Chains of N=2, D=4 heterotic/type II duals

TL;DR

This paper explores dualities between N=2 heterotic strings and type II compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds, identifying new dual pairs and analyzing their chain-like Higgs mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces new heterotic duals of type II compactifications on K3-fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds using orbifold techniques and describes their sequential Higgs breaking patterns.

Findings

Discovery of many new heterotic duals via orbifold methods.

Identification of chains of duals connected by Higgs mechanisms.

Patterns in K3 fibrations and singularities related to duality chains.

Abstract

We report on a search for $N=2$ heterotic strings that are dual candidates of type II compactifications on Calabi-Yau threefolds described as $K3$ fibrations. We find many new heterotic duals by using standard orbifold techniques. The associated type II compactifications fall into chains in which the proposed duals are heterotic compactifications related one another by a sequential Higgs mechanism. This breaking in the heterotic side typically involves the sequence $SU(4)\rightarrow SU(3)\rightarrow $ $SU(2)\rightarrow 0$, while in the type II side the weights of the complex hypersurfaces and the structure of the $K3$ quotient singularities also follow specific patterns.