Type IIB Orientifolds without Untwisted Tadpoles, and non-BPS D-branes

We discuss the construction of six- and four-dimensional Type IIB orientifolds with vanishing untwisted RR tadpoles, but generically non-zero twisted RR tadpoles. Tadpole cancellation requires the introduction of D-brane systems with zero untwisted RR charge, but non-zero twisted RR charges. We construct explicit models containing branes and antibranes at fixed points of the internal space, or non-BPS branes partially wrapped on it. The models are non-supersymmetric, but are absolutely stable against decay to supersymmetric vacua. For particular values of the compactification radii tachyonic modes may develop, triggering phase transitions between the different types of non-BPS configurations of branes, which we study in detail in a particular example. As an interesting spin-off, we show that the \IT^6/\IZ_4 orientifold without vector structure, previously considered inconsistent due to uncancellable twisted tadpoles, can actually be made consistent by introducing a set of brane-antibrane pairs whose twisted charge cancels the problematic tadpole.Comment: 36 pages, Latex, 4 eps figure

Intersecting Brane Worlds at One Loop

We develop techniques for one-loop diagrams on intersecting branes. The one-loop propagator of chiral intersection states on D6 branes is calculated exactly and its finiteness is shown to be guaranteed by RR tadpole cancellation. The result is used to demonstrate the expected softening of power law running of Yukawa couplings at the string scale. We also develop methods to calculate arbitrary N-point functions at one-loop, including those without gauge bosons in the loop. These techniques are also applicable to heterotic orbifold models.Comment: 35 pages, 3 figures; added reference, corrected typos, JHEP styl

M5-brane geometries, T-duality and fluxes

We describe a duality relation between configurations of M5-branes in M-theory and type IIB theory on Taub-NUT geometries with NSNS and RR 3-form field strength fluxes. The flux parameters are controlled by the angles between the M5-brane and the (T)duality directions. For one M5-brane, the duality leads to a family of supersymmetric flux configurations which interpolates between imaginary self-dual fluxes and fluxes similar to the Polchinski-Strassler kind. For multiple M5-branes, the IIB configurations are related to fluxes for twisted sector fields in orbifolds. The dual M5-brane picture also provides a geometric interpretation for several properties of flux configurations (like the supersymmetry conditions, their contribution to tadpoles, etc), and for many non-trivial effects in the IIB side. Among the latter, the dielectric effect for probe D3-branes is dual to the recombination of probe M5-branes with background ones; also, a picture of a decay channel for non-supersymmetric fluxes is suggested.Comment: 30 pages, 3 figure

Orientifolding the conifold

In this paper we study the N=1 supersymmetric field theories realized on the world-volume of type IIB D3-branes sitting at orientifolds of non-orbifold singularities (conifold and generalizations). Several chiral models belong to this family of theories. These field theories have a T-dual realization in terms of type IIA configurations of relatively rotated NS fivebranes, D4-branes and orientifold six-planes, with a compact $x^6$ direction, along which the D4-branes have finite extent. We compute the spectrum on the D3-branes directly in the type IIB picture and match the resulting field theories with those obtained in the type IIA setup, thus providing a non-trivial check of this T-duality. Since the usual techniques to compute the spectrum of the model and check the cancellation of tadpoles, cannot be applied to the case orientifolds of non-orbifold singularities, we use a different approach, and construct the models by partially blowing-up orientifolds of C^3/(Z_2 x Z_2) and C^3/(Z_2 x Z_3) orbifolds.Comment: 52 pages, Latex 7 eps figure

N=1 Type IIA brane configurations, Chirality and T-duality

We consider four-dimensional N=1 field theories realized by type IIA brane configurations of NS-branes and D4-branes, in the presence of orientifold six-planes and D6-branes. These configurations are known to present interesting effects associated to the appearance of chiral symmetries and chiral matter in the four-dimensional field theory. We center on models with one compact direction (elliptic models) and show that, under T-duality, the configurations are mapped to a set of type IIB D3-branes probing N=1 orientifolds of C^2/Z_N singularities. We explicitly construct these orientifolds, and show the field theories on the D3-brane probes indeed reproduces the field theories constructed using the IIA brane configurations. This T-duality map allows to understand the type IIB realization of several exotic brane dynamics effects on the type IIA side: Flavour doubling, the splitting of D6-branes and O6-planes in crossing a NS-brane and the effect of a non-zero type IIA cosmological constant turn out to have surprisingly standard type IIB counterparts.Comment: 39 pages, Latex, 7 eps figures. References adde

