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.     

Non-perturbative superpotentials in string theory

The non-perturbative superpotential can be effectively calculated in M-theory compactification to three dimensions on a Calabi-Yau four-fold X. For certain X, the superpotential is identically zero, while for other X, a non-perturbative superpotential is generated. Using F-theory, these results carry over to certain Type IIB and heterotic string compactifications to four dimensions with N = 1 supersymmetry. In the heterotic string case, the non-perturbative superpotential can be interpreted as coming from space-time and world-sheet instantons; in many simple cases contributions come only from finitely many values of the instanton numbers.     

Vector Bundles and F Theory

To understand in detail duality between heterotic string and F theory compactifications, it is important to understand the construction of holomorphic G bundles over elliptic Calabi-Yau manifolds, for various groups G. In this paper, we develop techniques to describe these bundles, and make several detailed comparisons between the heterotic string and F theory. Received: 6 February 1997 / Accepted: 29 May 1997     

On the spectrum of (2,2) compactification of the heterotic string on conformal field theories

We study (2, 2) compactifications of the heterotic string by tensoring the degenerate N = 2 superconformal series. We recently constructed all models with c = 9 that preserve N = 1 spacetime supersymmetry. Here we extend this analysis by investigating the spectrum of our models. The number of generations and anti-generations is calculated and we comment on the conjectured relation between these conformal field theories and Calabi-Yau compactifications.     

N = 1 heterotic / M-theory duality and Joyce manifolds

We present an ansatz which enables us to construct heterotic/M-theory dual pairs in four dimensions. It is checked that this ansatz reproduces previous results and that the massless spectra of the proposed new dual pairs agree. The new dual pairs consist of M-theory compactifications on Joyce manifolds of G₂ holonomy and Calabi-Yau compactifications of heterotic strings. These results are further evidence that M-theory is consistent on orbifolds. Finally, we interpret these results in terms of M-theory geometries which are K3 fibrations and heterotic geometries which are conjectured to be T³ fibrations. Even though the new dual pairs are constructed as non-freely acting orbifolds of existing dual pairs, the adiabatic argument is apparently not violated.     

Heterotic non-Kähler geometries via polystable bundles on Calabi-Yau threefolds

In arXiv:1008.1018 it is shown that a given stable vector bundle V on a Calabi-Yau threefold X which satisfies c₂(X)=c₂(V) can be deformed to a solution of the Strominger system and the equations of motion of heterotic string theory. In this note we extend this result to the polystable case and construct explicit examples of polystable bundles on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds where it applies. The polystable bundle is given by a spectral cover bundle, for the visible sector, and a suitably chosen bundle, for the hidden sector. This provides a new class of heterotic flux compactifications via non-Kähler deformation of Calabi-Yau geometries with polystable bundles. As an application, we obtain examples of non-Kähler deformations of some three generation GUT models.     

Towards low energy physics from the heterotic string

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 extension of the standard model (MSSM) in ℤ₆‐II orbifold compactifications. We find several MSSM candidates with the gauge group and the exact spectrum of the MSSM, and supersymmetric vacua below the compactification scale. They also exhibit the following realistic features: R‐parity, seesaw suppressed neutrino masses, and intermediate scale of supersymmetry breakdown. In addition, we find that similar models also exist in other ℤ_N orbifolds and in the SO(32) heterotic theory.     

Heterotic superstring gauge residue trivialization via homogeneousCP 4 topology change

A new mechanism for the cancellation of gauge residue symmetries in the framework of heterotic superstring compactification theories is revealed. The model preserves all the string features and fits naturally in the consistent topological structure of the homogeneousCP ⁴ Calabi-Yau manifold.     

Orbifold compactifications with three families of Su(3) ×Su(2) ×U(1)n

We construct several N = 1 supersymmetric three-generation models with SU(3)×SU(2)×U(1)ⁿ gauge symmetry, obtained from orbifold compactification of the heterotic string in the presence of constant gauge-background fields. This Wilson-line mechanism also allows us to eliminate extra colour triplets which could mediate fast proton decay.     

