Higgs Bundles and String Phenomenology

TL;DR

This paper reviews the role of Higgs bundles in string phenomenology, highlighting recent advances in compactifications of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories beyond the original Calabi-Yau models.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of how Higgs bundles are fundamental to modern string phenomenology and recent developments in higher-dimensional compactifications.

Findings

Higgs bundles are central to connecting string theory with particle physics.

Recent progress extends compactifications to seven, eight, and nine dimensions.

The review clarifies the fundamental role of Higgs bundles in these theories.

Abstract

String phenomenology is the branch of string theory concerned with making contact with particle physics. The original models involved compactifying ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory on an internal Calabi-Yau three-fold. In recent years, this picture has been extended to compactifications of supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in seven, eight or nine dimensions. We review some of this progress and explain the fundamental role played by Higgs bundles in this story.