Related papers: Punctures in W-string theory
This Ph.D. thesis investigates effective field and string theories in which supersymmetry is realized and broken in various ways. Chapter 1 addresses effective theories with nonlinearly realized supersymmetry, constructed using the…
Recently, Witten proposed a topological string theory in twistor space that is dual to a weakly coupled gauge theory. In this lectures we will discuss aspects of the twistor string theory. Along the way we will learn new things about…
Physics in the neighbourhood of a space-time metric singularity is described by a world-sheet topological gauge field theory which can be represented as a twisted $N=2$ superconformal Wess-Zumino model with a $W_{1+\infty} \otimes…
In this thesis we discuss non-perturbative phenomena emerging in gauge and in string/supergravity theories. We compute the partition function of 5D minimal supersymmetric U(1) gauge theory with extra adjoint matter in general…
Duality symmetries for strings moving in non-trivial spacetime backgrounds are analysed. It is shown that for backgrounds generated from WZW and coset CFT models such duality symmetries are exact to all orders in string perturbation theory.…
It is observed that three-dimensional G\"odel black holes can be promoted to exact string theory backgrounds through an orbifold of an hyperbolic asymmetric marginal deformation of the SL(2,R) WZW model. Tachyons are found in the spectrum…
New loop equations for all genera in $c = \frac{1}{2}$ non-critical string theory are constructed. Our loop equations include two types of loops, loops with all Ising spins up (+ loops) and those with all spins down ( $-$ loops). The loop…
A brief review of the status of duality symmetries in string theory is presented. The evidence is accumulating rapidly that an enormous group of duality symmetries, including perturbative T dualities and non-perturbative S-dualities,…
The noncritical $D=4$ $W_3$ string is a model of $W_3$ gravity coupled to two free scalar fields. In this paper we discuss its BRST quantization in direct analogy with that of the $D=2$ (Virasoro) string. In particular, we calculate the…
We discuss string theory relations between gravity and gauge theory tree amplitudes. Together with $D$-dimensional unitarity, these relations can be used to perturbatively quantize gravity theories, i.e. they contain the necessary…
We consider, in a string theory framework, physical processes of phenomenological interest in models with a low string scale. The amplitudes we study involve tree-level virtual gravitational exchange, divergent in a field-theoretical…
We analyze topological string theory on a two dimensional torus, focusing on symmetries in the matter sector. Even before coupling to gravity, the topological torus has an infinite number of point-like physical observables, which give rise…
These are notes of a series of lectures on mirror symmetry and topological string theory given at the Mathematical Sciences Center at Tsinghua University. The N=2 superconformal algebra, its deformations and its chiral ring are reviewed. A…
We quantise the classical gauge theory of $N=2\ w_\infty$-supergravity and show how the underlying $N=2$ super-$w_\infty$ algebra gets deformed into an $N=2$ super-$W_\infty$ algebra. Both algebras contain the $N=2$ super-Virasoro algebra…
In this talk I review recent developments in superstring theory. In the first half of the talk I discuss some of the earlier developments in this subject. This includes a review of the status of string theory as a unified theory of gravity…
We analyze $M$-theory compactified on $(K3\times S^1)/Z_2$ where the $Z_2$ changes the sign of the three form gauge field, acts on $S^1$ as a parity transformation and on K3 as an involution with eight fixed points preserving SU(2)…
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…
This paper is a shortened version of the previous work hep-th/9907099: We propose a topological quantum field theory as a twisted candidate to formulate covariant matrix strings. The model relies on the octonionic or complexified instanton…
String theories with (N,N') local world-sheet supersymmetries are related to each other by marginal deformations. This connects N=1 and N=0 theories in which the target-spaces are interpreted as space-times, N=2 theories in which the target…
Conformal supergravity arises in presently known formulations of twistor-string theory either via closed strings or via gauge-singlet open strings. We explore this sector of twistor-string theory, relating the relevant string modes to the…