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In this paper we describe a physical realization of a family of non-compact Kahler threefolds with trivial canonical bundle in hybrid Landau-Ginzburg models, motivated by some recent non-Kahler solutions of Strominger systems, and utilizing some recent ideas from GLSMs. We consider threefolds given as fiber products of compact genus g Riemann surfaces and noncompact threefolds. Each genus g Riemann surface is constructed using recent GLSM tricks, as a double cover of P^1 branched over a degree 2g + 2 locus, realized via nonperturbative effects rather than as the critical locus of a superpotential. We focus in particular on special cases corresponding to a set of Kahler twistor spaces of certain hyperKahler four-manifolds, specifically the twistor spaces of R^4, C^2/Z_k, and S^1 x R^3. We check in all cases that the condition for trivial canonical bundle arising physically matches the mathematical constraint., 17 pages; LaTeX

We construct sheaf-cohomological analogues of Mathai-Quillen forms, that is, holomorphic bundle-valued differential forms whose cohomology classes are independent of certain deformations, and which are believed to possess Thom-like properties. Ordinary Mathai-Quillen forms are special cases of these constructions, as we discuss. These sheaf-theoretic variations arise physically in A/2 and B/2 pseudo-topological field theories, and we comment on their origin and role., Comment: 52 pages, LaTeX

An N = 1 , d = 4 supersymmetric compactification of the perturbative heterotic string is described by a d = 2 ( 0 , 2 ) superconformal field theory. The first order marginal deformations of the internal ( 0 , 2 ) SCFT are in 1 to 1 correspondence with massless gauge-neutral scalars in the spacetime theory. Working at tree-level in the α ′ expansion, we describe these first order deformations for SCFTs with a ( 0 , 2 ) non-linear sigma model description. Our results clarify the structure of deformations of heterotic Calabi–Yau compactifications and more general heterotic flux vacua.

In this paper, we apply the methods developed in recent work for constructing A-twisted (2,2) Landau-Ginzburg models to analogous (0,2) models. In particular, we study (0,2) Landau-Ginzburg models on topologically non-trivial spaces away from large-radius limits, where one expects to find correlation function contributions akin to (2,2) curve corrections. Such heterotic theories admit A- and B-model twists, and exhibit a duality that simultaneously exchanges the twists and dualizes the gauge bundle. We explore how this duality operates in heterotic Landau-Ginzburg models, as well as other properties of these theories, using examples which RG flow to heterotic nonlinear sigma models as checks on our methods., 31 pages, LaTeX

In this paper we outline some aspects of nonabelian gauged linear sigma models. First, we review how partial flag manifolds (generalizing Grassmannians) are described physically by nonabelian gauged linear sigma models, paying attention to realizations of tangent bundles and other aspects pertinent to (0,2) models. Second, we review constructions of Calabi-Yau complete intersections within such flag manifolds, and properties of the gauged linear sigma models. We discuss a number of examples of nonabelian GLSM's in which the Kahler phases are not birational, and in which at least one phase is realized in some fashion other than as a complete intersection, extending previous work of Hori-Tong. We also review an example of an abelian GLSM exhibiting the same phenomenon. We tentatively identify the mathematical relationship between such non-birational phases, as examples of Kuznetsov's homological projective duality. Finally, we discuss linear sigma model moduli spaces in these gauged linear sigma models. We argue that the moduli spaces being realized physically by these GLSM's are precisely Quot and hyperquot schemes, as one would expect mathematically., 57 pp, LaTeX; v3: refs added, material on weighted Grassmannians added

In this paper we study string compactifications on Deligne-Mumford stacks. The basic idea is that all such stacks have presentations to which one can associate gauged sigma models, where the group gauged need be neither finite nor effectively-acting. Such presentations are not unique, and lead to physically distinct gauged sigma models; stacks classify universality classes of gauged sigma models, not gauged sigma models themselves. We begin by defining and justifying a notion of ``Calabi-Yau stack,'' recall how one defines sigma models on (presentations of) stacks, and calculate of physical properties of such sigma models, such as closed and open string spectra. We describe how the boundary states in the open string B model on a Calabi-Yau stack are counted by derived categories of coherent sheaves on the stack. Along the way, we describe numerous tests that IR physics is presentation-independent, justifying the claim that stacks classify universality classes. String orbifolds are one special case of these compactifications, a subject which has proven controversial in the past; however we resolve the objections to this description of which we are aware. In particular, we discuss the apparent mismatch between stack moduli and physical moduli, and how that discrepancy is resolved., 85 pages, LaTeX; v2: typos fixed

In this note we extend previous work on massless Ramond spectra of open strings connecting D-branes wrapped on complex manifolds, to consider D-branes wrapped on smooth complex orbifolds. Using standard methods, we calculate the massless boundary Ramond sector spectra directly in BCFT, and find that the states in the spectrum are counted by Ext groups on quotient stacks (which provide a notion of homological algebra relevant for orbifolds). Subtleties that cropped up in our previous work also appear here. We also use the McKay correspondence to relate Ext groups on quotient stacks to Ext groups on (large radius) resolutions of the quotients. As stacks are not commonly used in the physics community, we include pedagogical discussions of some basic relevant properties of stacks., Comment: 51 pages, 3 figures; v2: material on Freed-Witten added; v3: more typos fixed

In this paper we describe how Grothendieck groups of coherent sheaves and locally free sheaves can be used to describe type II D-branes, in the case that all D-branes are wrapped on complex varieties and all connections are holomorphic. Our proposal is in the same spirit as recent discussions of K-theory and D-branes; within the restricted class mentioned, Grothendieck groups encode a choice of connection on each D-brane worldvolume, in addition to information about the smooth bundles. We also point out that derived categories can also be used to give insight into D-brane constructions, and analyze how a Z_2 subset of the T-duality group acting on D-branes on tori can be understood in terms of a Fourier-Mukai transformation., Comment: LaTeX, 21 pages