Questions tagged [string-theory]
A class of theories that attempt to explain all existing particles (including force carriers) as vibrational modes of extended objects, such as the 1-dimensional fundamental string.
51 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Calabi-Yau cohomology?
My question here is going to be this -- but I'll give a bit of background to explain myself in a moment:
What has been done/what results are available on Calabi-Yau cohomology in degree $n \geq 3$ (...
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p-Adic String Theory and the String-orientation of Topological Modular Forms (tmf)
I am going to ask a question, at the end below, on whether anyone has tried to make more explicit what should be, it seems to me, a close relation between p-adic string theory and the refinement of ...
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Donaldson-Thomas Theory and "Quantum Foam" for Mathematicians
Let $X$ be a smooth, projective Calabi-Yau threefold. From an algebro-geometric perspective, the Donaldson-Thomas invariants $\text{DT}_{\beta, n}(X)$ are virtual counts of ideal sheaves on $X$ with ...
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Open conjectures on the Fukaya category coming from physics
This is a slightly vague question (for which I apologize in advance): can somebody give examples to open conjectures on the behavior of the $Fuk(M,\omega)$ that come from string theory and can be ...
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14
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State of the art of BPS and Donaldson-Thomas invariants for toric Calabi-Yau threefolds
I am trying to understand what has been done with regards to computing BPS invariants and Donaldson-Thomas type invariants of Calabi-Yau threefolds. To make the question more focused, let's say that I ...
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12
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K-theoretic version of Artin-Mazur formal groups?
An Artin-Mazur formal group is, when it exists, the deformation theory of ordinary cohomology of some degree, on some algebraic variety. My question here is:
Has the generalization of the theory of ...
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11
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The Grassmannian Gr(2,8) and an E7 surprise
Are there any mathematical explanations for the following surprising facts?
$$\int_{Gr(2,8)} c_{\text{top}}(TX(-2)) = 6556 = \frac{1}{2} \deg(E_7/P(\alpha_7)) + 1,$$
and
$$\int_{Gr(2,6)} c_{\text{top}}...
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Physical Approach to Knot Categorification
Some recent work by Aganagic on knot categorification, Knot Categorification from Mirror Symmetry, Part II: Lagrangians, discusses two categorical approaches to categorification of quantum link ...
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The space-time dimension of the N-superstring theory?
Let $\mathfrak{W}$ be the Lie algebra generated by $d_{n} = ie^{in\theta}\frac{d}{d\theta}$ and $\mathfrak{Vir} = \mathfrak{W} \oplus C \mathbb{C}$ its central extension:
$$
[L_m,L_n]=(m-n)L_{m+n}+\...
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triangulated/derived categories in Physics and algebraic geometry
Why do physicists care about the triangulated/derived categories?
I mean what are the problems we want to approach using the machinery of triangulated/derived categories. e.g. in homological mirror ...
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GSO (Gliozzi-Scherk-Olive) projection and its Mathematics?
GSO (Gliozzi-Scherk-Olive) projection is an ingredient used in constructing a consistent model in superstring theory. The projection is a selection of a subset of possible vertex operators in the ...
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Integrality of the mirror map -- non-GKZ examples? Counterexamples?
The mirror map in mirror symmetry is the change-of-variables between the natural coordinatizations on the two mirror sides and is typically a highly-complicated transcendental function (indeed, should ...
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Relation between Donaldson invariants and GW invariants
What is known about the relation of Donaldson invariants on a complex surface $\Sigma$ and GW invariants (or equivalent) of local Calabi-Yau 3folds such as the canonical bundle of $\Sigma$? (if any of ...
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Automorphism that the Fukaya category is "blind" to
Given a symplectic manifold $(M,\omega)$, there is a natural map
$$ Symp(M,\omega) \to Auteq(D^\pi Fuk(M,\omega))$$
which sends a symplectic automorphism to the $A_\infty$-functor it induces on the ...
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Physicists Euler number conjecture
Physicist's Euler number conjecture says:
If $G \subset SL(n,\mathbb{C})$ is a finite group, $X=\mathbb{C}^n/G$ is the quotient space and $f:Y \rightarrow X$ a crepant resolution (always exists for $...
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References for superhomology
This question concerns topological string theory.
It was known sice its outset, that the BRST-cohomology ("observables") of the weakly coupled topological string B-model on a Calabi-Yau ...
