Geometrical Aspects of Fivebranes in Heterotic/F-Theory Duality in Four Dimensions

Abstract

We use the method of stable degenerations to study the local geometry of Calabi-Yau fourfolds for F-theory compactifications dual to heterotic compactifications on a Calabi-Yau threefold with fivebranes wrapping holomorphic curves in the threefold. When fivebranes wrap intersecting curves, or when many fivebranes wrap the same curve, the dual fourfolds degenerate in interesting ways. We find that some of these can be usefully described in terms of degenerations of the base of the elliptic fibrations of these fourfolds. We use Witten's criterion to determine which of the fivebranes can lead to the generation of a non-perturbative superpotential.