Related papers: The exceptional holonomy groups and calibrated geo…
For each integer $d$ at least two, we construct non-spin closed oriented flat manifolds with holonomy group $\mathbb Z_2^d$ and with the property that all of their finite proper covers have a spin structure. Moreover, all such covers have…
We construct a topological theory for euclidean gravity in four dimensions, by enforcing self-duality conditions on the spin connection. The corresponding topological symmetry is associated to the SU(2) X diffeomorphism X U(1) invariance.…
In this paper we continue our program, started in [2], of building up explicit generalized Euler angle parameterizations for all exceptional compact Lie groups. Here we solve the problem for E7, by first providing explicit matrix…
We study M-theory on G_2 holonomy spaces that are constructed by dividing a seven-torus by some discrete symmetry group. We classify possible group elements that may be used in this construction and use them to find a set of possible…
Closed (and simply-connected) manifolds whose dimensions are greater than 4 are classified via sophisticated algebraic and abstract theory such as surgery theory and homotopy theory. It is difficult to handle 3 or 4-dimensional closed…
We discuss higher-dimensional gravitational instantons by studying appropriate self-duality equations for the spin connection. In seven and in eight dimensions, the corresponding spaces admit a covariantly constant spinor and have…
The moduli space of the Calabi-Yau three-folds, which play a role as superstring ground states, exhibits the same {\em special geometry} that is known from nonlinear sigma models in $N=2$ supergravity theories. We discuss the symmetry…
We construct infinitely many seven-dimensional Einstein metrics of weak holonomy G_2. These metrics are defined on principal SO(3) bundles over four-dimensional Bianchi IX orbifolds with the Tod-Hitchin metrics. The Tod-Hitchin metric has…
We develop a systematic approach to G_2 holonomy manifolds with an SU(2)xSU(2) isometry using maximal eight-dimensional gauged supergravity to describe D6-branes wrapped on deformed three-spheres. A quite general metric ansatz that…
In this article, I classify the totally geodesic submanifolds in the complex 2-Grassmannians and in the quaternionic 2-Grassmannians. It turns out that for both of these spaces, the earlier classification of maximal totally geodesic…
This is the first in a series of three papers working towards constructing fibrations of compact Spin(7) manifolds by Cayley submanifolds. In this paper we describe the deformation theory of conically singular and asymptotically conical…
We investigate octonion product deformations coming from the parallelizable torsion of the 7-sphere $S^7$, obtaining a family of geometries from solutions of the Lagrangian formalism movement equations. This can be achieved by analyzing the…
We construct eight-dimensional gravitational instantons by solving appropriate self-duality equations for the spin-connection. The particular gravitational instanton we present has $Spin(7)$ holonomy and, in a sense, it is the…
Using two dimensional (2D) N=4 sigma model, with $U(1)^r$ gauge symmetry, and introducing the ADE Cartan matrices as gauge matrix charges, we build " toric" hyper-Kahler eight real dimensional manifolds X_8. Dividing by one toric geometry…
We classify the geometry of all supersymmetric IIB backgrounds which admit the maximal number of $G$-invariant Killing spinors. For compact stability subgroups $G=G_2, SU(3)$ and SU(2), the spacetime is locally isometric to a product…
We demonstrate that M-theory compactifications on 7-manifolds of G_2 holonomy, which yield 4d N=1 supersymmetric systems, often admit at special loci in their moduli space a description as type IIA orientifolds. In this way, we are able to…
We study holonomy groups coming from F-theory compactifications. We focus mainly on SO(8) as 12-4=8 and subgroups SU(4), Spin(7), G2 and SU(3) suitable for descent from F-theory, M-theory and Superstring theories. We consider the relation…
We propose two kinds of gauged linear sigma models whose moduli spaces are real eight-dimensional hyperKahler and Calabi-Yau manifolds, respectively. Here, hyperKahler manifolds have sp(2) holonomy in general and are dual to Type IIB…
The goal of this book is to characterize algebraically the closed 4-manifolds that fibre nontrivially or admit geometries in the sense of Thurston, or which are obtained by surgery on 2-knots, and to provide a reference for the topology of…
We investigate the compactification of D=11 supergravity to D=5,4,3, on compact manifolds of holonomy $SU(3)$ (Calabi-Yau), $G_2$, and $Spin(7)$, respectively, making use of examples of the latter two cases found recently by Joyce. In each…