On the Kähler-Yang-Mills-Higgs Equations In this paper we introduce a set of equations on a principal bundle over a compact complex manifold coupling a connection on the principal bundle, a section of an associated bundle with K¨ahler fibre, and a K¨ahler structure on the base. These equations are a generalization of the K¨ahler–Yang–Mills equations introduced by the authors. They also generalize the constant scalar curvature for a K¨ahler metric studied by Donaldson and others, as well as the Yang–Mills–Higgs equations studied by Mundet i Riera. We provide a moment map interpretation of the equations, construct some first examples, and study obstructions to the existence of solutions.

Tate’s algorithm and F-theory The “Tate forms” for elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau manifolds are reconsidered in order to determine their general validity. We point out that there were some implicit assumptions made in the original derivation of these “Tate forms” from the Tate algorithm. By a careful analysis of the Tate algorithm itself, we deduce that the “Tate forms” (without any futher divisiblity assumptions) do not hold in some instances and have to be replaced by a new type of ansatz. Furthermore, we give examples in which the existence of a “Tate form” can be globally obstructed, i.e., the change of coordinates does not extend globally to sections of the entire base of the elliptic fibration. These results have implications both for model-building and for the exploration of the landscape of F-theory vacua.

Exotic branes in Exceptional Field Theory: the SL(5) duality group We study how exotic branes, i.e. branes whose tensions are proportional to g−α s, with α > 2, are realised in Exceptional Field Theory (EFT). The generalised torsion of the Weitzenböck connection of the SL(5) EFT which, in the language of gauged supergravity describes the embedding tensor, is shown to classify the exotic branes whose magnetic fluxes can fit into four internal dimensions. By analysing the weight diagrams of the corresponding representations of SL(5) we determine the U-duality orbits relating geometric and non-geometric fluxes. As a further application of the formalism we consider the Kaluza-Klein monopole of 11D supergravity and rotate it into the exotic 6 (3,1)-brane.

Global tensor-matter transitions in F-theory We use F-theory to study gauge algebra preserving transitions of 6d supergravity theories that are connected by superconformal points. While the vector multiplets remain unchanged, the hyper- and tensor multiplet sectors are modified. In 6d F-theory models, these transitions are realized by tuning the intersection points of two curves, one of them carrying a non-Abelian gauge algebra, to a (4, 6, 12) singularity, followed by a resolution in the base. The six-dimensional supergravity anomaly constraints are strong enough to completely fix the possible non-Abelian representations and to restrict the Abelian charges in the hypermultiplet sector affected by the transition, as we demonstrate for all Lie algebras and their representations. Furthermore, we present several examples of such transitions in torically resolved fibrations. In these smooth models, superconformal points lead to non-flat fibers which correspond to non-toric K¨ahler deformations of the torus-fibered Calabi-Yau 3-fold geometry.

Non-geometric Calabi-Yau Backgrounds and K3 automorphisms Abstract: We consider compactifications of type IIA superstring theory on mirrorfolds obtained as K3 fibrations over two-tori with non-geometric monodromies involving mirror symmetries. At special points in the moduli space these are asymmetric Gepner models. The compactifications are constructed from non-geometric automorphisms that arise from the diagonal action of an automorphism of the K3 surface and of an automorphism of the mirror surface. We identify the corresponding gaugings of N = 4 supergravity in four dimensions, and show that the minima of the potential describe the same four-dimensional low-energy physics as the worldsheet formulation in terms of asymmetric Gepner models. In this way, we obtain a class of Minkowski vacua of type II string theory which preserve N = 2 supersymmetry. The massless sector consists of N = 2 supergravity coupled to 3 vector multiplets, giving the STU model. In some cases there are additional massless hypermultiplets.

Gauged Supergravities in Various Spacetime Dimensions In this review articel we study the gaugings of extended supergravity theories in various space-time dimensions. These theories describe the low-energy limit of non-trivial string compactifications. For each theory under consideration we review all possible gaugings that are compatible with supersymmetry. They are parameterized by the so-called embedding tensor which is a group theoretical object that has to satisfy certain representation constraints. This embedding tensor determines all couplings in the gauged theory that are necessary to preserve gauge invariance and supersymmetry. The concept of the embedding tensor and the general structure of the gauged supergravities are explained in detail. The methods are then applied to the half-maximal (N = 4) supergravities in d = 4 and d = 5 and to the maximal supergravities in d = 2 and d = 7. Examples of particular gaugings are given. Whenever possible, the higher-dimensional origin of these theories is identified and it is shown how the compactification parameters like fluxes and torsion are contained in the embedding tensor.