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Mathematics of $\mathcal{N}=2$ Gauge Theory and Instantons
Someone may suggest I post this on PhysicsSE, but I would prefer to not have a physicist answer in jargon I cannot understand. In fact, the reason I'm asking this is that I'm sort of drowning in the ...
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Understanding Segal's definition of conformal field theory
I have a fundamental problem in understanding Segal's definition of a conformal field theory:
On the one hand his monoidal CFT-functor is a formalization of the fact that, physically, the integrand ...
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Seiberg-Witten curve for product SU(2)^N gauge theories
In equation 2.10 of this article, the author gives the Seiberg-Witten curve for a $U(N)$ gauge theory with $L<2N$ massive flavours with masses given by $m_i$ as:
$y^{2}=\left\langle \mathrm{det}\...
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Associating noncommutative geometries to 2D conformal field theories
I have recently been reading a bit about noncommutative geometry and string theory and it looked to be an open question (or at least this was open two decades ago) whether there are constructions ...
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Calabi-Yau structures on dg-categories
A (smooth) dg algebra is called (left) Calabi-Yau if (see for example here)
$$ A^! = A[-n]$$
Here we use the inverse dualizing complex $A^!=\mathbf{R}\operatorname{Hom}_{(A^e)^{op}}(A,A^e)$. In ...
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GSO projection and $H^d(M, \mathbb{Z}_2)$
This follows up the comment which suggests that asking the later 2nd part of subquestion in "GSO (Gliozzi-Scherk-Olive) projection and its Mathematics" as a new different question
GSO (...
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5
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165
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Virasoro constraints for parametrized GW invariants
Gromov-Witten invariants count isolated stable maps from Riemann surfaces to a fixed symplectic manifold $(M,\omega)$ subject to some incidence conditions. If we instead replace the target manifold ...
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Axiomatic string theory?
There have been many proposal of a mathematical definition of Quantum Field Theory, for instance through Wightman or Osterwalder-Schrader axioms. Were there any efforts toward doing the same for ...
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What is known about the cohomology of the U-duality group?
$\newcommand{\Es}{E_{7(7)}}\newcommand{\Z}{\mathbb Z}$Let $\Es$ denote the split form of $E_7$, which is a real Lie
group. It can be characterized as the subgroup of $\mathrm{Sp}_{56}(\mathbb R)$ ...
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4
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Bridgeland stability for restricted Kahler moduli?
Let $X$ be a simply-connected, smooth, projective Calabi-Yau threefold. To my understanding, Bridgeland introduced stability conditions on triangulated categories to give a proper mathematical ...
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4
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211
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Open-closed string correspondence
Recently, after many years of searching for the right source, I came across the excellent lecture by Aspinwall, "Some Applications of Commutative Algebra
to String Theory", in Eisenbud's Festschrift. ...
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Moduli spaces for the TCFT map $HH(L) \to GW(X)$
Let $L$ be a Lagrangian submanifold of a closed symplectic manifold $X$. What I gather from Costello (see specifically $\S$2.5 there), is that one expects to have a morphism of closed TCFT's
$\tag{1}...
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Seiberg-Witten theory in 4d is categorification of Seiberg-Witten in 3d
According to Gukov et al. in this 2017 paper Seiberg-Witten theory in 4d categorifies Seiberg-Witten theory in 3d. In what sense is this phrase mentioned? I know what the process of categorification ...
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4
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258
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q-deformation of the unitary group integral
There is a well-known orthogonality property of $U(N)$ group characters
$$
\int d U \chi_{\mu}(U)\chi_\lambda(U^\dagger V)=\delta_{\mu\lambda}\frac{\chi_\mu(V)}{\dim_\mu}
$$
where the integral is ...
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What is this correspondence between composition algebras over R and superstring theories?
In the page for superstring theory, Wikipedia states:
Another approach to the number of superstring theories refers to the mathematical structure called composition algebra. In the findings of ...
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Lifting in String Theory and QFT
I'm posting this here instead of Physics Stack as my question is on the precise mathematical meaning of a word which is often used in the physics literature.
In theoretical physics (especially string ...
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Localization of the pushforward in equivariant cohomology
I am reading Nekrasov's paper and in page 2 he considers the $G \times T^2$ equivariant cohomology of the (compactified) moduli space $\tilde{M_k}$ of $U(N)$ instantons on $\mathbb{C}^2$. Here $G$ ...
