arXiv subjects

Mboyo Esole

Publications and source records attributed to Mboyo Esole.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Incidence Geometry in a Weyl Chamber II: $SL_n$

We study the polyhedral geometry of the hyperplanes orthogonal to the weights of the first and the second fundamental representations of $sl_n$ inside the dual fundamental Weyl chamber. We obtain generating functions that enumerate the flats and the faces of a fixed dimension. In addition, we describe the extreme rays of the incidence geometry and classify simplicial faces. From the perspective of supersymmetric gauge theories with 8 supercharges in five dimensional spacetime, the poset of flats is isomorphic to the network of mixed Coulomb-Higgs branches. On the other hand, the poset of faces is conjectured to be isomorphic to the network of crepant partial resolutions of an elliptic fibration with gauge algebra $sl_n$ and "matter representation" given by the sum of the first two fundamental representations.

math.RT↗

arXiv2016

Incidence Geometry in a Weyl Chamber I: $GL_n$

We study the central hyperplane arrangement whose hyperplanes are the vanishing loci of the weights of the first and the second fundamental representations of $\mathfrak{gl}_n$ restricted to the dual fundamental Weyl chamber. We obtain generating functions that count flats and faces of a given dimension. This counting is interpreted in physics as the enumeration of the phases of the Coulomb and mixed Coulomb-Higgs branches of a five dimensional gauge theory with 8 supercharges in presence of hypermultiplets transforming in the fundamental and antisymmetric representation of a U(n) gauge group as described by the Intriligator-Morrison-Seiberg superpotential.

math.RT↗

arXiv2015

M-theory on Elliptic Calabi-Yau Threefolds and 6d Anomalies

We consider the 8-supercharge 5d su(N) gauge theories from M-theory compactified on elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds. By matching the triple intersection numbers in the elliptic Calabi-Yau with the 5d Chern-Simons levels, we determine the charged matter contents for these theories. We show that all these 5d theories can be lifted to 6d N = (1, 0) theories while satisfying the anomaly cancellation equations. This suggests that the 5d theories obtained from M-theory compactified on elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds have a natural 12d description, which as we know is F-theory. Furthermore, we compute the Euler characteristics of the elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

A New Model for Elliptic Fibrations with a Rank One Mordell-Weil Group: I. Singular Fibers and Semi-Stable Degenerations

We introduce a new model for elliptic fibrations endowed with a Mordell-Weil group of rank one. We call it a Q$_7(\mathscr{L},\mathscr{S})$ model. It naturally generalizes several previous models of elliptic fibrations popular in the F-theory literature. The model is also explicitly smooth, thus relevant physical quantities can be computed in terms of topological invariants in straight manner. Since the general fiber is defined by a cubic curve, basic arithmetic operations on the curve can be done using the chord-tangent group law. We will use this model to determine the spectrum of singular fibers of an elliptic fibration of rank one and compute a generating function for its Euler characteristic. With a view toward string theory, we determine a semi-stable degeneration which is understood as a weak coupling limit in F-theory. We show that it satisfies a non-trivial topological relation at the level of homological Chern classes. This relation ensures that the D3 charge in F-theory is the same as the one in the weak coupling limit.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Singularities and Gauge Theory Phases II

We present a simple algebraic construction of all the small resolutions for the SU(5) Weierstrass model. Each resolution corresponds to a subchamber on the Coulomb branch of the five-dimensional N=1 SU(5) gauge theory with matter fields in the fundamental and two-index antisymmetric representations. This construction unifies all previous resolutions found in the literature in a single framework.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Singularities and Gauge Theory Phases

Motivated by M-theory compactification on elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds, we present a correspondence between networks of small resolutions for singular elliptic fibrations and Coulomb branches of five-dimensional N=1 gauge theories. While resolutions correspond to subchambers of the Coulomb branch, partial resolutions correspond to higher codimension loci at which the Coulomb branch intersects the Coulomb-Higgs branches. Flops between different resolutions are identified with reflections on the Coulomb branch. Physics aside, this correspondence provides an interesting link between elliptic fibrations and representation theory.

hep-th↗

arXiv2013

Small resolutions of SU(5)-models in F-theory

We provide an explicit desingularization and study the resulting fiber geometry of elliptically fibered fourfolds defined by Weierstrass models admitting a split A_4 singularity over a divisor of the discriminant locus. Such varieties are used to geometrically engineer SU(5) Grand Unified Theories in F-theory. The desingularization is given by a small resolution of singularities. The I_5 fiber naturally appears after resolving the singularities in codimension-one in the base. The remaining higher codimension singularities are then beautifully described by a four dimensional affine binomial variety which leads to six different small resolutions of the the elliptically fibered fourfold. These six small resolutions define distinct fourfolds connected to each other by a network of flop transitions forming a dihedral group. The location of these exotic fibers in the base is mapped to conifold points of the threefolds that defines the type IIB orientifold limit of the F-theory. The full resolution have interesting properties, specially for fibers in codimension three: the rank of the singular fiber does not necessary increase and the fibers are not necessary in the list of Kodaira and some are not even (extended) Dynkin diagram.

