Andreas P. Braun

The fate of U(1)'s at strong coupling in F-theory

A bstractU(1) gauge symmetries in F-theory are expected to manifest themselves as codimension three singularities of Calabi-Yau fourfolds. However, some of these are known to become massive at strong coupling via the Stückelberg mechanism. In this note, we propose a geometric picture for detecting all U(1)’s, and determining which ones are massive and which ones are massless. We find that massive gauge symmetries show up as codimension three singularities that only admit small, non-Kähler, resolutions. Our proposal passes several highly non-trivial tests, including a case with a non-diagonal mass matrix.

Fixing D7-brane positions by F-theory fluxes

Abstract To do realistic model building in type IIB supergravity, it is important to understand how to fix D7-brane positions by the choice of fluxes. More generally, F-theory model building requires the understanding of how fluxes determine the singularity structure (and hence gauge group and matter content) of the compactification. We analyse this problem in the simple setting of M-theory on K 3 × K 3 . Given a certain flux which is consistent with the F-theory limit, we can explicitly derive the positions at which D7 branes or stacks of D7 branes are stabilised. The analysis is based on a parameterization of the moduli space of type IIB string theory on T 2 / Z 2 (including D7-brane positions) in terms of the periods of integral cycles of M-theory on K 3. This allows us, in particular, to select a specific desired gauge group by the choice of flux numbers.

The Vertical, the Horizontal and the Rest: | anatomy of the middle cohomology of Calabi-Yau fourfolds | | and F-theory applications |

A bstractThe four-form field strength in F-theory compactifications on Calabi-Yau four-folds takes its value in the middle cohomology group H4. The middle cohomology is decomposed into a vertical, a horizontal and a remaining component, all three of which are present in general. We argue that a flux along the remaining or vertical component may break some symmetry, while a purely horizontal flux does not influence the unbroken part of the gauge group or the net chirality of charged matter fields. This makes the decomposition crucial to the counting of flux vacua in the context of F-theory GUTs. We use mirror symmetry to derive a combinatorial formula for the dimensions of these components applicable to any toric Calabi-Yau hypersurface, and also make a partial attempt at providing a geometric characterization of the four-cycles Poincaré dual to the remaining component of H4. It is also found in general elliptic Calabi-Yau fourfolds supporting SU(5) gauge symmetry that a remaining component can be present, for example, in a form crucial to the symmetry breaking SU(5) − → SU(3)C × SU(2)L × U(1)Y. The dimension of the horizontal component is used to derive an estimate of the statistical distribution of the number of generations and the rank of 7-brane gauge groups in the landscape of F-theory flux vacua.

Hypercharge flux in F-theory and the stable Sen limit

A bstractIIB compactifications enjoy the possibility to break GUT groups via fluxes without giving mass to the hypercharge gauge field. Although this important advantage has greatly motivated F-theory constructions, no such fluxes have been constructed directly in terms of the M-theory G4-form. In this note, we give a general prescription for constructing hypercharge G-fluxes. By using a stable version of Sen’s weak coupling limit, we verify their connection with IIB fluxes. We illustrate the lift of fluxes in a number of examples, including a compact SU(5) × U(1) model with explicit realization of doublet-triplet splitting. Finally, we prove an equivalence conjectured in an earlier work as a by-product.

On singular fibres in F-theory

A bstractIn this paper, we propose a connection between the field theory local model (Katz-Vafa field theory) and the type of singular fibre in flat crepant resolutions of elliptic Calabi-Yau fourfolds, a class of fourfolds considered by Esole and Yau. We review the analysis of degenerate fibres for models with gauge groups SU(5) and SO(10) in detail, and observe that the naively expected fibre type is realized if and only if the Higgs vev in the field theory local model is unramified. To test this idea, we implement a linear (unramified) Higgs vev for the “E6” Yukawa point in a model with gauge group SU(5) and verify that this indeed leads to a fibre of Kodaira type IV*. Based on this observation, we argue i) that the singular fibre types appearing in the fourfolds studied by Esole-Yau are not puzzling at all, (so that this class of fourfolds does not have to be excluded from the candidate of input data of some yet-unknown formulation of F-theory) and ii) that such fourfold geometries also contain more information than just the eigenvalues of the Higgs field vev configuration in the field theory local models.

De Sitter vacua from a D-term generated racetrack potential in hypersurface Calabi-Yau compactifications

A bstractIn [1] a mechanism to fix the closed string moduli in a de Sitter minimum was proposed: a D-term potential generates a linear relation between the volumes of two rigid divisors which in turn produces at lower energies a race-track potential with de Sitter minima at exponentially large volume. In this paper, we systematically search for implementations of this mechanism among all toric Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces with h1,1 ≤ 4 from the Kreuzer-Skarke list. For these, topological data can be computed explicitly allowing us to find the subset of three-folds which have two rigid toric divisors that do not intersect each other and that are orthogonal to h1,1 − 2 independent four-cycles. These manifolds allow to find D7-brane configurations compatible with the de Sitter uplift mechanism and we find an abundance of consistent choices of D7-brane fluxes inducing D-terms leading to a de Sitter minimum. Finally, we work out a couple of models in detail, checking the global consistency conditions and computing the value of the potential at the minimum.

U-folds as K3 fibrations

A bstractWe study

Tops as Building Blocks for G2 Manifolds

\mathcal{N}=2

Compact, singular G2-holonomy manifolds and M/heterotic/F-theory duality

four-dimensional flux vacua describing intrinsic non- perturbative systems of 3 and 7 branes in type IIB string theory. The solutions are described as compactifications of a G(ravity) theory on a Calabi Yau threefold which consists of a fibration of an auxiliary K3 surface over an S2 base. In the spirit of F-theory, the complex structure of the K3 surface varying over the base codifies the details of the fluxes, the dilaton and the warp factors in type IIB string theory. We discuss in detail some simple examples of geometric and non-geometric solutions where the precise flux/geometry dictionary can be explicitly worked out. In particular, we describe non-geometric T-fold solutions exhibiting non-trivial T-duality monodromies exchanging 3- and 7-branes.

Mirror symmetry for G 2-manifolds: twisted connected sums and dual tops

A bstractA large number of examples of compact G2 manifolds, relevant to supersymmetric compactifications of M-Theory to four dimensions, can be constructed by forming a twisted connected sum of two building blocks times a circle. These building blocks, which are appropriate K3-fibred threefolds, are shown to have a natural and elegant construction in terms of tops, which parallels the construction of Calabi-Yau manifolds via reflexive polytopes. In particular, this enables us to prove combinatorial formulas for the Hodge numbers and other relevant topological data.