Related papers: String Theory on K3 Surfaces

This thesis is almost entirely devoted to studying string theory backgrounds characterized by simple geometrical and integrability properties. The archetype of this type of system is given by Wess-Zumino-Witten models, describing string…

Inspired by constructions over the complex numbers of Dolgachev and Alexeev-Engel, we define moduli stacks $\mathcal{M}_{(L,\mathcal{A})/\mathbb{Z}}$ of lattice-polarized K3 surfaces over arbitrary bases, paying particular attention to the…

We propose an organizing principle for string theory moduli spaces in six dimensions with $\mathcal{N} = (1,1)$, based on a rank reduction map, into which all known constructions fit. In the case of cyclic orbifolds, which are the main…

We show that the moduli space of ordered 5 points on the projective line is isomorphic to an arithmetic quotient of a complex ball by using the theory of periods of K3 surfaces. We also discuss a relation between our uniformization and the…

For certain K3 surfaces, there are two constructions of mirror symmetry that are very different. The first, known as BHK mirror symmetry, comes from the Landau-Ginzburg model for the K3 surface; the other, known as LPK3 mirror symmetry, is…

We explicitly determine the locations of G orbifold conformal field theories, G=Z_M, M=2,3,4,6, G=\hat D_n, n=4,5, or G the binary tetrahedral group \hat T, within the moduli space M^{K3} of N=(4,4) superconformal field theories associated…

We construct non-geometric compactifications by using the F-theory dual of the heterotic string compactified on a two-torus, together with a close connection between Siegel modular forms of genus two and the equations of certain K3…

We review recent work which has significantly sharpened our geometric understanding and interpretation of the moduli space of certain $N$=2 superconformal field theories. This has resolved some important issues in mirror symmetry and has…

We construct a modular compactification via stable slc pairs for the moduli spaces of K3 surfaces with a nonsymplectic group of automorphisms under the assumption that some combination of the fixed loci of automorphisms defines an effective…

Compactifications of the heterotic string on T^d are the simplest, yet rich enough playgrounds to uncover swampland ideas: the U(1)^{d+16} left-moving gauge symmetry gets enhanced at special points in moduli space only to certain groups. We…

We analyze the map between heterotic and type II N=2 supersymmetric string theories for certain two and three moduli examples found by Kachru and Vafa. The appearance of elliptic j-functions can be traced back to specializations of the…

A strongly reflective modular form with respect to an orthogonal group of signature (2,n) determines a Lorentzian Kac--Moody algebra. We find a new geometric application of such modular forms: we prove that if the weight is larger than n…

We study the moduli spaces of k U(N) vortices which are realized by the Higgs branch of a U(k) supersymmetric gauge theory. The theory has 4 supercharges and lives on k D1-branes in a N D3- and NS5-brane background. We realize the vortex…

Nikulin and Vinberg proved that there are only a finite number of lattices of rank $\geq 3$ that are the N\'eron-Severi group of projective K3 surfaces with a finite automorphism group. The aim of this paper is to provide a more geometric…

String theory on $AdS_3 \times S^3 \times T^4$ has 20 moduli. We investigate how the perturbative closed string spectrum changes as we move around this moduli space in both the RR and NSNS flux backgrounds. We find that, at weak string…

These notes will give an introduction to the theory of K3 surfaces. We begin with some general results on K3 surfaces, including the construction of their moduli space and some of its properties. We then move on to focus on the theory of…

The nature of M-theory on K3 X I, where I is a line interval, is considered, with a view towards formulating a `matrix theory' representation of that situation. Various limits of this compactification of M-theory yield a number of well…

The name "K3 surfaces" was coined by A. Weil in 1957 when he formulated a research programme for these surfaces and their moduli. Since then, irreducible holomorphic symplectic manifolds have been introduced as a higher dimensional analogue…

Motivated by the relation between (twisted) K3 surfaces and special cubic fourfolds, we construct moduli spaces of polarized twisted K3 surfaces of any fixed degree and order. We do this by mimicking the construction of the moduli space of…

We discuss N=2 supersymmetric compactifications to four dimensions from the point of view of F-theory and heterotic theory. In a relatively simple setup, we illustrate the spectral theory for vector bundles on K3xT^2 and discuss the…