An Example of Semiclassical Instanton-Like Scattering: (1+1) Dimensional Sigma Model

A solution to the classical field equations in the massless (1+1)-dimensional O(3) sigma model is found, which describes a multi-particle instanton-like transition at high energy. In the limit of small number of initial particles, the number of final particles is shown to be also small, and the probability of the transition is suppressed by $\exp(-2S_0)$, where $S_0$ is the instanton action. This solution, however, does not correspond to the maximum transition probability among all states with given number of incoming particles and energy. Unless the limit $g^2 n_{initial}\to0$ is exponentially sensitive to the structure of the initial state, our results imply that well above the sphaleron energy, the instanton-induced cross section becomes again suppressed by the instanton exponent, and the number of final paricles is again small.Comment: 28 pages, LaTeX preprint TPI-MINN-92/66-

String instantons, fluxes and moduli stabilization

We analyze a class of dual pairs of heterotic and type I models based on freely-acting $\mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2$ orbifolds in four dimensions. Using the adiabatic argument, it is possible to calculate non-perturbative contributions to the gauge coupling threshold corrections on the type I side by exploiting perturbative calculations on the heterotic side, without the drawbacks due to twisted moduli. The instanton effects can then be combined with closed-string fluxes to stabilize most of the moduli fields of the internal manifold, and also the dilaton, in a racetrack realization of the type I model.Comment: 1+49 page