Related papers: From Weak to Strong Coupling in Two-Dimensional Gr…
We study $R^2$ gravity in $(2+\epsilon)$--dimensional quantum gravity. Taking care of the oversubtraction problem in the conformal mode dynamics, we perform a full order calculation of string susceptibility in the $\epsilon \rightarrow 0$…
We study the localization of gravity on string-like defects in codimension two. We point out that the gravity-localizing `local cosmic string' spacetime has an orbifold singularity at the horizon. The supergravity embedding and the AdS/CFT…
We study two-dimensional Liouville gravity and minimal string theory on spaces with fixed length boundaries. We find explicit formulas describing the gravitational dressing of bulk and boundary correlators in the disk. Their structure has a…
The prediction of the strong coupling constant in grand unified theories is reviewed, first in the standard model, then in the supersymmetric version. Various corrections are considered. The predictions in both supergravity-induced and…
The Weak Gravity Conjecture holds that in a theory of quantum gravity, any gauge force must mediate interactions stronger than gravity for some particles. This statement has surprisingly deep and extensive connections to many different…
We study the boundary correlation functions in Liouville theory and in solvable statistical models of 2D quantum gravity. In Liouville theory we derive functional identities for all fundamental boundary structure constants, similar to the…
GR can be interpreted as a theory of evolving 3-geometries. A recent such formulation, the 3-space approach of Barbour, Foster and \'{O} Murchadha, also permits the construction of a limited number of other theories of evolving…
In this paper I will further investigate the spectrum of quantum gravity or string theories at large number of dimensions. We will see that volumes of certain orbifolds shrink at large D. It follows that the mass spectra of the leading…
We couple c=-2 matter to 2-dimensional gravity within the framework of dynamical triangulations. We use a very fast algorithm, special to the c=-2 case, in order to test scaling of correlation functions defined in terms of geodesic distance…
We derive curvature counterterms in two-dimensional gravity coupled to conformal matter up to infinite order. By construction the higher-order action is equivalent to a finite first-order theory with auxiliary scalar. Due to this…
Recent developments in string duality suggest that the string scale may not be irrevocably tied to the Planck scale. Two explicit but unrealistic examples are described where the ratio of the string scale to the Planck scale is arbitrarily…
We propose a precise duality between pure de Sitter quantum gravity in 2+1 dimensions and a double-scaled matrix integral. This duality unfolds in two distinct aspects. First, by carefully quantizing the gravitational phase space, we arrive…
We prove a version of the Weak Gravity Conjecture for 6d F-theory or heterotic string compactifications with 8 supercharges. This sharpens our previous analysis by including massless scalar fields. The latter are known to modify the Weak…
We consider $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal quiver gauge theories in four dimensions and evaluate the chiral/anti-chiral correlators of single-trace operators. We show that it is convenient to form particular twisted and untwisted…
The two-dimensional manifestly locally supersymmetric actions describing the N=2 and N=4 extended super-Liouville theory coupled to the N=2 and N=4 conformal supergravity, respectively, are constructed in superspace. It is shown that the…
We study four-dimensional simplicial gravity through numerical simulation with special attention to the existence of singular vertices, in the strong coupling phase, that are shared by abnormally large numbers of four-simplices. We attempt…
Gravity duals for little string theories --- which give rise to four-dimensional theories that undergo permanent confinement in the infrared --- have not been studied in great detail. We address this question in the framework of heterotic…
We study the origins of the five ten-dimensional ``matrix superstring'' theories, supplementing old results with new ones, and find that they all fit into a unified framework. In all cases the matrix definition of the string in the limit of…
As open N=2 or 4 strings describe self-dual N=4 super Yang-Mills in 2+2 dimensions, the corresponding closed (heterotic) strings describe self-dual ungauged (gauged) N=8 supergravity. These theories are conveniently formulated in a chiral…
In the strong coupling limit type IIA superstring theory develops an eleventh dimension that is not apparent in perturbation theory. This suggests the existence of a consistent 11d quantum theory, called M theory, which is approximated by…