Related papers: Non-Perturbative Vacua and Particle Physics in M-T…
We present a class of N=1 supersymmetric models of particle physics, derived directly from heterotic M-theory, that contain three families of chiral quarks and leptons coupled to the gauge group $SU(3)_C\times SU(2)_{L}\times U(1)_{Y}$.…
We review the spectral cover formalism for constructing both U(n) and SU(n) holomorphic vector bundles on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau three-folds which admit a section. We discuss the allowed bases of these three-folds and show that…
We construct vacua of M-theory on S^1/Z_2 associated with Calabi-Yau three-folds. These vacua are appropriate for compactification to N=1 supersymmetry theories in both four and five dimensions. We allow for general E_8 x E_8 gauge bundles…
In the first lecture, we derive the five-dimensional effective action of strongly coupled heterotic string theory for the complete (1,1) sector of the theory by performing a reduction, on a Calabi-Yau three-fold, of M-theory on S1/Z2. The…
We give a proof of the existence of $G=SU(5)$, stable holomorphic vector bundles on elliptically fibered Calabi--Yau threefolds with fundamental group $\bbz_2$. The bundles we construct have Euler characteristic 3 and an anomaly that can be…
We construct vacua of heterotic M-theory with general gauge bundles and five-branes. Some aspects of the resulting low-energy effective theories are discussed.
We present a class of N=1 supersymmetric ``standard'' models of particle physics, derived directly from heterotic M-theory, that contain three families of chiral quarks and leptons coupled to the gauge group SU(3)_C X SU(2)_L X U(1)_Y.…
M5-branes wrapping a holomorphic curve in a Calabi-Yau manifold can be used to construct four-dimensional N=1 gauge theories. In this paper we will consider M5-brane configurations corresponding to N=2 theories broken to N=1 by a…
We report on the construction of four-dimensional string vacua by considering general abelian and non-abelian bundles on an internal Calabi-Yau for both heterotic theories. The structure of the resulting gauge sector is extremely rich and…
While M- and F-theory compactifications describe a much larger class of vacua than perturbative string compactifications, they typically need singularities to generate non-abelian gauge fields and charged matter. The physical explanation…
The effective action for five-dimensional heterotic M-theory in the presence of five-branes is systematically derived from Horava-Witten theory coupled to an M5-brane world-volume theory. This leads to a five-dimensional N=1 gauged…
The compactification from the 11-dimensional Horava-Witten orbifold to 5-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 model" in the…
In these notes we review aspects of semi-realistic particle physics from the point of view of type II orientifold compactifications. We discuss the appearance of gauge theories on spacetime filling D-branes which wrap non-trivial cycles in…
We discuss the use of gauge fields to stabilize complex structure moduli in Calabi-Yau three-fold compactifications of heterotic string and M-theory. The requirement that the gauge fields in such models preserve supersymmetry leads to a…
The study of curved D-brane geometries in type II strings implies a general relation between local singularities $\cx W$ of Calabi-Yau manifolds and gravity free supersymmetric QFT's. The minimal supersymmetric case is described by F-theory…
Recent advances in 11 dimensional Horava-Witten M-theory based on non-standard embeddings with torus fibered Calabi-Yau manifolds have allowed the construction of three generation models with Wilson line breaking to the Standard Model gauge…
We show how to cast an interacting system of M--branes into manifestly gauge-invariant form using an arrangement of higher-dimensional Dirac surfaces. Classical M--theory has a cohomologically nontrivial and noncommutative set of gauge…
The F-theory vacuum constructed from an elliptic Calabi-Yau threefold with section yields an effective six-dimensional theory. The Lie algebra of the gauge sector of this theory and its representation on the space of massless…
We present three lectures on heterotic M-theory and a fourth lecture extending this theory to more general orbifolds. In Lecture 1, Horava-Witten theory is briefly discussed. We then compactify this theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds, choosing…
Supersymmetry breaking via gaugino condensation is studied in vacua of heterotic M-theory with five-branes. We show that supersymmetry is still broken by a global mechanism and that the non-perturbative superpotential takes the standard…