Duality of (0,2) String Vacua

TL;DR

This paper explores a duality in (0,2) heterotic string vacua, showing that different Calabi-Yau compactifications can produce equivalent theories, with moduli interpreted as geometric or bundle deformations, hinting at broader topology-changing phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a duality relating distinct (0,2) Calabi-Yau compactifications and interprets moduli as geometric or bundle deformations, advancing understanding of (0,2) string vacua.

Findings

Dual pairs of (0,2) models yield identical string theories.

Complex structure moduli can correspond to bundle deformations.

Potential for topology-changing processes connecting different models.

Abstract

We discuss a duality of (0,2) heterotic string vacua which implies that certain pairs of (0,2) Calabi-Yau compactifications on topologically distinct target manifolds yield identical string theories. Some complex structure moduli in one model are interpreted in the dual model as deforming the holomorphic structure of the vacuum gauge bundle (and vice versa). A better understanding of singularity resolution for (0,2) models may reveal that this duality of compactifications on singular spaces is part of a larger story, involving smooth topology-changing processes which interpolate between the (0,2) models on the resolved spaces.