Event Details

M-theory compactifications on seven-manifolds with G_2 holonomy give rise to N=1 theories in four dimensions, which may be relevant for particle physics. However, such compactifications have historically been limited by a relative lack of physical and mathematical control, and also a relative scarcity of compact G2 manifolds. The latter has changed in recent years due to Kovalev’s twisted connected sum construction. In this talk Dr. Halverson will present work with Dave Morrison on the landscape of M-theory compactifications on these manifolds, studying the physics broadly and in a concrete example, making use of recent mathematical results, mostly topological. This math progress also motivated us to study gauge enhancement and singular limits in a global context, leading to a proposal to study gauge enhancement via collapsing calibrated submanifolds.

Video Recording