Four-Dimensional N=2 Superstring Constructions and their (Non-) Perturbative Duality Connections

TL;DR

This paper explores dualities among four-dimensional N=2 superstring models from different string theories, revealing non-perturbative connections and analyzing gravitational corrections to understand their effective actions.

Contribution

It identifies dualities between type I and heterotic string constructions, providing new insights into non-perturbative aspects of N=2 superstring vacua.

Findings

Evidence for duality between two type I compactifications and a heterotic model.

Models share the same massless spectrum with maximal rank gauge groups.

Analysis of gravitational corrections offers insights into non-perturbative properties.

Abstract

We investigate the connections between four-dimensional, N=2 M-theory vacua constructed as orbifolds of type II, heterotic, and type I strings. All these models have the same massless spectrum, which contains an equal number of vector multiplets and hypermultiplets, with a gauge group of the maximal rank allowed in a perturbative heterotic string construction. We find evidence for duality between two type I compactifications recently proposed and a new heterotic construction that we present here. This duality allows us to gain insight into the non-perturbative properties of these models. In particular we consider gravitational corrections to the effective action.