hep-th↗

arXiv2012

Tate Form and Weak Coupling Limits in F-theory

We consider the weak coupling limit of F-theory in the presence of non-Abelian gauge groups implemented using the traditional ansatz coming from Tate's algorithm. We classify the types of singularities that could appear in the weak coupling limit and explain their resolution. In particular, the weak coupling limit of SU(n) gauge groups leads to an orientifold theory which suffers from conifold singulaties that do not admit a crepant resolution compatible with the orientifold involution. We present a simple resolution to this problem by introducing a new weak coupling regime that admits singularities compatible with both a crepant resolution and an orientifold symmetry. We also comment on possible applications of the new limit to model building. We finally discuss other unexpected phenomena as for example the existence of several non-equivalent directions to flow from strong to weak coupling leading to different gauge groups.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

D5 elliptic fibrations: non-Kodaira fibers and new orientifold limits of F-theory

A D5 elliptic fibration is a fibration whose generic fiber is modeled by the complete intersection of two quadric surfaces in P3. They provide simple examples of elliptic fibrations admitting a rich spectrum of singular fibers (not all on the list of Kodaira) without introducing singularities in the total space of the fibration and therefore avoiding a discussion of their resolutions. We study systematically the fiber geometry of such fibrations using Segre symbols and compute several topological invariants. We present for the first time Sen's (orientifold) limits for D5 elliptic fibrations. These orientifolds limit describe different weak coupling limits of F-theory to type IIB string theory giving a system of three brane-image-brane pairs in presence of a Z_2 orientifold. The orientifold theory is mathematically described by the double cover the base of the elliptic fibration. Such orientifold theories are characterized by a transition from a semi-stable singular fiber to an unstable one. In this paper, we describe the first example of a weak coupling limit in F-theory characterized by a transition to a non-Kodaira (and non-ADE) fiber. Inspired by string dualities, we obtain non-trivial topological relations connecting the elliptic fibration and the different loci that appear in its weak coupling limit. Mathematically, these are surprising relations relating the total Chern class of the D5 elliptic fibration and those of different loci that naturally appear in the weak coupling limit. We work in arbitrary dimension and our results don't assume the Calabi-Yau condition.

hep-th↗

arXiv2009

New Orientifold Weak Coupling Limits in F-theory

We present new explicit constructions of weak coupling limits of F-theory generalizing Sen's construction to elliptic fibrations which are not necessary given in a Weierstrass form. These new constructions allow for an elegant derivation of several brane configurations that do not occur within the original framework of Sen's limit, or which would require complicated geometric tuning or break supersymmetry. Our approach is streamlined by first deriving a simple geometric interpretation of Sen's weak coupling limit. This leads to a natural way of organizing all such limits in terms of transitions from semistable to unstable singular fibers. These constructions provide a new playground for model builders as they enlarge the number of supersymmetric configurations that can be constructed in F-theory. We present several explicit examples for E8, E7 and E6 elliptic fibrations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2009

Stability of warped AdS3 vacua of topologically massive gravity

AdS3 vacua of topologically massive gravity (TMG) have been shown to be perturbatively unstable for all values of the coupling constant except the chiral point μl=1. We study the possibility that the warped vacua of TMG, which exist for all values of μ, are stable under linearized perturbations. In this paper, we show that spacelike warped AdS3 vacua with Compere-Detournay boundary conditions are indeed stable in the range μl > 3. This is precisely the range in which black hole solutions arise as discrete identifications of the warped AdS3 vacuum. The situation somewhat resembles chiral gravity: although negative energy modes do exist, they are all excluded by the boundary conditions, and the perturbative spectrum solely consists of boundary (pure large gauge) gravitons.

hep-th↗

arXiv2009

Orientiholes

By T-dualizing space-filling D-branes in IIB orientifold compactifications along the three non-internal spatial directions, we obtain black hole bound states living in a universe with a gauged spatial reflection symmetry. We call these objects orientiholes. The gravitational entropy of various IIA orientihole configurations provides an "experimental" estimate of the number of vacua in various sectors of the IIB landscape. Furthermore, basic physical properties of orientiholes map to (sometimes subtle) microscopic features, thus providing a useful alternative viewpoint on a number of issues arising in D-brane model building. More generally, we give orientihole generalizations of recently derived wall crossing formulae, and conjecture a relation to the topological string analogous to the OSV conjecture, but with a linear rather than a quadratic identification of partition functions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2008

