2010/06/30 by Jonathan J. Heckman, Cumrun Vafa · 48 citations
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Black Holes and Theoretical Physics #Brane #Brane cosmology #F-theory #Gauge (firearms) #Gauge theory #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Monodromy #Particle physics #Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies #Physics #Pure mathematics #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #Standard Model (mathematical formulation) #String theory #Theoretical physics #Yukawa potential #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.83.026006
published in Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields 83(2) (American Physical Society) · v2: 32 pages, 1 figure, references added, appendix removed
arxiv created 2010/09/10 · openalex publication_date 2011/01/19 · arxiv updated 2011/02/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
D3-branes are often a necessary ingredient in global compactifications of F-theory. In minimal realizations of flavor hierarchies in F-theory GUT models, suitable fluxes are turned on, which in turn attract D3-branes to the Yukawa points. Of particular importance are ``E-type'' Yukawa points, as they are required to realize a large top quark mass. In this paper we study the worldvolume theory of a D3-brane probing such an E-point. D3-brane probes of isolated exceptional singularities lead to strongly coupled N=2 conformal field theories (CFTs) of the type found by Minahan and Nemeschansky. We show that the local data of an E-point probe theory determine an N=1 deformation of the original N=2 theory which couples this strongly interacting CFT to a free hypermultiplet. Monodromy in the seven-brane configuration translates to a novel class of deformations of the CFT. We study how the probe theory couples to the standard model, determining the most relevant F-term couplings, the effect of the probe on the running of the standard model gauge couplings, as well as possible sources of kinetic mixing with the standard mModel.