Research Interest of Vincent Bouchard

      Publication 1: Topological Strings and (Almost) Modular Forms (URL)
      Publication 2: An SU(5) Heterotic Standard Model (URL)
      Publication 3: On a class of non-simply connected Calabi-Yau threefolds (URL)

    URL of Research: 

Statement of Interest:


  My research focuses on the interface between mathematics and string theory. Recently, I have been working on the modular properties of topological string theory, and on the relation between large radius amplitudes and orbifold amplitudes, which allowed us to give new predictions for higher genus orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants. I am also working on the relation between orbifold Donaldson-Thomas and Gromov-Witten theory, and on a possible formulation of the OSV black hole conjecture for orbifolds. 

I have also been working on a new, matrix model inspired, method for solving completely the B-model on noncompact manifolds mirror to toric Calabi-Yau threefolds, using as a basic building block the open topological string amplitudes. This provides a new formalism which implies many new conjectures and interrelations between open/closed string amplitudes, and opens the way for new avenues of research, such as a possible non-perturbative formulation of topological string theory.

I have also been interested in standard model building in heterotic string theory on non-simply connected Calabi-Yau threefolds. We have recently constructed a model which reproduces precisely the massless spectrum of the MSSM with no exotic particles. We also constructed a large class of non-simply connected Calabi-Yau threefolds suitable for phenomenologically interesting heterotic compactifications, which we are presently studying. One of the remaining challenges in heterotic model building is to understand supersymmetry breaking and moduli stabilization, which I am also presently investigating.