D-brane Deconstructions in IIB Orientifolds

With model building applications in mind, we collect and develop basic techniques to analyze the landscape of D7-branes in type IIB compact Calabi-Yau orientifolds, in three different pictures: F-theory, the D7 worldvolume theory and D9-anti-D9 tachyon condensation. A significant complication is that consistent D7-branes in the presence of O7^- planes are generically singular, with singularities locally modeled by the Whitney Umbrella. This invalidates the standard formulae for charges, moduli space and flux lattice dimensions. We infer the correct formulae by comparison to F-theory and derive them independently and more generally from the tachyon picture, and relate these numbers to the closed string massless spectrum of the orientifold compactification in an interesting way. We furthermore give concrete recipes to explicitly and systematically construct nontrivial D-brane worldvolume flux vacua in arbitrary Calabi-Yau orientifolds, illustrate how to read off D-brane flux content, enhanced gauge groups and charged matter spectra from tachyon matrices, and demonstrate how brane recombination in general leads to flux creation, as required by charge conservation and by equivalence of geometric and gauge theory moduli spaces.

hep-th↗

arXiv2007

Chern class identities from tadpole matching in type IIB and F-theory

In light of Sen's weak coupling limit of F-theory as a type IIB orientifold, the compatibility of the tadpole conditions leads to a non-trivial identity relating the Euler characteristics of an elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau fourfold and of certain related surfaces. We present the physical argument leading to the identity, and a mathematical derivation of a Chern class identity which confirms it, after taking into account singularities of the relevant loci. This identity of Chern classes holds in arbitrary dimension, and for varieties that are not necessarily Calabi-Yau. Singularities are essential in both the physics and the mathematics arguments: the tadpole relation may be interpreted as an identity involving stringy invariants of a singular hypersurface, and corrections for the presence of pinch-points. The mathematical discussion is streamlined by the use of Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson classes of singular varieties. We also show how the main identity may be obtained by applying `Verdier specialization' to suitable constructible functions.

hep-th↗

arXiv2006

Half-BPS cosmic string in N=2 supergravity in the presence of a dilaton

We construct new half-BPS cosmic string solutions in D=4 N=2 supergravity compatible with a consistent truncation to N=1 supergravity where they describe D-term cosmic strings. The constant Fayet-Iliopoulos term in the N=1 D-term is not put in by hand but is geometrically engineered by a gauging in the mother N=2 supergravity theory. The coupling of the N=2 vector multiplets is characterized by a cubic prepotential admitting an axion-dilaton field, a common property of many compactifications of string theory. The axion-dilaton field survives the truncation to N=1 supergravity. On the string configuration the BPS equations constrain the dilaton to be an arbitrary constant. All the cosmic string solutions with different values of the dilaton have the same energy per unit length but different lenght scales.

hep-th↗

arXiv2005

D-term cosmic strings from N=2 Supergravity

We describe new half-BPS cosmic string solutions in N=2, d=4 supergravity coupled to one vector multiplet and one hypermultiplet. They are closely related to D-term strings in N=1 supergravity. Fields of the N=2 theory that are frozen in the solution contribute to the triplet moment map of the quaternionic isometries and leave their trace in N=1 as a constant Fayet-Iliopoulos term. The choice of U(1) gauging and of special geometry are crucial. The construction gives rise to a non-minimal Kaehler potential and can be generalized to higher dimensional quaternionic-Kaehler manifolds.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

The Non-Local Massive Yang-Mills Action as a Gauged Sigma Model

We show that the massive Yang--Mills action having as a mass term the non-local operator introduced by Gubarov, Stodolsky, and Zakharov is classically equivalent to a principal gauged sigma model. The non-local mass corresponds to the topological term of the sigma model. The latter is obtained once the degrees of freedom implicitly generated in the non-local action are explicitly implemented as group elements. The non-local action is recovered by integrating out these group elements. In contrast to the usual gauge-fixed treatment, the sigma model point of view provides a safe framework in which calculation are tractable while keeping a full control of gauge-invariance. It shows that the non-local massive Yang--Mills action is naturally associated with the low-energy description of QCD in the Chiral Perturbation Theory approach. Moreover, the sigma model admits solutions called center vortices familiar in different (de)-confinement and chiral symmetry breaking scenarios. This suggests that the non-local operator introduced by Gubarov, Stodolsky, and Zakharov might be sensitive to center vortices configurations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2004

On the renormalisability of gauge invariant extensions of the squared gauge potential

We show that gauge invariant extensions of the local functional $\cO = \frac12\int d^4x A^2$ have long range non localities which can only be ``renormalised'' with reference to a specific gauge. Consequently, there is no gauge independent way of claiming the perturbative renormalisability of these extensions. In particular, they are not renormalisable in the modern sense of Weinberg and Gomis. Critically, our study does not support the view that ghost fields play an indispensable role in the extension of a local operator into a non-local one as claimed recently in the literature.

hep-th↗