Models of Particle Physics from Type IIB String Theory and F-theory: A Review

TL;DR

This review discusses how type IIB string theory and F-theory can be used to construct particle physics models, highlighting recent advances in moduli stabilization, supersymmetry breaking, and GUT model building.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of model building techniques in type IIB and F-theory, emphasizing developments in strongly coupled regimes and phenomenological applications.

Findings

F-theory enables the construction of GUT models with exceptional symmetries.

Recent models successfully incorporate moduli stabilization and supersymmetry breaking.

Both local and global F-theory models offer promising phenomenological features.

Abstract

We review particle physics model building in type IIB string theory and F-theory. This is a region in the landscape where in principle many of the key ingredients required for a realistic model of particle physics can be combined successfully. We begin by reviewing moduli stabilisation within this framework and its implications for supersymmetry breaking. We then review model building tools and developments in the weakly coupled type IIB limit, for both local D3-branes at singularities and global models of intersecting D7-branes. Much of recent model building work has been in the strongly coupled regime of F-theory due to the presence of exceptional symmetries which allow for the construction of phenomenologically appealing Grand Unified Theories. We review both local and global F-theory model building starting from the fundamental concepts and tools regarding how the gauge group, matter sector and operators arise, and ranging to detailed phenomenological properties explored in the literature.