Branes, geometry and N = 1 duality with product gauge groups of SO and Sp

We study N = 1 dualities in four-dimensional supersymmetric gauge theories as the world volume theory of D4 branes with one compact direction in type IIA string theory. We generalize the previous work for SO(N_c1) × Sp(N_c2) with the superpotential W = TrX⁴ to the case of W = TrX^4(k+1) in terms of brane configuration. We conjecture that the new dualities for the product gauge groups of SO(N_c1) × Sp(N_c2) × SO(N_c3), SO(N_c1) × Sp(N_c2) × SO(N_c3) × Sp(N_c4) and higher multiple product gauge groups can be obtained by reversing the ordering of NS5 branes and D6 branes while preserving the linking numbers. We also describe the above dualities in terms of wrapping D6 branes around 3-cycles of Calabi-Yau threefolds in type IIA string theory. The theory with adjoint matter can be regarded as taking multiple copies of NS5 brane in the configuration of brane or geometric approaches.     

Four-dimensional supersymmetric black holes of type IIA superstring

We systematically construct a large class of four-dimensional supersymmetric black hole solutions of toroidally compactified type IIA superstring theory by explicitly solving the Killing spinor equations. They correspond to orthogonally intersecting configurations in ten dimensions. With the Kaluza-Klein monopole, they are parameterized by four charges and preserve of the N = 8 supersymmetry. We found a simple map to associate each charge with the corresponding Killing spinor constraints. The embedding of the N = 4 supersymmetry of a toroidally compactified heterotic string into the N = 8 supersymmetry of the IIA superstring was explicitly shown. We also found explicitly the configurations with only Ramond-Ramond charges, and those with both Neveu-Schwarz Neveu-Schwarz charges and Ramond-Ramond charges, including the dilaton and the internal metrics. The T-dual of these configurations were shown to satisfy the Killing spinor equations as well.     

On the string interpretation of M(atrix) theory

It has been proposed recently that, in the framework of M(atrix) theory, = 8 supersymmetric U(N) Yang-Mills theory in 1 + 1 dimensions gives rise to type IIA long string configurations. We point out that the quantum moduli space of SYM_{1 + 1} gives rise to two quantum numbers, which fit very well into the M(atrix) theory. The two quantum numbers become familiar if one switches to a IIB picture, where they represent configurations of D-strings and fundamental strings. We argue that, due to the SL(2,Z) symmetry, of the IIB theory, such quantum numbers must represent configurations that are present also in the IIA framework.     

0-extended supergravity and Chern-Simons theories

We give generalizations of extended Poincaré supergravity with arbitrarily many supersymmetries in the absence of central charges in three dimensions by gauging its intrinsic global SO(N) symmetry. We call these ₀ (Aleph-null) supergravity theories. We further couple a non-Abelian supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory and an Abelian topological BF theory to ₀ supergravity. Our result overcomes the previous difficulty for supersymmetrization of Chern-Simons theories beyond N = 4. This feature is peculiar to the Chern-Simons and BF theories including supergravity in three dimensions. We also show that dimensional reduction schemes for four-dimensional theories such as N = 1 self-dual supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory or N = 1 supergravity theory that can generate ₀ globally and locally supersymmetric theories in three dimensions. As an interesting application, we present ₀ supergravity Liouville theory in two dimensions after appropriate dimensional reduction from three dimensions.     

Exact monodromy group of N = 2 heterotic superstring

We describe an N = 2 heterotic superstring model of rank 3 which is dual to the type II string compactified on a Calabi-Yau manifold with Betti numbers b_1,1 = 2 and b_1,2 = 86. We show that the exact duality symmetry found from the type II realization contains the perturbative duality group of the heterotic model, as well as the exact quantum monodromies of the rigid SU(2) super-Yang-Mills theory. Moreover, it contains a non-perturbative monodromy which is stringy in origin and corresponds roughly to an exchange of the string coupling with the compactification radius.     

Compactifications of F-theory on Calabi-Yau threefolds (II)

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 elliptically fibered manifolds. As a byproduct we find that string/string duality in six dimensions gets mapped to fiber/base exchange in F-theory. We also construct a number of new N = 1, d = 6 examples of F-theory vacua and study transitions among them. We find that some of these transition points correspond upon further compactification to 4 dimensions to transitions through analogues of Argyres-Douglas points of N = 2 moduli. A key idea in these transitions is the notion of classifying (0,4) fivebranes of heterotic strings.     

