Related papers: Zero and One-dimensional Probes with N=8 Supersymm…

A non-supersymmetric ten-dimensional open string theory is constructed as an orbifold of type I string theory, and as an orientifold of the bosonic type B theory. It is purely bosonic, and cancellation of massless tadpoles requires the…

We present a consistency condition for 8d ${\cal N} = 1$ supergravity theories with non-trivial global structure $G/Z$ for the non-Abelian gauge group, based on an anomaly involving the $Z$ 1-form center symmetry. The interplay with other…

Metastable supersymmetry breaking configurations of D-branes and NS5-branes in string theory often owe their existence to classical gravitational interactions between the branes. We show that in the effective theory of the light fields,…

The first part of this review tries to provide a self-contained view of supersymmetry breaking from the bottom-up perspective. We thus describe N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions, the Standard Model and the MSSM, with emphasis on the…

The first part of this thesis is a general introduction to the bosonic and fermionic string theory, to the concept of D brane and to string dualities. A discussion of anomalies cancellation closes the chapter. The second part of the thesis…

We determine the maximal gauge groups arising in $E_8$ heterotic string theory on $T^2$. Our analysis proceeds along two approaches. First, we start the moduli space of the supersymmetric heterotic string theory on $T^2$ focusing on points…

Using D2-brane probes, we study various properties of M-theory on singular, non-compact manifolds of G_2 and Spin(7) holonomy. We derive mirror pairs of N=1 supersymmetric three-dimensional gauge theories, and apply this technique to…

In particle physics model building discrete symmetries are often invoked to forbid unwanted or dangerous couplings. A classical example is the R-parity of the MSSM, which guarantees the absence of dimension four baryon- and lepton-number…

We use dyonic brane configurations of type 0 string theory to study large N non-supersymmetric 4d gauge theories. The brane configurations define theories similar to the supersymmetric ones which arise in type II. We find the non-SUSY…

I discuss two types of non-supersymmetric string model constructions that give at low energy exactly the Standard model (SM) with no additional matter/and or gauge group factors. The construction is based on D6 branes intersecting at angles…

We construct non-supersymmetric type I string models which correspond to consistent flat-space solutions of all classical equations of motion. Moreover, the one-loop vacuum energy is naturally fixed by the size of compact extra dimensions…

We construct and analyze D-branes in superstring theories in even dimensions less than ten. The backgrounds under study are supersymmetric R^{d-1,1} \times SL(2,R)_k / U(1) where the level of the supercoset is tuned such as to provide bona…

We embed the large N Chern-Simons/topological string duality in ordinary superstrings. This corresponds to a large $N$ duality between generalized gauge systems with N=1 supersymmetry in 4 dimensions and superstrings propagating on…

We review recent progress in constructing realistic brane models from type I string vacua. Explicit models with three families of the standard model gauge group and its left-right generalizations are presented with supersymmetry broken at…

We study de Sitter configurations in ten-dimensional string models where supersymmetry is either absent or broken at the string scale. To this end, we derive expressions for the cosmological constant in general warped flux compactifications…

We show that various holomorphic quantities in supersymmetric gauge theories can be conveniently computed by configurations of D4-branes and D6-branes. These D-branes intersect along a Riemann surface that is described by a holomorphic…

SU(N_L) X SU(N_R) gauge theories are investigated as effective field theories on D_4 branes in type IIA string theory. The classical gauge configuration is shown to match quantitatively with a corresponding classical U(N_L) X U(N_R) gauge…

By exploiting recent arguments about stable nonsupersymmetric D-brane states, we argue that D-brane charge takes values in the K-theory of spacetime, as has been suspected before. In the process, we gain a new understanding of some novel…

Boundary states for D-branes are constructed using the light cone gauge. The D-brane breaks half the spacetime supersymmetry giving rise to fermionic zero modes living on the brane. The nonlinear realization of the broken supersymmetry on…

Configurations of fivebranes, twobranes and fourbranes in type IIA string theory, which give (1+1) dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories in the low energy limit, are constructed. It is shown that these brane configurations are…