Generalized geometry, T-duality, and renormalization group flow

Abstract

We interpret the physical $B$-field renormalization group flow in the language of Courant algebroids, clarifying the sense in which this flow is the natural "Ricci flow" for generalized geometry. Next we show that the $B$-field renormalization group flow preserves T-duality in a natural sense. As corollaries we obtain new long time existence results for the $B$-field renormalization group flow.