What is F-theory? In this talk, I will formulate F-theory in a way which emphasizes its close connection to type IIB supergravity as well as its differences from type IIB string theory. My formulation gives an intrinsic description of F-theory and does not rely on dualities with other theories. The SL(2, Z) invariance which is characteristic of F-theory will be implemented by using the classical theory of elliptic integrals together with some features of SL(2, Z) which were only understood in modern times. Although this formulation provides a much broader class of F-theory vacua than has previously been available, there are a few things which it misses that I will discuss at the end of the talk.

The Cremmer-Scherk Mechanism in F-theory Compactifications on K3 Manifolds Abstract: It is well understood — through string dualities — that there are 20 massless vector fields in the spectrum of eight-dimensional F-theory compactifications on smooth elliptically fibered K3 surfaces at a generic point in the K3 moduli space. Such F-theory vacua, which do not have any enhanced gauge symmetries, can be thought of as supersymmetric type IIB compactifications on P1 with 24 (p, q) seven-branes. Naively, one might expect there to be 24 massless vector fields in the eight-dimensional effective theory coming from worldvolume gauge fields of the 24 branes. In this paper, we show how the vector field spectrum of the eight-dimensional effective theory can be obtained from the point of view of type IIB supergravity coupled to the world-volume theory of the seven-branes. In particular, we first show that the two-forms of the type IIB theory absorb the seven-brane world-volume gauge fields via the Cremmer-Scherk mechanism. We then proceed to show that the massless vector fields of the eight-dimensional theory come from KK-reducing the SL(2,Z) doublet two-forms of type IIB theory along SL(2,Z) doublet one-forms on the P1. We also discuss the relation between these vector fields and the “eaten” world-volume vector fields of the seven-branes.

Matter From Geometry Without Resolution We utilize the deformation theory of algebraic singularities to study charged matter in compactifications of M-theory, F-theory, and type IIa string theory on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau manifolds. In Ftheory, this description is more physical than that of resolution. We describe how two-cycles can be identified and systematically studied after deformation. For ADE singularities, we realize non-trivial ADE representations as sublattices of Z N , where N is the multiplicity of the codimension one singularity before deformation. We give a method for the determination of Picard-Lefschetz vanishing cycles in this context and utilize this method for one-parameter smooth deformations of ADE singularities. We give a general map from junctions to weights and demonstrate that Freudenthal’s recursion formula applied to junctions correctly reproduces the structure of high-dimensional ADE representations, including the 126 of SO(10) and the 43,758 of E6. We identify the Weyl group action in some examples, and verify its order in others. We describe the codimension two localization of matter in F-theory in the case of heterotic duality or simple normal crossing and demonstrate the branching of adjoint representations. Finally, we demonstrate geometrically that deformations correctly reproduce the appearance of non-simply-laced algebras induced by monodromy around codimension two singularities, showing the reduction of D4 to G2 in an example. A companion mathematical paper will follow.

Theories of Class F and Anomalies We consider the 6d (2, 0) theory on a fibration by genus g curves, and dimensionally reduce along the fiber to 4d theories with duality defects. This generalizes class S theories, for which the fibration is trivial. The non-trivial fibration in the present setup implies that the gauge couplings of the 4d theory, which are encoded in the complex structures of the curve, vary and can undergo S-duality transformations. These monodromies occur around 2d loci in spacetime, the duality defects, above which the fiber is singular. The key role that the fibration plays here motivates refering to this setup as theories of class F. In the simplest instance this gives rise to 4d N = 4 Super-Yang–Mills with space-time dependent coupling that undergoes SL(2, Z) monodromies. We determine the anomaly polynomial for these theories by pushing forward the anomaly polynomial of the 6d (2, 0) theory along the fiber. This gives rise to corrections to the anomaly polynomials of 4d N = 4 SYM and theories of class S. For the torus case, this analysis is complemented with a field theoretic derivation of a U(1) anomaly in 4d N = 4 SYM. The corresponding anomaly polynomial is tested against known expressions of anomalies for wrapped D3-branes with varying coupling, which are known field theoretically and from holography. Extensions of the construction to 4d N = 0 and 1, and 2d theories with varying coupling, are also discussed.

