Four-dimensional String Compactifications with D-Branes, Orientifolds and Fluxes

TL;DR

This review introduces methods for constructing four-dimensional string compactifications with D-branes, fluxes, and orientifolds, aiming to realize the supersymmetric Standard Model and analyze the string vacuum landscape.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive pedagogical overview of technical tools for explicit construction of chiral string vacua with D-branes and fluxes, and discusses recent statistical approaches to the string vacuum problem.

Findings

Techniques for explicit four-dimensional orientifold vacua construction

Methods to derive four-dimensional effective actions

Summary of statistical approaches to string vacuum landscape

Abstract

This review article provides a pedagogical introduction into various classes of chiral string compactifications to four dimensions with D-branes and fluxes. The main concern is to provide all necessary technical tools to explicitly construct four-dimensional orientifold vacua, with the final aim to come as close as possible to the supersymmetric Standard Model. Furthermore, we outline the available methods to derive the resulting four-dimensional effective action. Finally, we summarize recent attempts to address the string vacuum problem via the statistical approach to D-brane models.