Very large intermediate scales in three-generation models

The issue of large intermediate scales is addressed in a class of three-generation models based on the best-known Calabi-Yau compactification of the heterotic string. The renormalisation group equations for this class are studied to determine the scale, μ≡M_I, at which the first “intermediate-scale” symmetry breaking occurs. Throughout most of the parameter space specifying the models, M_I is found to be extremely close to the compactification scale, M_c, as is required by phenomenology. This is due to the large number of fields which are massless below M_c. Depending on unknown normalisation factors, different directions of symmetry breaking are possible, including the one thus far preferred on phenomenological grounds.     

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.     

Calabi-Yau manifolds — Motivations and constructions

The possible ways of compacitification of theE ₈ E ₈ Superstring theory to four dimensions are reviewed. The phenomenological need forN=1 supersymmetry is argued (on quite general grounds) to favour the choice of a Calabi-Yau manifold for the compact internal manifold. The massless spectrum after compactification is derived in full detail revealing, beside the usual particles, others that may have great phenomenological impact. The technical aspects of the construction of such manifolds are examined and the methods of calculation of the relevant topological properties are given. A big family of such constructions, giving rise to many new Calabi-Yau manifolds, is presented and its relevance to the search of a phenomenologically acceptable solution is discussed.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation     

New principles for string/membrane unification

The target space theory of the N = (2,1) heterotic string may be interpreted as a theory of gravity coupled to matter in either 1 + 1 or 2 + 1 dimensions. Among the target space theories in 1 + 1 dimensions are the bosonic, type II, and heterotic string world-sheet field theories in a physical gauge. The (2 + 1)-dimensional version describes a consistent quantum theory of supermembranes in 10 + 1 dimensions. The unifying framework for all of these vacua is a theory of (2 + 2)-dimensional self-dual geometries embedded in 10 + 2 dimensions. There are also indications that the N = (2,1) string describes the strong-coupling dynamics of compactifications of critical string theories to two dimensions, and may lead to insights about the fundamental degrees of freedom of the theory.     

Spontaneous compactification and CPN: SU(3) × SU(2) × U(1), sin2θW, g3/g2 and SU(3)-triplet chiral fermions in four dimensions

We examine the compactification of D=4+2N, Einstein-Maxwell-Dirac theory. It is shown that the manifold CP_N × M₄ is a solution of the equations of motion. The structure of the fermions, gauge bosons and their couplings in the four-dimensional effective theory is investigated. The scale of CP_N is quantized by a generalized Dirac condition. When the results are applied to the solution with internal space CP₁×CP₂, the weak mixing angle and the ratio of the couplings of SU(3) (g₃) and SU(2) (g₂) are defined by two integers and a hypercharge. An SU(3)-triplet chiral fermion can appear in four-dimensional effective theory.     

The heterotic string and supersymmetric counterparts of the Lorentz Chern-Simons terms

The heterotic string three-point amplitude, which involves two fermionic and one bosonic state, determines some of the terms that must be added to the action of the N=1 supergravity coupled to N=1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills in ten dimensions to preserve supersymmetry, if the Lorentz Chern-Simons term is included in the definition of the field strength H_μνϱ for the cancellation of anomalies. Our calculation reveals an interesting structure, which suggests that the relevant H-Bianchi for the analysis of possible heterotic string compactifications involves a spin connection possibly with torsion.     

Compactifications of the heterotic string with unitary bundles

We describe a large new class of four‐dimensional supersymmetric string vacua defined as compactifications of the E₈ × E₈ and the SO(32) heterotic string on smooth Calabi‐Yau threefolds with unitary gauge bundles and heterotic five‐branes. The conventional gauge symmetry breaking via Wilson lines is replaced by the embedding of non‐flat line bundles into the ten‐dimensional gauge group, thus opening up the way for phenomenologically interesting string compactifications on simply connected manifolds. After a detailed analysis of the four‐dimensional effective theory we exemplify the general framework by means of a couple of explicit examples involving the spectral cover construction of stable holomorphic bundles. As for the SO(32) heterotic string, the resulting vacua can be viewed, in the S‐dual Type I picture, as a generalisation of magnetized D9/D5‐brane models. In the case of the E₈ × E₈ string, we find a natural way to construct realistic MSSM‐like models, either directly or via a flipped SU(5) GUT scenario.