Non-Perturbative Properties of Heterotic String Vacua Compactified on ${K3\times T^2}$

Abstract

Using the heterotic--type II duality of $N=2$ string vacua in four space-time dimensions we study non-perturbative couplings of toroidally compactified six-dimensional heterotic vacua. In particular, the heterotic--heterotic $S$-duality and the Coulomb branch of tensor multiplets observed in six dimensions are studied from a four-dimensional point of view. We explicitly compute the couplings of the vector multiplets of several type II vacua and investigate the implications for their heterotic duals.