Projects
I am interested in the potential of string theory to inform low-energy physics, particularly in the arena of cosmology and particle physics.
Counting Calabi-Yau Threefolds
We classify all toric hypersurface Calabi-Yau threefolds with less than 6 Kähler moduli into topological equivalence classes.
with Liam McAllister, Nate McFadden, Jakob Moritz, Richard Nally, and Andreas Schachner (hep-th/2310.06820)
Glimmers from the Axiverse
Axions are ubiquitous in string theory. At the same time, there are ongoing experiments looking for axions that may detect a signal in our lifetimes. In this work, we analyze axion-photon couplings in the type IIB string theory axiverse. We find that these couplings are generically suppressed and that the majority of compactifications are not ruled out by observations. In this same project, we explain how to analyze these models to compare with dark matter constraints.
with Liam McAllister, Doddy Marsh, and Jakob Moritz (hep-th/2309.13145)
Axion minima in string theory
We develop an algorithm for efficiently finding minima of axion potentials resulting from compactifying type IIB string theory on Calabi-Yau threefold orientifolds. We find that due to the hierarchies in instanton actions and the sparseness of the instanton charges, the number of minima is O(1) in this part of the string theory landscape, even in theories with hundreds of axions.
with Oliver Janssen, Matt Kleban, Joan La Madrid, and Viraf Mehta (hep-th/2309.01831)
Moduli Space Reconstruction and Weak Gravity
We present an algorithm to map out the moduli spaces of Calabi-Yau threefolds using a set of topological invariants known as Gopakumar-Vafa invariants. This map then allows us to test the Weak Gravity Conjecture in this arena of geometries. We find that the conjecture is always satisfied in our ensemble of examples.
with Ben Heidenreich, Liam McAllister, Jakob Moritz, and Tom Rudelius (hep-th/2212.10573)
Superpotentials from Singular Divisors
A crucial task for type IIB string theory phenomenology is to determine the superpotential. In this work, we determined a new sufficient condition for instantons on singular divisors to contribute to the superpotential. This condition led us to examples of superpotentials that resum into modular functions, suggesting the existence of a new duality.
with Manki Kim, Liam McAllister, Jakob Moritz, and Mike Stillman (hep-th/2204.06566)
with Mehmet Demirtas, Cody Long, Liam McAllister, and Jakob Moritz (hep-th/2112.04503)
PQ Axiverse
Axions are hypothetical particles that constitute a candidate for dark matter. They were first proposed in order to solve the strong CP problem---a hierarchy problem in fundamental physics. One general feature of string theory is that it features axions ubiquitously. In this project, we showed that in compactifications of type IIB string theory, in the geometric regime, the axions that appear really do solve the strong CP problem. We also compared our axion models to known dark matter and astrophysical bounds.
Merging the Weak Gravity and Distance Conjectures using BPS Extremal Black Holes
The Swampland program aims to determine what features an effective low energy particle physics theory must have in order to be compatible with quantum gravity. In this project, we focus on a particular such feature, wherein in the most extreme limits of a theory, gravity tells you that an infinite tower of light states must appear in the theory. We use our knowledge about extremal black holes to help crystallize how a certain class of theories and particles must behave in these asymptotic limits.
with Irene Valenzuela (hep-th/2004.10768)
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