Related papers: Duality, Compactification, and $e^{-1/\lambda}$ Ef…
Three-dimensional string theories with 16 supersymmetries are believed to possess a non-perturbative U-duality symmetry $SO(8,24,\Zint)$. By covariantizing the heterotic one-loop amplitude under U-duality, we propose an exact expression for…
We re-examine the question of heterotic - heterotic string duality in six dimensions and argue that the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string, compactified on $K3$ with equal instanton numbers in the two $E_8$'s, has a self-duality that inverts…
A detailed understanding of instanton effects for half-BPS couplings is pursued in theories with 16 supersymmetries. In particular, we investigate the duality between heterotic string on $T^4$ and type IIA on $K_3$ at the $T^4/Z_2$ orbifold…
We review exact results obtained for R^4 couplings in maximally supersymmetric type II string theories. These couplings offer a privileged scene to understand the rules of semiclassical calculus in string theory. Upon expansion in weak…
We study the relation between stringy instantons and strong dynamics effects in type IIB toric quiver gauge theories. By exploiting the involutive property of Seiberg duality we relate the classical constraint on the moduli space of the…
It is well-established that compactifying type I string theory on a circle \( S^{(1)} \) transforms the theory under T-duality into type I' theory, the compactification of type IIA string theory on the orbifold \(…
We review recent progress in determining the effects of D-brane instantons in N=1 supersymmetric compactifications of Type II string theory to four dimensions. We describe the abstract D-brane instanton calculus for holomorphic couplings…
We review recent results on string coupling selection rules for heterotic orbifolds, derived using conformal field theory. Such rules are the first step towards understanding the viability of the recently obtained compactifications with…
A long-standing puzzle about the heterotic string has been what happens when an instanton shrinks to zero size. It is argued here that the answer at the quantum level is that an extra $SU(2)$ gauge symmetry appears that is supported in the…
In this paper we consider the role that worldsheet instantons in the heterotic string could play in spin-statistics violations. Such violations are nonperturbative in the string tension and so would not appear in the spacetime effective…
We reconsider the question of which Calabi-Yau compactifications of the heterotic string are stable under world-sheet instanton corrections to the effective space-time superpotential. For instance, compactifications described by (0,2)…
We study non-perturbative aspects of the large N duality between Chern-Simons theory and topological strings, and we find a rich structure of large N phase transitions in the complex plane of the 't Hooft parameter. These transitions are…
A canonical Lorentz invariant field theory extension of collective field theory of d=1 matrix models is presented. We show that the low density, discrete, sector of collective field theory includes single eigenvalue Euclidean instantons…
We analyze a class of dual pairs of heterotic and type I models based on freely-acting $\mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2$ orbifolds in four dimensions. Using the adiabatic argument, it is possible to calculate non-perturbative contributions…
This paper investigates relationships between low-energy four-particle scattering amplitudes with external gauge particles and gravitons in the E_8 X E_8 and SO(32) heterotic string theories and the type I and type IA superstring theories…
This introductory part of the author's PhD compilation thesis discusses non-perturbative aspects of string theory, with focus on D-instantons which play key roles in the context of string phenomenology and dualities. By translating ideas…
This PhD thesis explores the properties of certain solutions in stringy effective field theories (EFTs). In the context of heterotic string theory (HST), we study $\alpha'$ corrections to well-known black hole solutions. We present…
We propose a candidate for the dual (in the weak/strong coupling sense) of the six-dimensional heterotic string compactification constructed recently by Chaudhuri, Hockney and Lykken. It is a type IIA string theory compactified on an…
We show that the classical equations of motion of the low-energy effective field theory describing the massless modes of the heterotic (or type I) string admit two classes of supersymmetric self--dual backgrounds. The first class, which was…
The structure of stringy quantum corrections to four-dimensional effective theories is particularly interesting for string phenomenology and attempts to stabilize moduli. We consider the heterotic string compactified on a Calabi-Yau space.…