Topological duality twist and brane instantons in F-theory

A variant of the topological twist, involving SL(2,Z) dualities and hence named topological duality twist, is introduced and explicitly applied to describe a U(1) N=4 super Yang-Mills theory on a Kaehler space with holomorphically space-dependent coupling. Three-dimensional duality walls and two-dimensional chiral theories naturally enter the formulation of the duality twisted theory. Appropriately generalized, this theory is relevant for the study of Euclidean D3-brane instantons in F-theory compactifications. Some of its properties and implications are discussed.Comment: 39 pages, 7 figure

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Non-perturbative effects on seven-brane Yukawa couplings

We analyze non-perturbative corrections to the superpotential of seven-brane gauge theories on type IIB and F-theory warped Calabi-Yau compactifications. We show in particular that such corrections modify the holomorphic Yukawa couplings by an exponentially suppressed contribution, generically solving the Yukawa rank-one problem present in F-theory local models. We provide explicit expressions for the non-perturbative correction to the seven-brane superpotential, and check that it is related to a non-commutative deformation to the tree-level superpotential via the Seiberg-Witten map.Comment: 4 pages. v2: minor changes, footnotes and citations added. Version to be published in PR

D-brane networks in flux vacua, generalized cycles and calibrations

We consider chains of generalized submanifolds, as defined by Gualtieri in the context of generalized complex geometry, and define a boundary operator that acts on them. This allows us to define generalized cycles and the corresponding homology theory. Gauge invariance demands that D-brane networks on flux vacua must wrap these generalized cycles, while deformations of generalized cycles inside of a certain homology class describe physical processes such as the dissolution of D-branes in higher-dimensional D-branes and MMS-like instantonic transitions. We introduce calibrations that identify the supersymmetric D-brane networks, which minimize their energy inside of the corresponding homology class of generalized cycles. Such a calibration is explicitly presented for type II N=1 flux compactifications to four dimensions. In particular networks of walls and strings in compactifications on warped Calabi-Yau's are treated, with explicit examples on a toroidal orientifold vacuum and on the Klebanov-Strassler geometry.Comment: 42 pages, 4 eps figures, version to appear in JHE

Holographic Effective Field Theories

We derive the four-dimensional low-energy effective field theory governing the moduli space of strongly coupled superconformal quiver gauge theories associated with D3-branes at Calabi-Yau conical singularities in the holographic regime of validity. We use the dual supergravity description provided by warped resolved conical geometries with mobile D3-branes. Information on the baryonic directions of the moduli space is also obtained by using wrapped Euclidean D3-branes. We illustrate our general results by discussing in detail their application to the Klebanov-Witten model.Comment: 56 pages; v2: minor changes, version published in JHE

Hidden Selection Rules, M5-instantons and Fluxes in F-theory

We introduce a new approach to investigate the selection rules governing the contributions of fluxed M5-instantons to the F-theory four-dimensional effective action, with emphasis on the generation of charged matter F-terms. The structure of such couplings is unraveled by exploiting the perturbative and non-perturbative homological relations, introduced in our companion paper arXiv:1506.06764, which encode the interplay between the self-dual 3-form flux on the M5-brane, the background 4-form flux and certain fibral curves. The latter are wrapped by time-like M2-branes representing matter insertions in the instanton path integral. In particular, we clarify how fluxed M5-instantons detect the presence of geometrically massive $U(1)$s which are responsible for `hidden' selection rules. We discuss how for non-generic embeddings the M5-instanton can probe `locally massless' $U(1)$ symmetries if the rank of its Mordell-Weil group is enhanced compared to that of the bulk. As a phenomenological off-spring we propose a new type of non-perturbative corrections to Yukawa couplings which may change the rank of the Yukawa matrix. Along the way, we also gain new insights into the structure of massive $U(1)$ gauge fluxes in the stable degeneration limit.Comment: 42 pages; v2: references adde

Non-perturbative selection rules in F-theory

We discuss the structure of charged matter couplings in 4-dimensional F-theory compactifications. Charged matter is known to arise from M2-branes wrapping fibral curves on an elliptic or genus-one fibration Y. If a set of fibral curves satisfies a homological relation in the fibre homology, a coupling involving the states can arise without exponential volume suppression due to a splitting and joining of the M2-branes. If the fibral curves only sum to zero in the integral homology of the full fibration, no such coupling is possible. In this case an M2-instanton wrapping a 3-chain bounded by the fibral matter curves can induce a D-term which is volume suppressed. We elucidate the consequences of this pattern for the appearance of massive U(1) symmetries in F-theory and analyse the structure of discrete selection rules in the coupling sector. The weakly coupled analogue of said M2-instantons is worked out to be given by D1-F1 instantons. The generation of an exponentially suppressed F-term requires the formation of half-BPS bound states of M2 and M5-instantons. This effect and its description in terms of fluxed M5-instantons is discussed in a companion paper.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures; v2: references adde

Calabi-Yau 3-folds from 2-folds

We consider type IIA string theory on a Calabi-Yau 2-fold with D6-branes wrapping 2-cycles in the 2-fold. We find a complete set of conditions on the supergravity solution for any given wrapped brane configuration in terms of SU(2) structures. We reduce the problem of finding a supergravity solution for the wrapped branes to finding a harmonic function on R$\times$CY$_2$. We then lift this solution to 11-dimensions as a product of R$^{(4.1)}$ and a Calabi-Yau 3-fold. We show how the metric on the 3-fold is determined in terms of the wrapped brane solution. We write down the distinguished (3,0) form and the K{\"a}hler form of the 3-fold in terms of structures defined on the base 2-d complex manifold. We discuss the topology of the 3-fold in terms of the D6-branes and the underlying 2-fold. We show that in addition to the non-trivial cycles inherited from the underlying 2-fold there are $N-1$ new 2-cycles. We construct closed (1,1) forms corresponding to these new cycles. We also display some explicit examples. One of our examples is that of D6-branes wrapping the 2-cycle in an A$_1$ ALE space, the resulting 3-fold has $h^{(1,1)}=N$, where $N$ is the number of D6-branes.Comment: 30 page

On type II superstrings in bosonic backgrounds: the role of fermions and T-duality

We derive the actions for type II Green-Schwarz strings up to second order in the fermions, for general bosonic backgrounds. We base our work on the so-called normal coordinate expansion. The resulting actions are $\kappa$-symmetric and, for the case of surviving background supersymmetries, supersymmetric. We first obtain the type IIa superstring action from the 11D supermembrane by double dimensional reduction. Then, by means of a generalization of T-duality we derive the type IIb superstring action. The resulting actions are surprisingly simple and elegant.Comment: 10 pages, latex. more typos correcte