Chiral 4d string vacua with D-branes and NSNS and RR fluxes

We discuss type IIB orientifolds with D-branes, and NSNS and RR field strength fluxes. The D-brane sectors lead to open string spectra with non-abelian gauge symmetry and charged chiral fermions. The closed string field strengths generate a scalar potential stabilizing most moduli. We describe the construction of N=1 supersymmetric models in the context of orientifolds of IIB theory on T^6/Z_2 x Z_2, containing D9-branes with world-volume magnetic fluxes, and illustrate model building possibilities with several explicit examples. We comment on a T-dual picture with D8-branes on non-Calabi-Yau half-flat geometries, and discuss some of the topological properties of such configurations. We also explore the construction of models with fluxes and with D3-branes at singularities and present a non-supersymmetric 3-family SU(5) model.Comment: latex, 49 pages, 2 figure

Instanton Induced Neutrino Majorana Masses in CFT Orientifolds with MSSM-like spectra

Recently it has been shown that string instanton effects may give rise to neutrino Majorana masses in certain classes of semi-realistic string compactifications. In this paper we make a systematic search for supersymmetric MSSM-like Type II Gepner orientifold constructions admitting boundary states associated with instantons giving rise to neutrino Majorana masses and other L- and/or B-violating operators. We analyze the zero mode structure of D-brane instantons on general type II orientifold compactifications, and show that only instantons with O(1) symmetry can have just the two zero modes required to contribute to the 4d superpotential. We however discuss how the addition of fluxes and/or possible non-perturbative extensions of the orientifold compactifications would allow also instantons with $Sp(2)$ and U(1) symmetries to generate such superpotentials. In the context of Gepner orientifolds with MSSM-like spectra, we find no models with O(1) instantons with just the required zero modes to generate a neutrino mass superpotential. On the other hand we find a number of models in one particular orientifold of the Gepner model $(2,4,22,22)$ with $Sp(2)$ instantons with a few extra uncharged non-chiral zero modes which could be easily lifted by the mentioned effects. A few more orientifold examples are also found under less stringent constraints on the zero modes. This class of $Sp(2)$ instantons have the interesting property that R-parity conservation is automatic and the flavour structure of the neutrino Majorana mass matrices has a simple factorized form.Comment: 68 pages, 2 figures; v2. typos corrected, refs adde

Yukawa couplings in intersecting D-brane models

We compute the Yukawa couplings among chiral fields in toroidal Type II compactifications with wrapping D6-branes intersecting at angles. Those models can yield realistic standard model spectrum living at the intersections. The Yukawa couplings depend both on the Kahler and open string moduli but not on the complex structure. They arise from worldsheet instanton corrections and are found to be given by products of complex Jacobi theta functions with characteristics. The Yukawa couplings for a particular intersecting brane configuration yielding the chiral spectrum of the MSSM are computed as an example. We also show how our methods can be extended to compute Yukawa couplings on certain classes of elliptically fibered CY manifolds which are mirror to complex cones over del Pezzo surfaces. We find that the Yukawa couplings in intersecting D6-brane models have a mathematical interpretation in the context of homological mirror symmetry. In particular, the computation of such Yukawa couplings is related to the construction of Fukaya's category in a generic symplectic manifold.Comment: 47 pages, using JHEP3.cls, 11 figures. Typos and other minor corrections. References adde

Neutrino Majorana Masses from String Theory Instanton Effects

Finding a plausible origin for right-handed neutrino Majorana masses in semirealistic compactifications of string theory remains one of the most difficult problems in string phenomenology. We argue that right-handed neutrino Majorana masses are induced by non-perturbative instanton effects in certain classes of string compactifications in which the $U(1)_{B-L}$ gauge boson has a St\"uckelberg mass. The induced operators are of the form $e^{-U}\nu_R\nu_R$ where $U$ is a closed string modulus whose imaginary part transforms appropriately under $B-L$. This mass term may be quite large since this is not a gauge instanton and $Re U$ is not directly related to SM gauge couplings. Thus the size of the induced right-handed neutrino masses could be a few orders of magnitude below the string scale, as phenomenologically required. It is also argued that this origin for neutrino masses would predict the existence of R-parity in SUSY versions of the SM. Finally we comment on other phenomenological applications of similar instanton effects, like the generation of a $\mu$-term, or of Yukawa couplings forbidden in perturbation theory.Comment: 40 pages, 4 figures (v2: added references, small corrections)(v3: minor corrections

Particle models from orientifolds at Gepner-orbifold points

We consider configurations of stacks of orientifold planes and D-branes wrapped on a non trivial internal space of the structure {(Gepner model)^{c=3n} x T^{2(3-n)}}/Z_N, for n=1,2,3. By performing simple moddings by discrete symmetries of Gepner models at orienti fold points, consistent with a Z_N orbifold action, we show that projection on D-brane configurations can be achieved, generically leading to chiral gauge theories. Either supersymmetric or non-supersymmetric (tachyon free) models can be obtained. We illustrate the procedure through some explicit examples.Comment: 36 pages, no figures Corrected sign of eq. 6.26 references added, minor correction