Topological Strings on Elliptic Fibrations We study topological string theory on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau manifolds using mirror symmetry. We compute higher genus topological string amplitudes and express these in terms of polynomials of functions constructed from the special geometry of the deformation spaces. The polynomials are fixed by the holomorphic anomaly equations supplemented by the expected behavior at special loci in moduli space. We further expand the amplitudes in the base moduli of the elliptic fibration and find that the fiber moduli dependence is captured by a finer polynomial structure in terms of the modular forms of the modular group of the elliptic curve. We further find a recursive equation which captures this finer structure and which can be related to the anomaly equations for correlation functions.

F-theory on Quotient Threefolds with (2,0) Discrete Superconformal Matter We explore 6-dimensional compactifications of F-theory exhibiting (2, 0) superconformal theories coupled to gravity that include discretely charged superconformal matter. Beginning with F-theory geometries with Abelian gauge fields and superconformal sectors, we provide examples of Higgsing transitions which break the U(1) gauge symmetry to a discrete remnant in which the matter fields are also non-trivially coupled to a (2, 0) SCFT. In the compactification background this corresponds to a geometric transition linking two fibered Calabi-Yau geometries defined over a singular base complex surface. An elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefold with non-zero Mordell-Weil rank can be connected to a smooth non-simply connected genus one fibered geometry constructed as a Calabi-Yau quotient. These hyperconifold transitions exhibit multiple fibers in co-dimension 2 over the base.

The Toric SO(10) F-Theory Landscape Supergravity theories in more than four dimensions with grand unified gauge symmetries are an important intermediate step towards the ultraviolet completion of the Standard Model in string theory. Using toric geometry, we classify and analyze six-dimensional F-theory vacua with gauge group SO(10) taking into account Mordell-Weil U(1) and discrete gauge factors. We determine the full matter spectrum of these models, including charged and neutral SO(10) singlets. Based solely on the geometry, we compute all matter multiplicities and confirm the cancellation of gauge and gravitational anomalies independent of the base space. Particular emphasis is put on symmetry enhancements at the loci of matter fields and to the frequent appearance of superconformal points. They are linked to non-toric Kähler deformations which contribute to the counting of degrees of freedom. We compute the anomaly coefficients for these theories as well by using a base-independent blow-up procedure and superconformal matter transitions. Finally, we identify six-dimensional supergravity models which can yield the Standard Model with high-scale supersymmetry by further compactification to four dimensions in an Abelian flux background.

Gauged supergravities from M-theory reductions Abstract: In supergravity compactifications, there is in general no clear prescription on how to select a finite-dimensional family of metrics on the internal space, and a family of forms on which to expand the various potentials, such that the lower-dimensional effective theory is supersymmetric. We propose a finite-dimensional family of deformations for regular Sasaki–Einstein seven-manifolds M7, relevant for M-theory compactifications down to four dimensions. It consists of integrable Cauchy–Riemann structures, corresponding to complex deformations of the Calabi–Yau cone M8 over M7. The non-harmonic forms we propose are the ones contained in one of the Kohn–Rossi cohomology groups, which is finitedimensional and naturally controls the deformations of Cauchy–Riemann structures. The same family of deformations can be also described in terms of twisted cohomology of the base M6, or in terms of Milnor cycles arising in deformations of M8. Using existing results on SU(3) structure compactifications, we briefly discuss the reduction of M-theory on our class of deformed Sasaki–Einstein manifolds to four-dimensional gauged supergravity

ADE String Chains and Mirror Symmetry Abstract: 6d superconforaml field theories (SCFTs) are the SCFTs in the highest possible dimension. They can be geometrically engineered in F-theory by compactifying on noncompact elliptic Calabi-Yau manifolds. In this paper we focus on the class of SCFTs whose base geometry is determined by −2 curves intersecting according to ADE Dynkin diagrams and derive the corresponding mirror Calabi-Yau manifold. The mirror geometry is uniquely determined in terms of the mirror curve which has also an interpretation in terms of the Seiberg-Witten curve of the four-dimensional theory arising from torus compactification. Adding the affine node of the ADE quiver to the base geometry, we connect to recent results on SYZ mirror symmetry for the A case and provide a physical interpretation in terms of little string theory. Our results, however, go beyond this case as our construction naturally covers the D and E cases as well.

