407 research outputs found
Stable Non-BPS States and Their Holographic Duals
Stable non-BPS states can be constructed and studied in a variety of contexts
in string theory. Here we review some interesting constructions that arise from
suspended and wrapped branes. We also exhibit some stable non-BPS states that
have holographic duals.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 10 .eps figures (included); based on a talk given at
Strings 2000, Michiga
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
Holographic dual of the Standard Model on the throat
We apply recent techniques to construct geometries, based on local Calabi-Yau
manifolds, leading to warped throats with 3-form fluxes in string theory, with
interesting structure at their bottom. We provide their holographic dual
description in terms of RG flows for gauge theories with almost conformal
duality cascades and infrared confinement. We describe a model of a throat with
D-branes at its bottom, realizing a 3-family Standard Model like chiral sector.
We provide the explicit holographic dual gauge theory RG flow, and describe the
appearance of the SM degrees of freedom after confinement. As a second
application, we describe throats within throats, namely warped throats with
discontinuous warp factor in different regions of the radial coordinate, and
discuss possible model building applications.Comment: 46 pages, 21 figures, reference adde
Protective efficacy and pulmonary immune response following subcutaneous and intranasal BCG administration in mice
Despite global coverage of intradermal BCG vaccination, tuberculosis remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. Preclinical data have encouraged pulmonary tuberculosis vaccines as a promising strategy to prevent pulmonary disease, which is responsible for transmission. In this work, we describe the methodology used to demonstrate in the mouse model the benefits of intranasal BCG vaccination when compared to subcutaneous. Our data revealed greater protective efficacy following intranasal BCG administration. In addition, our results indicate that pulmonary vaccination triggers a higher immune response in lungs, including Th1 and Th17 responses, as well as an increase of immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration in respiratory airways. Our data show correlation between protective efficacy and the presence of IL17- producing cells in lungs post-Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenge, suggesting a role for this cytokine in the protective response conferred by pulmonary vaccination. Finally, we detail the global workflow we have developed to study respiratory vaccination in the mouse model, which could be extrapolated to other tuberculosis vaccines, apart from BCG, targeting the mucosal response or other pulmonary routes of administration such as the intratracheal or aerosol
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
Mucosal delivery of tuberculosis vaccines: a review of current approaches and challenges.
Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health threat and it is now clear that the current vaccine, BCG, is unable to arrest the global TB epidemic. A new vaccine is needed to either replace or boost BCG so that a better level of protection could be achieved. The route of entry of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative organism, is via inhalation making TB primarily a respiratory disease. There is therefore good reason to hypothesize that a mucosally delivered vaccine against TB could be more effective than one delivered via the systemic route.Areas covered: This review summarizes the progress that has been made in the area of TB mucosal vaccines in the last few years. It highlights some of the strengths and shortcomings of the published evidence and aims to discuss immunological and practical considerations in the development of mucosal vaccines.Expert opinion: There is a growing body of evidence that the mucosal approach to vaccination against TB is feasible and should be pursued. However, further key studies are necessary to both improve our understanding of the protective immune mechanisms operating in the mucosa and the technical aspects of aerosolized delivery, before such a vaccine could become a feasible, deployable strategy
Competing superconducting and magnetic order parameters and field-induced magnetism in electron doped Ba(FeCo)As
We have studied the magnetic and superconducting properties of
Ba(FeCo)As as a function of temperature and
external magnetic field using neutron scattering and muon spin rotation. Below
the superconducting transition temperature the magnetic and superconducting
order parameters coexist and compete. A magnetic field can significantly
enhance the magnetic scattering in the superconducting state, roughly doubling
the Bragg intensity at 13.5 T. We perform a microscopic modelling of the data
by use of a five-band Hamiltonian relevant to iron pnictides. In the
superconducting state, vortices can slow down and freeze spin fluctuations
locally. When such regions couple they result in a long-range ordered
antiferromagnetic phase producing the enhanced magnetic elastic scattering in
agreement with experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Fermion Masses and Mixing in Four and More Dimensions
We give an overview of recent progress in the study of fermion mass and
flavor mixing phenomena. Mass matrix ansatze are considered within the SM and
SUSY GUTs where some predictive frameworks based on SU(5) and SO(10) are
reviewed. We describe a variety of schemes to construct quark mass matrices in
extra dimensions focusing on four major classes: models with the SM residing on
3-brane, models with universal extra dimensions, models with split fermions and
models with warped extra dimensions. We outline how realistic patterns of quark
mass matrices could be derived from orbifold models in heterotic superstring
theory. Finally, we address the fermion mass problem in intersecting D-branes
scenarios, and present models with D6-branes able to give a good quantitatively
description of quark masses and mixing. The role of flavor/CP violation problem
as a probe of new physics is emphasized.Comment: a review based on seminars presented by S.K. in different places, 34
pages, late
Realistic D-Brane Models on Warped Throats: Fluxes, Hierarchies and Moduli Stabilization
We describe the construction of string theory models with semirealistic
spectrum in a sector of (anti) D3-branes located at an orbifold singularity at
the bottom of a highly warped throat geometry, which is a generalisation of the
Klebanov-Strassler deformed conifold. These models realise the Randall-Sundrum
proposal to naturally generate the Planck/electroweak hierarchy in a concrete
string theory embedding, and yielding interesting chiral open string spectra.
We describe examples with Standard Model gauge group (or left-right symmetric
extensions) and three families of SM fermions, with correct quantum numbers
including hypercharge. The dilaton and complex structure moduli of the geometry
are stabilised by the 3-form fluxes required to build the throat. We describe
diverse issues concerning the stabilisation of geometric Kahler moduli, like
blow-up modes of the orbifold singularities, via D term potentials and gauge
theory non-perturbative effects, like gaugino condensation. This local
geometry, once embedded in a full compactification, could give rise to models
with all moduli stabilised, and with the potential to lead to de Sitter vacua.
Issues of gauge unification, proton stability, supersymmetry breaking and
Yukawa couplings are also discussed.Comment: 46 pages, 13 figures (figures 3 and 13 corrected
A Note on (Meta)stable Brane Configurations in MQCD
We examine the M-theory version of SQCD which is known as MQCD. In the IIA
limit, this theory appears to have a supersymmetry-breaking brane configuration
which corresponds to the meta-stable state of N=1 SU(Nc) SQCD. However, the
behavior at infinity of this non-supersymmetric brane construction differs from
that of the supersymmetric ground state of MQCD. We interpret this to mean that
it is not a meta-stable state in MQCD, but rather a state in another theory.
This provides a concrete example of the fact that, while MQCD accurately
describes the supersymmetric features of SCQD, it fails to reproduce its
non-supersymmetric features (such as meta-stable states) not only
quantitatively but also qualitatively.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures, harvmac. v2 typo correcte
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