Related papers: Small Instantons and Weak Scale String Theory
Compactified string theories give rise to discrete symmetries which are essential if they are to provide a realistic low energy theory. We find that in a class of four dimensional string theories these symmetries are constrained by similar…
In gauge theories with continuous groups there exist classical solutions whose energy vanishes in the thermodynamic limit (in any dimension). The existence of these super-instantons is intimately related to the fact that even at short…
We consider N=1 supersymmetric U(N), SO(N), and Sp(N) gauge theories, with two-index tensor matter and added tree-level superpotential, for general breaking patterns of the gauge group. By considering the string theory realization and…
In a certain strong coupling limit, compactification of the $E_8\times E_8$ heterotic string on a Calabi-Yau manifold $X$ can be described by an eleven-dimensional theory compactified on $X\times \S^1/\Z_2$. In this limit, the usual…
We show that stable local cosmic strings are a generic prediction of supersymmetric models where supersymmetry is broken at scales within a few orders of magnitude of the weak scale and is fed down to the observable sector by gauge…
In this review I discuss various aspects of some of the recently constructed black hole and soliton solutions in string theory. I begin with the axionic instanton and related solutions of bosonic and heterotic string theory. The latter…
We study compactifications of the 6d E-string theory, the theory of a small E_8 instanton, to four dimensions. In particular we identify N=1 field theories in four dimensions corresponding to compactifications on arbitrary Riemann surfaces…
Using a $U$-duality symmetry of type II compactification on $T^4$ represented by triality action on the $T$-duality group, and applying the adiabatic argument we construct dual pairs of type II compactifications in lower dimensions. The…
We consider tachyon condensation in unstable ten-dimensional heterotic string theory with gauge group E8. In the background of a lightlike linear dilaton rolling to weak coupling, we find an exact solution in which the theory decays to a…
In this paper we discuss compactifications of M-theory to four dimensions on X \times S^1/Z_2, in which nonstandard embeddings in the E_8 \times E_8 vacuum gauge bundle are considered. At the level of the effective field theory description…
In this lecture we summarize some recent work on the understanding of instanton effects in string theories with 16 supersymmetries. In particular, we consider F^4 couplings using the duality between the heterotic string on T^4 and type IIA…
In this paper we discuss the singularities in the Yukawa and gauge couplings of N=1 compactifications of the SO(32) heterotic string in four space-time dimensions. Such singularities can arise from the strong coupling dynamics of a confined…
Three-dimensional string theories with 16 supersymmetries are believed to possess a non-perturbative U-duality symmetry $SO(8,24,\Zint)$. By covariantizing the heterotic one-loop amplitude under U-duality, we propose an exact expression for…
We look for instanton solutions in a class of two scalar field gravity models, which includes the low energy string action in four dimensions. In models where the matter field has a potential with a false vacuum, we find that non-singular…
By reduction along the time direction, black holes in 4 dimensions yield instantons in 3 dimensions. Each of these instantons contributes individually at order $\exp(-|Q|/g_s)$ to certain protected couplings in the three-dimensional…
We propose a framework where the string scale as well as all compact dimensions are at the electroweak scale $\sim$ TeV$^{-1}$. The weakness of gravity is attributed to the small value of the string coupling $g_s \sim 10^{-16}$, presumably…
A family of superpotentials is constructed which may be relevant to supersymmetry breaking in 4 dimensional (0,1) heterotic string models. The scale of supersymmetry breaking, as well as the coupling constant, would be stable.
Perturbative breaking of supersymmetry in four-dimensional string theories predict in general the existence of new large dimensions at the TeV scale. Such dimensions can be consistent with perturbative unification up to the Planck scale in…
We investigate orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string, addressing in detail their construction, classification and phenomenological potential. We present a strategy to search for models resembling the minimal supersymmetric…
We find semi-local fractional instantons of codimension four in Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theories coupled with scalar fields and the corresponding ${\mathbb C}P^{N-1}$ and Grassmann sigma models at strong gauge coupling. They are 1/4…