D-branes on Nonabelian Threefold Quotient Singularities

We investigate the quantum volume of D-branes wrapped around cycles of various dimension in Calabi-Yau fourfolds and fivefolds. Examining the cases of the sextic and heptic hypersurface Calabi-Yau varieties, as well as one example in weighted projective space, we find expressions for periods which vanish at the singular point analogous to the conifold point. As in the known three-dimensional cases, it is the top dimensional cycle which attains zero quantum volume, even though...

We study BPS spectra of D-branes on local Calabi-Yau threefolds $\mathcal{O}(-p)\oplus\mathcal{O}(p-2)\to \mathbb{P}^1$ with $p=0,1$, corresponding to $\mathbb{C}^3/\mathbb{Z}_{2}$ and the resolved conifold. Nonabelianization for exponential networks is applied to compute directly unframed BPS indices counting states with D2 and D0 brane charges. Known results on these BPS spectra are correctly reproduced by computing new types of BPS invariants of 3d-5d BPS states, encoded b...

We investigate further on the correspondence between branes on a Calabi-Yau in the large volume limit and in the orbifold limit. We conjecture a new procedure which improves computationally the McKay correspondence and prove it in a non trivial example. We point out the relevance of helices and try to draw some general conclusions about Beilinson theorem and McKay correspondence.

We discuss the general theory of D-branes on Calabi-Yaus, recent results from the theory of boundary states, and new results on the spectrum of branes on the quintic CY. (Contribution to the proceedings of Strings '99 in Potsdam, Germany.)

A certain class of $A$-branes in mirrors of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds can be described through the framework of foliations. This allows to develop an explicit description of their moduli spaces based on a cell decomposition, with strata of various dimensions glued together in a way that is dictated by partial degenerations of the underlying special Lagrangian. Examples of $A$-branes associated with `wild' BPS states are considered in detail. The torus fixed points in their ...

We consider compactifications of the N=1, d=6, E_8 theory on tori to five, four, and three dimensions and learn about some properties of this theory. As a by-product we derive the SL(2,\IZ) duality of the N=2, d=4, SU(2) theory with N_f=4. Using this theory on a D-brane probe we shed new light on the singularities of F-theory compactifications to eight dimensions. As another application we consider compactifications of F-theory, M-theory and the IIA string on (singular) Calab...

On certain M-theory backgrounds which are a circle fibration over a smooth Calabi-Yau, the quantum theory of M2 branes can be studied in terms of the K-theoretic Donaldson-Thomas theory on the threefold. We extend this relation to noncommutative crepant resolutions. In this case the threefold develops a singularity and classical smooth geometry is replaced by the algebra of paths of a certain quiver. K-theoretic quantities on the quiver representation moduli space can be comp...

We consider D3 branes at orbifolded conifold singularities which are not quotient singularities. We use toric geometry and gauged linear sigma model to study the moduli space of the gauge theories on the D3 branes. We find that topologically distinct phases are related by a flop transition. It is also shown that an orbifold singularity can occur in some phases if we give expectation values to some of the chiral fields.

We present a general method for the computation of tree-level superpotentials for the world-volume theory of B-type D-branes. This includes quiver gauge theories in the case that the D-brane is marginally stable. The technique involves analyzing the A-infinity structure inherent in the derived category of coherent sheaves. This effectively gives a practical method of computing correlation functions in holomorphic Chern-Simons theory. As an example, we give a more rigorous pro...

We analyse several explicit toric examples of compact K3-fibred Calabi-Yau three-folds which can be used for the study of string dualities and are crucial ingredients for the construction of LARGE Volume type IIB vacua with promising applications to cosmology and particle phenomenology. In order to build a phenomenologically viable model, on top of the two moduli corresponding to the base and the K3 fibre, we demand also the existence of two additional rigid divisors: the fir...