Date of Award

Summer 8-13-2010

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Graduate Group

Physics & Astronomy

First Advisor

Burt Ovrut

Abstract

E8 x E8 heterotic string and M-theory, when appropriately compactified, can give rise to realistic, N = 1 supersymmetric particle physics. In particular, the exact matter spectrum of the MSSM is obtained by compactifying on Calabi-Yau manifolds admitting specific SU(4) vector bundles. These "heterotic standard models" have the SU(3)C x SU(2)L x U(1)Y gauge group of the standard model augmented