Heterotic Line Bundle Models on Elliptically Fibered Calabi-Yau Three-folds We analyze heterotic line bundle models on elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau three-folds over weak Fano bases. In order to facilitate Wilson line breaking to the standard model group, we focus on elliptically fibered three-folds with a second section and a freely-acting involution. Specifically, we consider toric weak Fano surfaces as base manifolds and identify six such manifolds with the required properties. The requisite mathematical tools for the construction of line bundle models on these spaces, including the calculation of line bundle cohomology, are developed. A computer scan leads to more than 400 line bundle models with the right number of families and an SU(5) GUT group which can descend to standard-like models after taking the Z2 quotient. A common and surprising feature of these models is the presence of a large number of vector-like states.

Fibrations in CICY Threefolds In this work we systematically enumerate genus one fibrations in the class of 7, 890 Calabi-Yau manifolds defined as complete intersections in products of projective spaces, the so-called CICY threefolds. This survey is independent of the description of the manifolds and improves upon past approaches that probed only a particular algebraic form of the threefolds (i.e. searches for “obvious” genus one fibrations as in [1, 2]). We also study K3-fibrations and nested fibration structures. That is, K3 fibrations with potentially many distinct elliptic fibrations. To accomplish this survey a number of new geometric tools are developed including a determination of the full topology of all CICY threefolds, including triple intersection numbers. In 2, 946 cases this involves finding a new “favorable” description of the manifold in which all divisors descend from a simple ambient space. Our results consist of a survey of obvious fibrations for all CICY threefolds and a complete classification of all genus one fibrations for 4, 957 “K¨ahler favorable” CICYs whose K¨ahler cones descend from a simple ambient space. Within the CICY dataset, we find 139, 597 obvious genus one fibrations, 30, 974 obvious K3 fibrations and 208, 987 nested combinations. For the K¨ahler favorable geometries we find a complete classification of 377, 559 genus one fibrations. For one manifold with Hodge numbers (19, 19) we find an explicit description of an infinite number of distinct genus-one fibrations extending previous results for this particular geometry that have appeared in the literature. The data associated to this scan is available here [3].

Calabi-Yau Orbifolds over Hitchin Bases Abstract. Any irreducible Dynkin diagram ∆ is obtained from an irreducible Dynkin diagram ∆h of type ADE by folding via graph automorphisms. For any simple complex Lie group G with Dynkin diagram ∆ and compact Riemann surface Σ, we give a Lie-theoretic construction of families of quasi-projective Calabi-Yau threefolds together with an action of graph automorphisms over the Hitchin base associated to the pair (Σ, G) . These give rise to Calabi-Yau orbifolds over the same base. Their intermediate Jacobian fibration, constructed in terms of equivariant cohomology, is isomorphic to the Hitchin system of the same type away from singular fibers.

A new twist on heterotic string compactifications Abstract: A rich pattern of gauge symmetries is found in the moduli space of heterotic string toroidal compactifications, at fixed points of the T-duality transformations. We analyze this pattern for generic tori, and scrutinize in full detail compactifications on a circle. We show the gauge symmetry groups that arise at special points, in figures of slices of the 17-dimensional moduli space of Wilson lines and circle radii. We then study the target space realization of the duality symmetry. Although the global continuous duality symmetries of dimensionally reduced heterotic supergravity are completely broken by the structure constants of the maximally enhanced gauge groups, the low energy effective action can be written in a manifestly duality covariant form using heterotic double field theory. As a byproduct, we show that a unique deformation of the generalized diffeomorphisms accounts for both SO(32) and E8 ×E8 heterotic effective field theories, which can thus be considered two different backgrounds of the same double field theory even before compactification. Finally we discuss the spontaneous gauge symmetry breaking and Higgs mechanism that occurs when slightly perturbing the background fields, both from the string and the field theory perspectives.

Geometric Singularities and Enhanced Gauge Symmetries Using “Tate’s algorithm,” we identify loci in the moduli of F-theory compactifications corresponding to enhanced gauge symmetry. We apply this to test the proposed F-theory/heterotic dualities in six dimensions. We recover the perturbative gauge symmetry enhancements of the heterotic side and the physics of small SO(32) instantons, and discover new mixed perturbative/non-perturbative gauge symmetry enhancements. Upon further toroidal compactification to 4 dimensions, we derive the chain of Calabi-Yau threefolds dual to various Coulomb branches of heterotic strings.

