Related papers: The Universe as a Domain Wall
We investigate the interior of the moduli space of four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=1$ theories of gravity arising from compactifications of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string on Calabi-Yau threefolds. By studying the threshold corrections…
The global magnificent four theory is the homological version of a maximally supersymmetric $(8+1)$-dimensional gauge theory on a Calabi-Yau fourfold fibered over a circle. In the case of a toric fourfold we conjecture the formula for its…
In this paper we obtain supersymmetric brane-like configurations in the vacuum of N=4 gauged $SU(2)\times SU(2)$ supergravity theory in four spacetime dimensions. Almost all of these vacuum solutions preserve either half or one quarter of…
Branches of moduli space of F-theory in four dimensions are investigated. The transition between two branches is described as a 3-brane-instanton transition on a 7-brane. A dual heterotic picture of the transition is presented and the…
We consider brane cosmologies within the context of five-dimensional actions with O(a') higher curvature corrections. The actions are compatible with bulk string amplitude calculations from heterotic string theory. We find wrapped solutions…
A fully realistic and systematic effective field theory model of a 3-brane universe is constructed. It consists of a six-dimensional gravitating spacetime, containing several, approximately parallel (3+1)-dimensional defects, or…
A general effective field theory formalism is presented which describes the low-energy dynamics of a 3-brane universe. In this scenario an arbitrary four-dimensional particle theory, such as the Standard Model, is constrained to live on the…
We consider (3+1)-dimensional N=2 supersymmetric QED with two flavors of fundamental hypermultiplets. This theory supports 1/2-BPS domain walls and flux tubes (strings), as well as their 1/4-BPS junctions. The effective (2+1)-dimensional…
The compactification from the eleven-dimensional Ho\v{r}ava-Witten orbifold to five-dimensional heterotic M-theory on a Schoen Calabi-Yau threefold is reviewed, as is the specific $SU(4)$ vector bundle leading to the "heterotic standard…
We propose, based on the viewpoint that our three-dimensional space is a stack of BPS D3-branes located at the conifold singularity of the Calabi-Yau three-fold, a new mechanism to address the cosmological constant problem in the framework…
We describe the worldvolume for the bosonic sector of the lower-dimensional F-theory that embeds 4D, N=1 M-theory and the 3D Type II superstring. The worldvolume (5-brane) theory is that of a single 6D gauge 2-form $X_{MN}(\sigma^P)$ whose…
In these lectures, two different aspects of brane world scenarios in 5d gravity or string theory are discussed. In the first two lectures, work on how warped compactifications of 5d gravity theories can change the guise of the hierarchy…
We investigate membrane and fivebrane instanton effects in type IIA string theory compactified on rigid Calabi-Yau manifolds. These effects contribute to the low-energy effective action of the universal hypermultiplet, in four dimensional…
The combined Einstein equations and scalar equation of motion in the Horava-Witten scenario of the strongly coupled heterotic string compactified on a Calabi-Yau manifold are solved in the presence of additional matter densities on the…
We compactify $M$-theory on a Calabi-Yau manifold to five dimensions by wrapping the membrane and fivebrane solitons of the eleven-dimensional supergravity limit around Calabi-Yau two-cycles and four-cycles respectively. We identify the…
In the strong-coupling limit of the heterotic string theory constructed by Horava and Witten, an 11-dimensional supergravity theory is coupled to matter multiplets confined to 10-dimensional mirror planes. This structure suggests that…
This thesis explores an exotic class of M-theory compactifications in which the compact manifold is taken to be a Calabi-Yau five-fold. The resulting effective theory is a one-dimensional N=2 super-mechanics model that exhibits peculiar…
An explicit description of the spectral data of stable U(n) vector bundles on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds is given, extending previous work of Friedman, Morgan and Witten. The characteristic classes are computed and it is…
We consider five-dimensional domain-wall solutions which arise from a sphere reduction in M-theory or string theory and have the higher-dimensional interpretation as the near-horizon region of p-branes in constant, background B fields. We…
We continue our study of compactifications of F-theory on Calabi--Yau threefolds. We gain more insight into F-theory duals of heterotic strings and provide a recipe for building F-theory duals for arbitrary heterotic compactifications on…