The positive mass theorem states that for a nontrivial isolated physical system, the total energy, which includes contributions from both matter and gravitation is positive. This assertion was demonstrated in our previous paper in the important case when the space-time admits a maximal slice. Here this assumption is removed and the general theorem is demonstrated. Abstracts of the results of this paper appeared in [11] and [13].

We consider the Cauchy problem for the massless scalar wave equation in the Kerr geometry for smooth initial data compactly supported outside the event horizon. We prove that the solutions decay in time in <i>L</i>  _loc. The proof is based on a representation of the solution as an infinite sum over the angular momentum modes, each of which is an integral of the energy variable <i></i> on the real line. This integral representation involves solutions of the radial and angular ODEs which arise in the separation of variables.

We describe two simple obstructions to the existence of Ricci-flat Khler cone metrics on isolated Gorenstein singularities or, equivalently, to the existence of Sasaki-Einstein metrics on the links of these singularities. In particular, this also leads to new obstructions for KhlerEinstein metrics on Fano orbifolds. We present several families of hypersurface singularities that are obstructed, including 3-fold and 4-fold singularities of ADE type that have been studied previously in the physics literature. We show that the AdS/CFT dual of one obstruction is that the Rcharge of a gauge invariant chiral primary operator violates the unitarity bound.

We investigate the structure of the higher genus topological string amplitudes on the quintic hypersurface. It is shown that the partition functions of the higher genus than one can be expressed as polynomials of five generators. We also compute the explicit polynomial forms of the partition functions for genus 2, 3, and 4. Moreover, some coefficients are written down for all genus.

In their proposed compactification of superstrings [4], Candelas, Horowitz, Strominger and Witten took the matric product of a maximal symmetric four dimensional spacetime M with a six dimensional CalabiYau vacua X as the ten dimensional spacetime; they identified the YangMills connection with the SU (3) connection of the CalabiYau metric and set the dilaton to be a constant. To make this theory compatible with the standard grand unified field theory, Witten [28] and HoravaWitten [20] proposed to use higher rank bundles for strong coupled heterotic string theory so that the gauge groups can be SU (4) or SU (5). Mathematically, this approach relies on UhlenbeckYaus theorem on constructing HermitianYangMills connections on stable bundles [27]. Many authors, including Friedman, Morgan and Witten [18]; Donagi, Ovrat, Pantev and Reinbacher [12]; Andreas [1], Kachru [21] and others, have worked

We study some arithmetic properties of the mirror maps and the quantum Yukawa couplings for some 1-parameter deformations of Calabi-Yau manifolds. First we use the Schwarzian differential equation, which we derived previously, to characterize the mirror map in each case. For algebraic K3 surfaces, we solve the equation in terms of the<i>J</i>-function. By deriving explicit modular relations we prove that some K3 mirror maps are algebraic over the genus zero function field<b>Q</b>(<i>J</i>). This leads to a uniform proof that those mirror maps have integral Fourier coefficients. Regarding the maps as Riemann mappings, we prove that they are genus zero functions. By virtue of the Conway-Norton conjecture (proved by Borcherds using Frenkel-Lepowsky-Meurman's Moonshine module), we find that these maps are actually the reciprocals of the Thompson series for certain conjugacy classes in the Griess-Fischer group

Motivated by the important work of Brown and York on quasilocal energy, we propose definitions of quasilocal energy and momentum surface energy of a spacelike 2-surface with a positive intrinsic curvature in a spacetime. We show that the quasilocal energy of the boundary of a compact spacelike hypersurface which satisfies the local energy condition is strictly positive unless the spacetime is flat along the spacelike hypersurface.

We provide an explicit desingularization and study the resulting fiber geometry of elliptically fibered four-folds defined by Weierstrass models admitting a split ilde {A} _4 singularity over a divisor of the discriminant locus. Such varieties are used to geometrically engineer SU (5) grand unified theories in F-theory. The desingularization is given by a small resolution of singularities. The ilde {A} _4 fiber naturally appears after resolving the singularities in codimension-one in the base. The remaining higher codimension singularities are then beautifully described by a four-dimensional affine binomial variety which leads to six different small resolutions of the elliptically fibered four-fold. These six small resolutions define distinct four-folds connected to each other by a network of flop transitions forming a dihedral group. The location of these exotic fibers in the base is mapped to conifold points of the three-folds that defines the type IIB

We consider the Einstein/Yang-Mills equations in 3+1 space time dimensions with<i>SU</i>(2) gauge group and prove rigorously the existence of a globally defined smooth static solution. We show that the associated Einstein metric is asymptotically flat and the total mass is finite. Thus, for non-abelian gauge fields the Yang-Mills repulsive force can balance the gravitational attractive force and prevent the formation of singularities in spacetime.

Let M be a complete Einstein manifold of negative curvature, and assume that (as in the AdS/CFT correspondence) it has a Penrose compactification with a conformal boundary M of positive scalar curvature. We show that under these conditions, M and in particular M must be connected. These results resolve some puzzles concerning the AdS/CFT correspondence.