Mathematics Underlying the F-Theory/Heterotic String Duality in Eight Dimensions

Abstract

One of the dualities in string theory, the F-theory/heterotic string duality in eight dimensions, predicts an interesting correspondence between two seemingly disparate geometrical objects. On one side of the duality there are elliptically fibered K3 surfaces with section. On the other side, one finds elliptic curves endowed with certain flat connections and complexified Kahler classes. This paper is part of a project aimed at establishing the rigorous mathematical results describing the geometry underlying the classical aspects of this duality. The task involves understanding and comparing the classical moduli spaces on the two sides.