Weaving the Exotic Web String and M-theory contain a family of branes forming U-duality multiplets. In particular, standard branes with codimension higher than or equal to two, can be explicitly found as supergravity solutions. However, whether domain-wall branes and space-filling branes can be found as supergravity solutions is still unclear. In this paper, we firstly provide a full list of exotic branes in type II string theory or M-theory compactified to three or higher dimensions. We show how to systematically obtain backgrounds of exotic domain-wall branes and space-filling branes as solutions of the double field theory or the exceptional field theory. Such solutions explicitly depend on the winding coordinates and cannot be given as solutions of the conventional supergravity theories. However, as the domain-wall solutions depend linearly on the winding coordinates, we describe them as solutions of deformed supergravities such as the Romans massive IIA supergravity or lower-dimensional gauged supergravities. We establish explicit relations among the domain-wall branes, the mixed-symmetry potentials, the locally non-geometric fluxes, and deformed supergravities.

Beyond Triality: Dual Quiver Gauge Theories and Little String Theories The web of dual gauge theories engineered from a class of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds is explored. In previous work, we have argued for a triality structure by compiling evidence for the fact that every such manifold XN,M (for given (N, M)) engineers three a priori different, weakly coupled quiver gauge theories in five dimensions. The strong coupling regime of the latter is in general described by Little String Theories. Furthermore, we also conjectured that the manifold XN,M is dual to XN0,M0 if NM = N0M0 and gcd(N, M) = gcd(N0, M0). Combining this result with the triality structure, we currently argue for a large number of dual quiver gauge theories, whose instanton partition functions can be computed explicitly as specific expansions of the topological partition function ZN,M of XN,M. We illustrate this web of dual theories by studying explicit examples in detail. We also undertake first steps in further analysing the extended moduli space of XN,M with the goal of finding other dual gauge theories.

Non-simply-laced Symmetry Algebras in F-theory on Singular Spaces We demonstrate how non-simply-laced gauge and flavor symmetries arise in F-theory on spaces with non-isolated singularities. The breaking from a simply-laced symmetry to one that is non-simply-laced is induced by Calabi-Yau complex structure deformation. In all examples the deformation maintains non-isolated singularities but is accompanied by a splitting of an I1 sevenbrane that opens new loops in the geometry near a non-abelian seven-brane. The splitting also arises in the moduli space of a probe D3-brane, which upon traversing the new loop experiences a monodromy that acts on 3-7 string junctions on the singular space. The monodromy reduces the symmetry algebra, which is the flavor symmetry of the D3-brane and the gauge symmetry of the seven-brane, to one that is non-simply-laced. A collision of the D3-brane with the seven-brane gives rise to a 4d N = 1 SCFT with a non-simply-laced flavor symmetry.

Toric Geometry and String Theory In this thesis we probe various interactions between toric geometry and string theory. First, the notion of a top was introduced by Candelas and Font as a useful tool to investigate string dualities. These objects torically encode the local geometry of a degeneration of an elliptic fibration. We classify all tops and give a prescription for assigning an affine, possibly twisted Kac-Moody algebra to any such top. Tops related to twisted Kac-Moody algebras can be used to construct string compactifications with reduced rank of the gauge group. Secondly, we compute all loop closed and open topological string amplitudes on orientifolds of toric Calabi-Yau threefolds, by using geometric transitions involving SO/Sp Chern-Simons theory, localization on the moduli space of holomorphic maps with involution, and the topological vertex. In particular, we count Klein bottles and projective planes with any number of handles in some Calabi-Yau orientifolds. We determine the BPS structure of the amplitudes, and illustrate our general results in various examples with and without D-branes. We also present an application of our results to the BPS structure of the coloured Kauffman polynomial of knots.

SU(n) × Z2 in F-theory on K3 surfaces without section as double covers of Halphen surfaces We investigate F-theory models with a discrete Z2 gauge symmetry and SU(n) gauge symmetries. We utilize a class of rational elliptic surfaces lacking a global section, known as Halphen surfaces of index 2, to yield genus-one fibered K3 surfaces with a bisection, but lacking a global section. We consider F-theory compactifications on these K3 surfaces times a K3 surface to build such models. We construct Halphen surfaces of index 2 with type In fibers, and we take double covers of these surfaces to obtain K3 surfaces without a section with two type In fibers, and K3 surfaces without a section with a type I2n fiber. We study these models to advance the understanding of gauge groups that form in F-theory compactifications on the moduli of bisection geometries. Our results also show that the Halphen surfaces of index 2 can have type In fibers up to I9. We construct an example of such a surface and determine the complex structure of the Jacobian of this surface. This allows us to precisely determine the non-Abelian gauge groups that arise in F-theory compactifications on genus-one fibered K3 surfaces obtained as double covers of this Halphen surface of index 2, with a type I9 fiber times a K3 surface. We also determine the U(1) gauge symmetries for compactifications when K3 surfaces as double covers of Halphen surfaces with type I9 fiber are ramified over a smooth fiber.

