Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models

Abstract Motivated by the Swampland Distance and the Emergent String Conjecture of Quantum Gravity, we analyse the infinite distance degenerations in the complex structure moduli space of elliptic K3 surfaces. All complex degenerations of K3 surfaces are known to be classified according to their ass...

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Main Authors: Seung-Joo Lee, Timo Weigand
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2022-09-01
Series:Journal of High Energy Physics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2022)143
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author Seung-Joo Lee
Timo Weigand
author_facet Seung-Joo Lee
Timo Weigand
author_sort Seung-Joo Lee
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Motivated by the Swampland Distance and the Emergent String Conjecture of Quantum Gravity, we analyse the infinite distance degenerations in the complex structure moduli space of elliptic K3 surfaces. All complex degenerations of K3 surfaces are known to be classified according to their associated Kulikov models of Type I (finite distance), Type II or Type III (infinite distance). For elliptic K3 surfaces, we characterise the underlying Weierstrass models in detail. Similarly to the known two classes of Type II Kulikov models for elliptic K3 surfaces we find that the Weierstrass models of the more elusive Type III Kulikov models can be brought into two canonical forms. We furthermore show that all infinite distance limits are related to degenerations of Weierstrass models with non-minimal singularities in codimension one or to models with degenerating generic fibers as in the Sen limit. We explicitly work out the general structure of blowups and base changes required to remove the non-minimal singularities. These results form the basis for a classification of the infinite distance limits of elliptic K3 surfaces as probed by F-theory in the companion paper [1]. The Type III limits, in particular, are (partial) decompactification limits as signalled by an emergent affine enhancement of the symmetry algebra.
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spelling doaj.art-5cdee701c8ec4ea2afdea44b7888d1b82022-12-22T03:48:07ZengSpringerOpenJournal of High Energy Physics1029-84792022-09-012022917810.1007/JHEP09(2022)143Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov modelsSeung-Joo Lee0Timo Weigand1Center for Theoretical Physics of the Universe, Institute for Basic ScienceInstitut für Theoretische Physik, Universität HamburgAbstract Motivated by the Swampland Distance and the Emergent String Conjecture of Quantum Gravity, we analyse the infinite distance degenerations in the complex structure moduli space of elliptic K3 surfaces. All complex degenerations of K3 surfaces are known to be classified according to their associated Kulikov models of Type I (finite distance), Type II or Type III (infinite distance). For elliptic K3 surfaces, we characterise the underlying Weierstrass models in detail. Similarly to the known two classes of Type II Kulikov models for elliptic K3 surfaces we find that the Weierstrass models of the more elusive Type III Kulikov models can be brought into two canonical forms. We furthermore show that all infinite distance limits are related to degenerations of Weierstrass models with non-minimal singularities in codimension one or to models with degenerating generic fibers as in the Sen limit. We explicitly work out the general structure of blowups and base changes required to remove the non-minimal singularities. These results form the basis for a classification of the infinite distance limits of elliptic K3 surfaces as probed by F-theory in the companion paper [1]. The Type III limits, in particular, are (partial) decompactification limits as signalled by an emergent affine enhancement of the symmetry algebra.https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2022)143Differential and Algebraic GeometryF-Theory
spellingShingle Seung-Joo Lee
Timo Weigand
Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models
Journal of High Energy Physics
Differential and Algebraic Geometry
F-Theory
title Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models
title_full Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models
title_fullStr Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models
title_full_unstemmed Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models
title_short Elliptic K3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined Kulikov models
title_sort elliptic k3 surfaces at infinite complex structure and their refined kulikov models
topic Differential and Algebraic Geometry
F-Theory
url https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP09(2022)143
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AT timoweigand elliptick3surfacesatinfinitecomplexstructureandtheirrefinedkulikovmodels