Obtaining heterotic string theories via orbifold compactification of M-theory at the level of fully non-abelian actions for multiple M2-branes.

The broader topic of my work is M-theory, and theories of multiple membranes. The starting point of my first project was the continuation of some work of my supervisor, Neil Lambert, from 2015 concerning obtaining the HE string theory from M-theory in the context of a theory of multiple M2-branes (ABJM theory) (Lambert, 2015). Analysis of this work made me familiar with the theory and its interpretation, and also opened some new avenues of discussion. The main topic going forward is to discover how the ideas of GSO projections and worldsheet spin structures arise in M-theory, since these ideas are key to differentiating between The HE and the non-supersymmetric SO(16)xSO(16) heterotic strings (Alvarez-Gaume et al., 1986), and also between the Type II and Type 0 strings. In particular, it would be interesting to see if there is a straightforward and tidy way in which to find the SO(16)xSO(16) theory within M-theory, in analogy with existing work finding the Type 0 theories in M-theory.

Another potential future project involves instant operators in five-dimensional gauge theories.