Conway Subgroup Symmetric Compactifications Of Heterotic String

TL;DR

This paper explores special heterotic string compactifications where the space of half-BPS states forms representations of Conway subgroups, linking string theory, symmetry groups, and Moonshine phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces Conway subgroup symmetric compactifications of heterotic strings, connecting large symmetry groups with BPS state representations and potential implications for D-brane physics.

Findings

Identification of Conway subgroup symmetric compactifications

Analysis of their role in Moonshine-related symmetry actions

Potential implications for D-brane bound states on Calabi-Yau manifolds

Abstract

We investigate special compactifications of the heterotic string for which the space of half-BPS states is, in a natural way, a representation of various subgroups of the Conway group. These compactifications provide a useful framework for analyzing the action of some of the large symmetry groups appearing in discussions of Moonshine in the physics literature. We investigate toroidal compactifications of heterotic string with sixteen supersymmetries as well as asymmetric toroidal orbifolds with $N=2$ supersymmetry in four dimensions that arise as $K3 \times T^2$ compactifications. The latter Conway subgroup symmetric compactifications of the heterotic string might have some interesting implications for D-brane bound states on Calabi-Yau manifolds.