New non-Abelian effects on D-branes

We extend the Myers dielectric effect to configurations with angular momentum. The resulting time-dependent N D0 brane bound states can be interpreted as describing rotating fuzzy ellipsoids. A similar solution exists also in the presence of a RR magnetic field, that we study in detail. We show that, for any finite N, above a certain critical angular momentum is energetically more favorable for the bound state system to dissociate into an Abelian configuration of N D0 branes moving independently. We have investigated this problem in the low-energy expansion of the non-Abelian D brane action for generic N. In the case N=2 we find explicit solutions of the full non-Abelian Born–Infeld D brane dynamics, which remarkably have the same structure and confirm the features of the low-energy approximation. We further study D string configurations representing fuzzy funnels deformed by the magnetic field and by the rotational motion.     

Non-supersymmetric gauge theories from D-branes in type 0 string theory

We construct non-supersymmetric four-dimensional gauge theories arising as effective theories of D-branes placed on various singularities in Type 0B string theory. We mostly focus on models which are conformal in the large-N limit and present both examples appearing on self-dual D3-branes on orbifold singularities and examples including orientifold planes. Moreover, we derive type 0 Hanany-Witten setups with NS 5-branes intersected by D-branes and the corresponding rules for determining the massless spectra. Finally, we discuss possible duality symmetries (Seiberg duality) for non-supersymmetric gauge theories within this framework.     

Noncommutative Resolutions of ADE Fibered Calabi-Yau Threefolds

In this paper we construct noncommutative resolutions of a certain class of Calabi-Yau threefolds studied by Cachazo et al. (Geometric transitions and N = 1 quiver theories. , 2001). The threefolds under consideration are fibered over a complex plane with the fibers being deformed Kleinian singularities. The construction is in terms of a noncommutative algebra introduced by Ginzburg (Calabi-Yau algebras. , 2006) which we call the “N = 1 ADE quiver algebra”.     

Fermion mass spectrum in a generalized instanton background

The spectrum of the squared Dirac operator is studied in the background of symmetric instanton-like configurations on symmetric spaces G/H. The eigenvalues are expressed in terms of Casimir invariants of G and H. These eigenvalues determine the masses of fermions in Kaluza-Klein theories with compactification induced by the generalized instantons. The G-representations of the zero modes are determined for fermions in arbitrary representations of H on S_n and CP_n. For spheres in even dimensions a comparison with the index theorem reveals a remarkable relation between the Nth index (or anomaly) of SO(2N) and dimensions of SO(2N + 1) representations. Using the fundamental indices, we find the topologically stable symmetric solutions on S_2n for any gauge group, and compare with recent results on local stability.     

Calabi-Yau 4-folds and toric fibrations

We present a general scheme for identifying fibrations in the framework of toric geometry and provide a large list of weights for Calabi-Yau 4-folds. We find 914 164 weights with degree d ≤ 150 whose maximal Newton polyhedra are reflexive and 525 572 weights with degree d ≤ 4000 that give rise to weighted projective spaces such that the polynomial defining a hypersurface of trivial canonical class is transversal. We compute all Hodge numbers, using Batyrev's formulas (derived by toric methods) for the first and Vafa's formulas (obtained by counting of Ramond ground states in N = 2 LG models) for the latter class, checking their consistency for the 109 308 weights in the overlap. Fibrations of k-folds, including the elliptic case, manifest themselves in the N lattice in the following simple way: The polyhedron corresponding to the fiber is a subpolyhedron of that corresponding to the k-fold, whereas the fan determining the base is a linear projection of the fan corresponding to the k-fold.     

