Phases of supersymmetric gauge theories from M-theory on G_2 manifolds

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  • 13 April 2001
Abstract
We consider M-theory on compact spaces of G_2 holonomy constructed as orbifolds of the form (CY x S^1)/Z_2 with fixed point set \Sigma on the CY. This describes N=1 SU(2) x SU(2) gauge theories with b_1(\Sigma) chiral multiplets in the adjoint. For b_1=0, it generalizes to compact manifolds the study of the phase transition from the non-Abelian to the confining phase through geometrical S^3 flops. For b_1=2, the non-Abelian, Coulomb and Higgs phases are realized, where the Coulomb branch arises by desingularizing the fixed point set, while an S^2 x S^1 flop is at the origin of the non-Abelian/Higgs transition. In addition, an extremal transition between G_2 spaces can occur at conifold points of the CY moduli space where unoriented membranes wrapped on RP^2 become massless.

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