravities to compactifications of string theory. It is shown that a class of such supergravities can arise from compactifications of IIA string theory on manifolds of…
We continue the investigation into non-maximally symmetric compactifications of the heterotic string. In particular, we consider compactifications where the internal space is allowed to depend on two or more external directions. For…
Based on the assumption that the target space duality ($T\to 1/T$) is preserved even nonperturbatively, the properties of static string vacua are studied. A discussion of the effective four-dimensional supergravity action based on…
After a short introduction to Matrix theory, we explain how can one generalize matrix models to describe toroidal compactifications of M-theory and the heterotic vacua with 16 supercharges. This allows us, for the first time in history, to…
We derive the conditions for unbroken supersymmetry for a Mink_2, (2,0) vacuum, arising from Type II supergravity on a compact eight-dimensional manifold M_8. When specialized to internal manifolds enjoying SU(4)xSU(4) structure the…
We introduce an ansatz which allows us to solve the supersymmetry equations for warped N=1 AdS4 type II supergravity compactifications of general SU(3)xSU(3) structure. As a byproduct we obtain a set of necessary conditions which every…
We study certain compactifications of the type I string on K3. The three topologically distinct choices of gauge bundle for the type I theory are shown to be equivalent to type IIB orientifolds with different choices of background…
We study the properties of M and F theory compactifications to three and four dimensions with background fluxes. We provide a simple construction of supersymmetric vacua, including some with orientifold descriptions. These vacua, which have…
We consider massive type IIA compactifications down to 4 dimensions in presence of O6 planes and D6 branes parallel to them, in order to preserve half-maximal supersymmetry in 4D. The dynamics of open strings living on the spacetime filling…