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0
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genus one Gromov-Witten invariants of Calabi-Yau 3-folds
In
http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/hep-th/pdf/9302/9302103v1.pdf
physicists calculate (predict) genus one GW invariants of quintic (Table 1) and some other cases (Table 2).
Can any body explain to me (...
2
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0
answers
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Enumerative geometry and restricted plane partitions
Donaldson-Thomas theory is an enumerative theory for virtual counts of ideal sheaves (with trivial determinant) of the structural sheaf $\mathcal{O}_{X}$ of some smooth projective manifold $X$.
There ...
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2
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0
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157
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Holomorphic anomaly at genus 1
For computing instantons contributions from worldsheet torus to target torus, one can evaluate zero modes contribution of genus 1 partition function given by following expression:
$$Tr(-1)^FF_LF_Rq^{...
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Perverse sheaves and maximal genus Gopakumar-Vafa invariants
Let $f: X \to Y$ be a proper morphism between complex varieties (the varieties as well as the map may be non-smooth) and let $\phi \in \text{Perv}(X)$ be a perverse sheaf on $X$. Given this data, it ...
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Possible Context for this "Siegel-like" Modular Form Construction?
The following construction of something very nearly a Siegel modular form of degree 2 arose in my research. I'm outside the worlds of automorphic forms and number theory, so I'm wondering if it ...
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L-infinity algebra of deformations of an L-infinity algebra?
From Schlessinger-Stasheff we know that a deformation problem should come with an associated $L_\infty$-algebra, so that gauge-equivalence classes of solutions to its Maurer-Cartan equation (the "MC ...
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349
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SYZ conjecture for varieties of general type or Fano
Let $X$ and $Y$ are Calabi-Yau varieties and mirror to each other. Then from HMS the Fukaya Floer category of Lagrangian intersections in $X$, is equivalent to bounded derived category of coherent ...
user21574
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Question on Hori, Iqbal and Vafa's 'D-branes and Mirror Symmetry'
In the paper mentioned above, on page 19, the physics of A-type supersymmetry is related to a Lagrangian submanifold $\gamma$ of a Kaehler manifold $X$. In particular, the phrase "...holomorphic ...
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2
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Where is there a treatment of double field theory other than in local coordinates?
The n-lab seems to lack a treatment of double field theory. Where is there a treatment other than in local coordinates? Or at least one which identifies the coordinates as local coordinates for a ...
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Outer automorphism for $U_q(\mathfrak{su}(2|2))$
It is known that Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{su}(2|2)$ (and only this one, not arbitrary $\mathfrak{su}(n|n)$) has the nontrivial central extension which forms an $\mathfrak{sl}_2$ triplet, let's call ...
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Comparison between two volume forms on genus zero Teichmüller space
Consider a sphere with $n$ punctures. If you pick a holomorphic cotangent vector at each puncture, you can canonically construct a holomorphic top form in the corresponding moduli space. (The specific ...
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Divisor cohomology through spectral sequences
I don't know if it belongs here but anyway, I need to compute arithmetic genus of divisors pulled back from a Fano base space to a bundle (which may or mayn't be trivial) defined through the ...
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NSR superstring as a map of supermanifolds
On one hand, I know that the NSR superstring is described by a map $\Phi: \Sigma \to X$, where $\Sigma$ is a supermanifold with local coordinates $(\sigma,\theta)=(\sigma^0,\sigma^1 | \bar{\theta},\...
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GKO construction for (Super-)Virasoro algebras
I am reading the paper "Unitary Representations of the Virasoro and Super-Virasoro Algebras" by Goddard, Kent, Olive. In many places, the authors claim results without any justification, or with ...
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101
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How can the interersection number of $2$ $D6$ branes wrapping around a CY manifold be derived?
For two intersecting $D6$ branes $a$ and $b$ wrapped around a $6$ dimensional torus $T^6 = T^2 \times T^2 \times T^2$ specified by
$$
\textrm{D6-brane a:}\, (l_1^a,l_2^a,l_3^a)
$$
$$
\textrm{D6-...
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0
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H-flux by any other name
There are more than a few papers referring to H-flux and/or H-twist etc.
Is there anywhere a survey relating these variants?
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0
votes
0
answers
64
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modular properties of macmahon function?
How does the MacMahon function for counting plane partitions
$M(q) = \frac{1}{(1-q^n)^n}$
behave under modular transformations?
For instance for $q= e^{2 \pi i \tau}$ where $\tau \rightarrow -1/\tau$.
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