Related papers: M-Theory Five-brane Wrapped on Curves for Exceptio…

We construct two-dimensional N=(2,2) supersymmetric gauge theories with orthogonal and symplectic groups using branes and orientifold planes in Type IIA string theory. A number of puzzles regarding the construction, including the effect of…

We use the M theory approach in the presence of an orientifold O6 plane to understand some aspects of the moduli space of vacua for N=1 supersymmetric $SO(N_c)/Sp(N_c)$ gauge theories in four dimensions. By exploiting some general…

M-theory can be defined on closed manifolds as well as on manifolds with boundary. As an extension, we show that manifolds with corners appear naturally in M-theory. We illustrate this with four situations: The lift to bounding twelve…

We study M(atrix) theory description of M theory compactified on T5/Z2 orbifold. In the large volume limit we show that M theory dynamics is described by N=8 supersymmetric USp(2N) M(atrix) quantum mechanics. Via zero-brane parton…

We consider holographic RG flow solutions with eight supersymmetries and study the geometry transverse to the brane. For both M2-branes and for D3-branes in F-theory this leads to an eight-manifold with only a four-form flux. In both…

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the properties of multiple coincident M2- and M5-branes. We begin with a review of the BLG and ABJM models of multiple M2-branes and our focus will be on their formulation in terms of 3-algebras. We…

We relate Type IIB superstrings compactified to six dimensions on K3 to an eleven-dimensional theory compactified on $({\bf S}^1)^5/{\bf Z}_2$. Eleven-dimensional five-branes enter the story in an interesting way.

We discuss the lift of certain D6-antiD6-brane systems to M-theory. These are purely gravitational configurations with a bolt singularity. When reduced along a trivial circle, and for large bolt radius, the bolt is related to a…

We obtain an M--theory interpretation of different IIA orientifold planes by compactifying them on a circle and use a chain of dualities to get a new IIA limit of these objects using this circle as the eleventh dimension. Using the…

We complete the classification of supersymmetric configurations of two M5-branes, started by Ohta and Townsend. The novel configurations not considered before are those in which the two branes are moving relative to one another. These…

We study the 6d N=(0,2) superconformal field theory, which describes multiple M5-branes, on the product space S^2 x M_4, and suggest a correspondence between a 2d N=(0,2) half-twisted gauge theory on S^2 and a topological sigma-model on the…

We investigate Seiberg's N=1 field theory duality for four-dimensional supersymmetric QCD with the M-theory 5-brane. We find that the M-theory configuration for the magnetic dual theory arises via a smooth deformation of the M-theory…

We present new M2 and M5-brane solutions in M-theory based on transverse Gibbons-Hawking spaces. These solutions provide realizations of fully localized type IIA D2/D6 and NS5/D6 brane intersections. One novel feature of these solutions is…

We study brane configurations which correspond to N=1 field theories in four dimensions. By inverting the order of the NS 5-branes and D6-branes, a check on dualities in four dimensional theories can be made. We consider a brane…

The moduli space of vacua for the confining phase of N=1 $SO(N_c)$ supersymmetric gauge theories in four dimensions is analyzed by studying the M theory fivebrane. The type IIA brane configuration consists of a single NS5 brane, multiple…

We determine new genus 2 Seiberg-Witten curves for four dimensional rank 2 absolute N=4 superYang-Mills theories using the automorphism twist approach. The conformal manifolds of these curves agree with those predicted by S-duality orbits…

Dualities between certain supersymmetric gauge field theories in three and four dimensions have been studied in considerable detail recently, by realizing them as geometric manipulations of configurations of extended objects in type II…

Synopsis: (i) how superstring theories are unified by M-theory; (ii) how superstring and supermembrane properties follow from the D=10 and D=11 supersymmetry algebras; (iii) how D=10 and D=11 supergravity theories determine the strong…

Four-dimensional N=2 gauge theories may be obtained from configurations of D-branes in type IIA string theory. Unitary gauge theories with two-index representations, and orthogonal and symplectic gauge theories, are constructed from…

We investigate solutions of type II supergravity which have the product R^4 x M^6 structure with non-compact M^6 factor and which preserve at least four supersymmetries. In particular, we consider various conifolds and the N=1…