String theory and emergent de Sitter cosmology from decaying AdS Recent developments in string compactifications demonstrate obstructions to the simplest constructions of low energy cosmologies with positive vacuum energy. The existence of obstacles to creating scale-separated de Sitter solutions indicates a UV/IR puzzle for embedding cosmological vacua in a unitary theory of quantum gravity. Motivated by this puzzle, we propose an embedding of positive energy Friedmann-Lemaˆıtre-Robertson-Walker cosmology within string theory. Our proposal involves confining 4D gravity on a brane which mediates the decay from a non-supersymmetric false AdS5 vacuum to a true vacuum. In this way, it is natural for a 4D observer to experience an effective positive cosmological constant coupled to matter and radiation, avoiding the need for scale separation or a fundamental de Sitter vacuum.

Calabi–Yau operators Motivated by mirror symmetry of one-parameter models, an interesting class of Fuchsian differential operators can be singled out, the so-called Calabi–Yau operators, introduced by Almkvist and Zudilin in [7]. They conjecturally determine Sp(4)-local systems that underly a Q-VHS with Hodge numbers h30 = h21 = h12 = h03 = 1 and in the best cases they make their appearance as Picard–Fuchs operators of families of Calabi–Yau threefolds with h12 = 1 and encode the numbers of rational curves on a mirror manifold with h11 = 1. We review some of the striking properties of this rich class of operators.

Models of Particle Physics from Type IIB String Theory and F-theory: A Review We review particle physics model building in type IIB string theory and F-theory. This is a region in the landscape where in principle many of the key ingredients required for a realistic model of particle physics can be combined successfully. We begin by reviewing moduli stabilisation within this framework and its implications for supersymmetry breaking. We then review model building tools and developments in the weakly coupled type IIB limit, for both local D3-branes at singularities and global models of intersecting D7-branes. Much of recent model building work has been in the strongly coupled regime of F-theory due to the presence of exceptional symmetries which allow for the construction of phenomenologically appealing Grand Unified Theories. We review both local and global F-theory model building starting from the fundamental concepts and tools regarding how the gauge group, matter sector and operators arise, and ranging to detailed phenomenological properties explored in the literature.

The 2017 TASI Lectures on F-theory F-theory is perhaps the most general currently available approach to study non-perturbative string compactifications in their geometric, large radius regime. It opens up a wide and evergrowing range of applications and connections to string model building, quantum gravity, (nonperturbative) quantum field theories in various dimensions and mathematics. Its computational power derives from the geometrisation of physical reasoning, establishing a deep correspondence between fundamental concepts in gauge theory and beautiful structures of elliptic fibrations. These lecture notes, which are an extended version of my lectures given at TASI 2017, introduce some of the main concepts underlying the recent technical advances in F-theory compactifications and their various applications. The main focus is put on explaining the F-theory dictionary between the local and global data of an elliptic fibration and the physics of 7-branes in Type IIB compactifications to various dimensions via duality with M-theory. The geometric concepts underlying this dictionary include the behaviour of elliptic fibrations in codimension one, two, three and four, the Mordell-Weil group of rational sections, and the Deligne cohomology group specifying gauge backgrounds.

String Geometry and Non-perturbative Background-Independent Formulation of String Theory We define string geometry: spaces of superstrings including the interactions, their topologies, charts, and metrics. Trajectories in asymptotic processes on the topological space of strings reproduce the right moduli space of the super Riemann surfaces in a target manifold. Based on the string geometry, we define Einstein-Hilbert action coupled with gauge fields, and formulate superstring theory non-perturbatively by summing over metrics and the gauge fields on the spaces of strings. This theory does not depend on backgrounds. The theory has a supersymmetry as a part of the diffeomorphisms symmetry on the superstring manifolds. We derive the all-order perturbative scattering amplitudes that possess the super moduli in type IIA, type IIB and SO(32) type I superstring theories from the single theory, by considering fluctuations around fixed backgrounds representing type IIA, type IIB and SO(32) type I perturbative vacua, respectively. The theory predicts that we can see a string if we microscopically observe not only a particle but also a point in the space-time. That is, this theory unifies particles and the space-time.