Related papers: F-Theory and the universal string theory
We study orbifold compactifications of F-theory which lead to $N=1$ supersymmetry in 6 and 4 spacetime dimensions. These are dual to specific orientifolds of M-theory, and in many cases to orientifolds of type IIB string theory. The…
We first derive a class of six-dimensional (1,0) gauged supergravities arising from threefold compactifications of F-theory with background fluxes. The derivation proceeds via the M-theory dual reduction on an SU(3)-structure manifold with…
We consider M theory 5-branes with compact transverse dimensions. In certain limits the theory on the 5-brane decouples and defines ``little string theories'' in 5+1 dimensions. We show that the familiar structure of IIA/IIB,M,F- theory in…
In these lectures, we review the main properties of the topological theory obtained by twisting the N=2 two-dimensional superconformal algebra, associated to supersymmetric string compactifications. In particular, we describe a set of…
We discuss aspects of the non-standard version of F-theory based on the arithmetic of torsion points on elliptic curves. We construct new F-theory vacua in 8 dimensions...
In this talk I will survey some of the basic facts about superstring theories in 10 dimensions and the dualities that relate them to M theory in 11 dimensions. Then I will mention some important unresolved issues.
The subject of this thesis are various ways to construct four-dimensional quantum field theories from string theory. In a first part we study the generation of a supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory, coupled to an adjoint chiral superfield,…
We present orientifold and F-theory duals of the heterotic string compactification constructed by Chaudhuri, Hockney and Lykken (CHL) which has the maximal supersymmetry but gauge group of reduced rank. The 8-dimensional dual is given by…
We review recent progress in embedding the supersymmetric standard model into string theory. We discuss how, with the incorporation of certain aspects of grand unification, a search strategy can be developed that allows to efficiently find…
We study F-theory duals of six dimensional heterotic vacua in extreme regions of moduli space where the heterotic string is very strongly coupled. We demonstrate how to use orientifold limits of these F-theory duals to regain a perturbative…
Recently, string theory on Calabi--Yau manifolds was constructed and was shown to be a fully consistent, space--time supersymmetric string theory. The physically interesting case is the case of three generations. Intriguingly, it appears at…
We argue that a class of ``non-critical superstring'' vacua is holographically related to the (non-gravitational) theory obtained by studying string theory on a singular Calabi-Yau manifold in the decoupling limit $g_s\to 0$. In two…
F-theory is the theory proposed to incorporate superstring theory in a way such that STU dualities are manifest. A useful description uses a current superalgebra on a higher-dimensional worldvolume, following from an action for a selfdual…
We discuss compactifications of heterotic string theory to four dimensions in the presence of H-fluxes, which deform the geometry of the internal manifold, and a gaugino condensate which breaks supersymmetry. We focus on the compensation of…
A fundamental step towards studying string theory vacua, and, ultimately, their stability, is that of understanding the underlying mathematical structure of the QFT resulting from its dimensional reduction on Calabi-Yau (CY) manifolds, the…
We present evidence that the number of string/$M$ theory vacua consistent with experiments is a finite number. We do this both by explicit analysis of infinite sequences of vacua and by applying various mathematical finiteness theorems.
A recently introduced framework for the compactification of supersymmetric string theory involving noncritical manifolds of complex dimension $2k+D_{crit}$, $k\geq 1$, is reviewed. These higher dimensional manifolds are spaces with…
We give brief ideas on building gauge models in superstring theory, especially the four-dimensional models obtained from the compactification of F-theory. According to Vafa, we discuss the construction of F-theory to approach…
We discuss recent developments on the solution of the so-called supersymmetric mu-problem in the context of heterotic orbifolds. In particular, an approximate R symmetry can induce an admissible mu-term in Minkowski vacua of orbifold models…
String theory is the prime candidate for the theory of everything. However, it must be defined in ten dimensions to be consistent. To get 4D physics, the 6 other dimensions should be curled up in a small compact manifold, this procedure is…