
We establish a correspondence between toroidal compactifications of M-theory and del Pezzo surfaces. M-theory on T^k corresponds to P^2 blown up at k generic points; Type IIB corresponds to P^1\times P^1. The moduli of compactifications of M-theory on rectangular tori are mapped to Kahler moduli of del Pezzo surfaces.The U-duality group of M-theory corresponds to a group of classical symmetries of the del Pezzo represented by global diffeomorphisms. The half-BPS brane charges of M-theory correspond to spheres in the del Pezzo, and their tension to the exponentiated volume of the corresponding spheres. The electric/magnetic pairing of branes is determined by the condition that the union of the corresponding spheres represent the anticanonical class of the del Pezzo. The condition that a pair of half-BPS states form a bound state is mapped to a condition on the intersection of the corresponding spheres. We present some speculations about the meaning of this duality.
30 pages; A reference added; comments on quadratic transformation added
High Energy Physics - Theory, High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th), FOS: Physical sciences, String and superstring theories; other extended objects (e.g., branes) in quantum field theory, Applications of compact analytic spaces to the sciences, Calabi-Yau manifolds (algebro-geometric aspects), Relationships between surfaces, higher-dimensional varieties, and physics
High Energy Physics - Theory, High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th), FOS: Physical sciences, String and superstring theories; other extended objects (e.g., branes) in quantum field theory, Applications of compact analytic spaces to the sciences, Calabi-Yau manifolds (algebro-geometric aspects), Relationships between surfaces, higher-dimensional varieties, and physics
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 40 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
