Nongeometric Flux Compactifications

TL;DR

This paper explores nongeometric fluxes in type II string compactifications, developing T-duality rules and a superpotential framework that suggests a broader class of string vacua may be inherently nongeometric.

Contribution

It introduces a T-duality invariant superpotential framework for nongeometric flux compactifications, extending the understanding of mirror symmetry and flux dualities.

Findings

T-duality rules for NS-NS geometric and nongeometric fluxes

Invariant superpotential under T-duality

Potential for nongeometric vacua in string theory

Abstract

We investigate a simple class of type II string compactifications which incorporate nongeometric "fluxes" in addition to "geometric flux" and the usual H-field and R-R fluxes. These compactifications are nongeometric analogues of the twisted torus. We develop T-duality rules for NS-NS geometric and nongeometric fluxes, which we use to construct a superpotential for the dimensionally reduced four-dimensional theory. The resulting structure is invariant under T-duality, so that the distribution of vacua in the IIA and IIB theories is identical when nongeometric fluxes are included. This gives a concrete framework in which to investigate the possibility that generic string compactifications may be nongeometric in any duality frame. The framework developed in this paper also provides some concrete hints for how mirror symmetry can be generalized to compactifications with arbitrary H-flux, whose mirrors are generically nongeometric.