Related papers: Coping With Strongly Coupled String Theory
I summarize and discuss some recent results on formulating actions of six-dimensional superconformal field theories using the language of higher gauge theory. The latter guarantees mathematical consistency of our constructions and we review…
We develop an effective field theory to describe the superfluid pairing in strongly interacting fermions with arbitrary short-range attractions, by extending Kaplan's idea of coupling fermions to a fictitious boson state in Nucl. Phys. B…
We study the dynamics of Green-Schwarz superstring on the gravitational wave background corresponding to the Matrix string theory and the supersymmetry transformation rules of the superstring. The dynamics is obtained in the light-cone…
We spell out the derivation of novel features, put forward earlier in a letter, of two dimensional gravity in the strong coupling regime, at $C_L=7$, 13, 19. Within the operator approach previously developed, they neatly follow from the…
Supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions have taught us many important physics lessons. These can both inform and be informed by future work on the lattice. I focus on three issues: the properties of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory…
Axions, grand unification, and string theory are each compelling extensions of the Standard Model. We show that combining these frameworks imposes strong constraints on the QCD axion mass. Using unitarity arguments and explicit string…
A slow-rolling scalar field ($Q\equiv$ Quintessence) with potential energy $V_Q\sim (3\times 10^{-3} {\rm eV})^4$ has been proposed as the origin of accelerating universe at present. We investigate the effective potential of $Q$ in the…
This talk surveys a broad range of applications of quantum field theory, as well as some recent developments. The stress is on the notion of effective field theories. Topics include implications of neutrino mass and a possible small value…
The QCD axion stands as one of the most promising candidates for resolving the strong CP problem. However, the value of the axion's decay constant $f_a$ and, by extension, its mass $m_a$, remain uncertain within the framework of effective…
We argue that the light particles in string theory obey an effective quantum mechanics modified by the inclusion of a quantum-gravitational friction term, induced by unavoidable couplings to unobserved massive string states in the…
Many models of physics beyond the Standard Model predict minicharged particles to which current and near future low-energy experiments are highly sensitive. Such minicharges arise generically from kinetic-mixing in theories containing at…
We investigate the possibility that unification occurs at strong coupling. We show that, despite the fact the couplings pass through a strong coupling regime, accurate predictions for their low energy values are possible because the…
We study cosmic strings in the complex symmetron model, a scalar-tensor theory with a spontaneously broken local $U(1)$ symmetry in low matter density regions. Using numerical simulations, we show that these strings preferentially attach to…
One of the fundamental challenges in string theory is to derive realistic four-dimensional cosmological backgrounds from it despite strict consistency conditions that constrain its possible low-energy backgrounds. In this work, we focus on…
We show that little string theory on S^5 can be obtained as double-scaling limits of the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories on RxS^2 and RxS^3/Z_k. By matching the gauge theory parameters with those in the gravity duals found by…
A field theory approach to summing threshold effects to the gauge couplings in a two-torus compactification is presented and the link with the (heterotic) string calculation is carefully investigated. We analyse whether the complete UV…
We calculate couplings of arbitrary order from correlation functions among twisted strings, using conformal field theory. Twisted strings arise in heterotic string compactified on orbifolds yielding matter fields in the low energy limit. We…
We investigate the asymptotic Tower Weak Gravity Conjecture in weak coupling limits of open string theories with minimal supersymmetry in four dimensions, focusing for definiteness on gauge theories realized on 7-branes in F-theory.…
The strong coupling physics of two dimensional gravity at $C=7$, $13$, $19$ is summarized. It is based on a new set of local fields which do not preserve chirality. Thus this quantum number becomes ``deconfined'' in the strongly coupled…
Landscape analyses often assume the existence of large numbers of fields, $N$, with all of the many couplings among these fields (subject to constraints such as local supersymmetry) selected independently and randomly from simple (say…