Analytic periods via twisted symmetric squares

Weakly coupled regions of 4d EFTs coupled to gravity are particularly suitable to describe the backreaction of BPS fundamental axionic strings, dubbed EFT strings, in a local patch of spacetime around their core. We study the extension of these local solutions to global ones, which implies probing regions of strong coupling and provides an estimate of the EFT string tension therein. We conjecture that for the EFT string charge generators such a global extension is always possible and yields a sub-Planckian tension. We substantiate this claim by analysing global solutions of 4d strings made up from NS5-branes wrapping Calabi-Yau threefold divisors in either type IIA or heterotic string theory. We argue that in this case the global, non-perturbative data of the backreaction can be simply encoded in terms of a GLSM describing the compactification, as we demonstrate in explicit examples.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

4d strings at strong coupling

Marchesano

Wiesner

2022

“…Therefore, recall that away from the LCS point, the periods of the holomorphic (3, 0)-form Ω receive corrections from their flat values, namely [70,151] z j ′ = 1 2πi log x j + O(x i ) , (B.37) such that upon increasing x i towards one, the logarithmic approximation for z i ′ stops being valid and the polynomial corrections clearly dominate. Hence, instead of reaching a point where Im z i ′ → 0 asymptotically, what happens is that the complex structure variables generically approach some constant O(1) value (see e.g., [75,164,165]). This does not prevent, on the other hand, the R coordinate from keep flowing towards weak coupling, such that a more accurate parametrization of the asymptotic trajectory would be the following:…”

Section: Jhep06(2024)037mentioning

confidence: 99%

Stringy evidence for a universal pattern at infinite distance

Castellano,

Ruiz,

Valenzuela

2024

Infinite distance limits in the moduli space of a quantum gravity theory are characterized by having infinite towers of states becoming light, as dictated by the Distance Conjecture in the Swampland program. These towers imply a drastic breakdown in the perturbative regimes of the effective field theory at a quantum gravity cut-off scale known as the species scale. In this work, we find a universal pattern satisfied in all known infinite distance limits of string theory compactifications, which relates the variation in field space of the mass of the tower and the species scale: $$ \frac{\overrightarrow{\nabla}m}{m}\cdotp \frac{\overrightarrow{\nabla}{\Lambda}_{\textrm{sp}}}{\Lambda_{\textrm{sp}}}=\frac{1}{d-2} $$ ∇ → m m · ∇ → Λ sp Λ sp = 1 d − 2 in d spacetime dimensions. This implies a more precise definition of the Distance conjecture and sharp bounds for the exponential decay rates. We provide plethora of evidence in string theory in diverse dimensions and with different levels of supersymmetry, and identify some sufficient conditions that allow the pattern to hold from a bottom-up perspective.

“…The dots are corrections that arise away from the strict heterotic weak coupling limit. Proposals for dualities involving similar type IIB-heterotic maps to the above but with hauptmoduls of congruence subgroups of PSL(2, Z) were studied in [90,91].…”

Section: Jhep02(2023)209mentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterotic de Sitter beyond modular symmetry

Leedom

Righi

Westphal

2023

We study the vacua of 4d heterotic toroidal orbifolds using effective theories consisting of an overall Kähler modulus, the dilaton, and non-perturbative corrections to both the superpotential and Kähler potential that respect modular invariance. We prove three de Sitter no-go theorems for several classes of vacua and thereby substantiate and extend previous conjectures. Additionally, we provide evidence that extrema of the scalar potential can occur inside the PSL(2, ℤ) fundamental domain of the Kähler modulus, in contradiction of a separate conjecture. We also illustrate a loophole in the no-go theorems and determine criteria that allow for metastable de Sitter vacua. Finally, we identify inherently stringy non-perturbative effects in the dilaton sector that could exploit this loophole and potentially realize de Sitter vacua.