All Loop Topological String Amplitudes from Chern-Simons Theory

We demonstrate the equivalence of all loop closed topological string amplitudes on toric local Calabi-Yau threefolds with computations of certain knot invariants for Chern-Simons theory. We use this equivalence to compute the topological string amplitudes in certain cases to very high degree and to all genera. In particular we explicitly compute the topological string amplitudes for ² up to degree 12 and ¹× ¹ up to total degree 10 to all genera. This also leads to certain novel large N dualities in the context of ordinary superstrings, involving duals of type II superstrings on local Calabi-Yau three-folds without any fluxes.This research is supported in part by NSF grants PHY-9802709 and DMS-0074329     

D-branes on Calabi-Yau spaces and their mirrors

We study the boundary states of D-branes wrapped around supersymmetric cycles in a general Calabi-Yau manifold. In particular, we show how the geometric data on the cycles are encoded in the boundary states. As an application, we analyze how the mirror symmetry transforms D-branes, and we verify that it is consistent with the conjectured periodicity and the monodromy of the Ramond-Ramond field configuration on a Calabi-Yau manifold. This also enables us to study open string worldsheet instanton corrections and relate them to closed string instanton counting. The cases when the mirror symmetry is realized as T-duality are also discussed.     

The O(N) vector model in the large-N limit revisited: multicritical points and double scaling limit

The multicritical points of the O(N)-invariant N vector model in the large-N limit are re-examined. Of particular interest are the subtleties involved in the stability of the phase structure at critical dimensions. In the limit N → ∞ while the coupling g → g_c in a correlated manner (the double scaling limit) a massless bound state O(N) singlet is formed and powers of 1/N are compensated by IR singularities. The persistence of the N → ∞ results beyond the leading order is then studied with particular interest in the possible existence of a phase with propagating small mass vector fields and a massless singlet bound state. We point out that under certain conditions the double scaled theory of the singlet field is non-interacting in critical dimensions.     

Interpolating between Ising, XY-, and non-linear σ-models

The β-functions of O(N)-symmetric non-linear σ-models on the lattice were recently discovered to be non-monotonic for N 3. We explain the non-monotonic behaviour as a non-perturbative lattice effect by relating it to the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition of the XY-model. We also relate the latter transition to the phase transition of the Ising model. These relationships are established by interpolating between the O(N)- and the O(N − 1)-symmetric non-linear σ-models by suppression of the Nth component of the N-vector field with a mass term. A critical line in the coupling-mass plane connects the critical point of the Ising model (N = 1) with the critical point of the XY-model (N = 2). This line extends towards the region of non-monotonic behaviour of the β-function of the O(3)-symmetric model. The nature of the transition lines is also investigated.     

Dynamics of N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories in three dimensions

We study the structure of the moduli spaces of vacua and superpotentials of N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theories in three dimensions. By analyzing the instanton corrections, we compute the exact superpotentials and determine the quantum Coulomb and Higgs branches of the theories in the weak coupling regions. We find candidates for non-trivial N = 2 superconformal field theories at the singularities of the moduli spaces. The analysis is carried out explicitly for gauge groups U(N_c) and SU(N_c) with N _f flavors. We show that the field theory results are in complete agreement with the intersecting branes picture. We also compute the exact superpotentials for arbitrary gauge groups and arbitrary matter content.     

N=1 formulation of general N=2 Yang-Mills supergravity couplings

We formulate general interactions of an N=2 Yang-Mills supermultiplet coupled to N=2 supergravity in terms of N=1 invariant functions. We show that the N=2 scalar potential of the complex scalar fields in the adjoint representation, superpartners of the Yang-Mills gauge fields, splits into a conventional gauge contribution as well as in a superpotential term contribution proportional to the SO(2) gauge coupling of N=2 de Sitter supergravity. The relation of these results to the σ model structure of N4 extended supergravities is also discussed, particularly in connection with the coset disintegration of scalar manifolds.     

D-branes on Calabi–Yau Manifolds and Superpotentials

We show how to compute terms in an expansion of the world-volume superpotential for fairly general D-branes on the quintic Calabi-Yau using linear sigma model techniques, and show in examples that this superpotential captures the geometry and obstruction theory of bundles and sheaves on this Calabi-Yau.Louis Michel Professor     

U-branes and T fibrations

We describe eight-dimensional vacuum configurations with varying moduli consistent with the U-duality group . Focusing on the latter less-well understood properties, we construct a class of fivebrane solutions living on lines on a three-dimensional base space. The resulting U-manifolds, with five scalars transforming under SL(3), admit a Ricci-flat Kähler metric. Based on the connection with special Lagrangian T³ fibered Calabi-Yau three-folds, this construction provides a simple framework for the investigation of Calabi-Yau mirrors.