F-theory and experiment

There is currently a wide gulf between string theory and experiment. This is compounded by the existence of a ‘landscape’ of solutions to the string theory equations of motion, many of which are in gross violation of experimental constraints. To make contact with experiment, it is then necessary to impose some additional criteria to find potentially realistic solutions. In this article we show that requiring that the forces of the Standard Model unify, while remaining decoupled from gravity, imposes sharp restrictions. A promising class of string based models which meet both these criteria are known as F-theory GUTs. We review the main ingredients of these constructions, and how they make contact with experiment.     

Towards the MSSM from F-theory

We study the MSSM in F-theory. Its group is the commutant to a structure group SU(5)×UY₍₁₎$\mathit{SU}(5)\times U{(1)}_Y$ of a gauge bundle in E₈$E_8$. The spectrum contains three generations of quarks and leptons plus vectorlike electroweak and colored Higgses. The minimal MSSM Yukawa couplings with matter parity is obtained at the renormalizable level.     

F-theory and the Witten index

We connect the fermionic fields, localized on the intersection curve Σ   of two D7-branes with zero background flux, to a N=2$N=2$ supersymmetric quantum mechanics algebra, within the theoretical framework of F-theory.     

Intersecting brane models and F-theory in six dimensions

We analyze six-dimensional supergravity theories coming from intersecting brane models on the toroidal orbifold T⁴/_Z2$T^4/{\mathbb{Z}}_2$. We use recently developed tools for mapping general 6D supergravity theories to F-theory to identify F-theory constructions dual to the intersecting brane models. The F-theory picture illuminates several aspects of these models. In particular, we have some new insight into the matter spectrum on intersecting branes, and analyze gauge group enhancement as branes approach orbifold points. These novel features of intersecting brane models are also relevant in four dimensions, and are confirmed in 6D using more standard Chan–Paton methods.     

F-theory grand unification at the colliders

We predict the exact gaugino mass relation near the electroweak scale at one loop for gravity mediated supersymmetry breaking in F-theory SU(5) and SO(10) models with UY(1) and U(1)_B−L fluxes, respectively. The gaugino mass relation introduced here differs from the typical gaugino mass relations studied thus far, and in general, should be preserved quite well at low energy. Therefore, these F-theory models can be tested at the Large Hadron Collider and future International Linear Collider. We present two typical scenarios that satisfy all the latest experimental constraints and are consistent with the CDMS II experiment. In particular, the gaugino mass relation is indeed satisfied at two-loop level with only a very small deviation around the electroweak scale.     

From local to global in F-theory model building

When locally engineering F-theory models some D7$D7$-branes for the gauge group factors are specified and matter is localized on the intersection curves of the compact parts of the world-volumes. In this note, we discuss to what extent one can draw conclusions about F-theory models by just restricting the attention locally to a particular seven-brane. Globally, the possible D7$D7$-branes are not independent from each other and the (compact part of the) D7$D7$-brane can have unavoidable intrinsic singularities. Many special intersecting loci which were not chosen by hand occur inevitably, notably codimension-three loci which are not   intersections of matter curves. We describe these complications specifically in a global SU(5)$SU\left(5\right)$ model and also their impact on the tadpole cancellation condition.     

F-theory Yukawa couplings and supersymmetric quantum mechanics

The localized fermions on the intersection curve Σ of D7-branes, are connected to a N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics algebra. Due to this algebra the fields obey a global U(1) symmetry. This symmetry restricts the proton decay operators and the neutrino mass terms. Particularly, we find that several proton decay operators are forbidden and the Majorana mass term is the only one allowed in the theory. A special SUSY QM algebra is studied at the end of the paper. In addition we study the impact of a non-trivial holomorphic metric perturbation on the localized solutions along each matter curve. Moreover, we study the connection of the localized solutions to an N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics algebra when background fluxes are turned on.     

Moduli in N = 1 heterotic/F-theory duality

The moduli in a 4D N = 1 heterotic compactification on an elliptic CY, as well as in the dual F-theoretic compactification, break into “base” parameters which are even (under the natural involution of the elliptic curves), and “fiber” or twisting parameters; the latter include a continuous part which is odd, as well as a discrete part. We interpret all the heterotic moduli in terms of cohomology groups of the spectral covers, and identify them with the corresponding F-theoretic moduli in a certain stable degeneration. The argument is based on the comparison of three geometric objects: the spectral and cameral covers and the ADE del Pezzo fibrations. For the continuous part of the twisting moduli, this amounts to an isomorphism between certain abelian varieties: the connected component of the heterotic Prym variety (a modified Jacobian) and the F-theoretic intermediate Jacobian. The comparison of the discrete part generalizes the matching of heterotic 5-brane/F-theoretic 3-brane impurities.