We study the limit of Calabi-Yau modular forms, and in particular, those resulting in classical modular forms. We then study two parameter families of elliptically fibred Calabi-Yau fourfolds and describe the modular forms arising from the degeneracy loci. In the case of elliptically fibred Calabi-Yau threefolds our approach gives a mathematical proof of many observations about modularity properties of topological string amplitudes starting with the work of Candelas, Font, Katz and Morrison. In the case of Calabi-Yau fourfolds we derive new identities not computed before.

We show how two topologically distinct spaces-the Kahler K3 x T^ 2 and the non-Kahler T^ 2 bundle over K3-can be smoothly connected in heterotic string theory. The transition occurs when the base K3 is deformed to the T^ 4/Z_2 orbifold limit. The orbifold theory can be mapped via duality to M-theory on K3 x K3 where the transition corresponds to an exchange of the two K3's.

A classical set of birational invariants of a variety are its spaces of pluricanonical forms and some of their canonically defined subspaces. Each of these vector spaces admits a typical metric structure which is also birationally invariant. These vector spaces so metrized will be referred to as the pseudonormed spaces of the original varieties. A fundamental question is the following: Given two mildly singular projective varieties with some of the first variety9s pseudonormed spaces being isometric to the corresponding ones of the second variety9s, can one construct a birational map between them that induces these isometries? In this work, a positive answer to this question is given for varieties of general type. This can be thought of as a theorem of Torelli type for birational equivalence.

In this note, we give a list of Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces in weighted projective 4-spaces with the property that a hypersurface contains naturally a pencil of K3 variety. For completeness we also obtain a similar list in the case K3 hypersurfaces in weighted projective 3-spaces. The first list significantly enlarges the list of K3-fibrations of\KlemmLercheMayr~ which has been obtained on some assumptions on the weights. Our lists are expected to correspond to examples of the so-called heterotic-type II duality\KachruVafa\KachruSilverstein.

Theorem 1. Let D be an irreducible bounded symmetric domain in C', n>= 2. Let F be a (nonuniform) lattice in Aut (D), ie a discrete subgroup of Aut (D) for which N:= D/F (is noncompact and) has. finite volume (wrt the locally symmetric metric induced from D). Suppose that a group F isomorphic to F (as an abstract group) acts as a discrete automorphism group on a contractible K (ihler manifold tVI. Assume that lQ/f has a finite singularity free cover M (ie M is a manifold) which is quasiprojective ie admits a compactification as a projective variety IVI and that~ I\M is of codimension at least three in~ l. Then] Q is biholomorphically equivalent to D, and f is conjugate to F in Aut (D).

We discuss conjectures following from the attractor mechanism in type II string theory about the possible Chern classes of stable holomorphic vector bundles on Calabi-Yau threefolds. In particular, we give sufficient conditions for Chern classes to correspond to stable bundles.

Motivated by mirror symmetry, we study certain integral representations of solutions to the Gelfand-Kapranov-Zelevinsky (GKZ) hypergeometric system. Some of these solutions arise as period integrals for Calabi-Yau manifolds in mirror symmetry. We prove that for a suitable compactification of the parameter space, there exist certain special boundary points, which we called maximal degeneracy points, at which all solutions but one become singular.

In this note we show that if a projective manifold admits a Khler metric with negative holomorphic sectional curvature then the canonical bundle of the manifold is ample. This confirms a conjecture of the second author.

We define Stasheff polytopes in the spaces of tropical points of cluster A -varieties. We study the supports of products of elements of canonical bases for cluster A -varieties. We prove that, for the cluster A -variety of type A , such supports are Stasheff polytopes.

Abstract Kontsevich and Soibelman defined DonaldsonThomas invariants of a 3d CalabiYau category equipped with a stability condition [41]. Any cluster variety gives rise to a family of such categories. Their DT invariants are encapsulated in a single formal automorphism of the cluster variety, called the DT-transformation. Given a stability condition, the DT-transformation allows to recover the DT-invariants. Let S be an oriented surface with punctures and a finite number of special points on the boundary, considered modulo isotopy. It gives rise to a moduli space X P G L m, S, closely related to the moduli space of P G L m-local systems on S, which carries a canonical cluster Poisson variety structure [13]. For each puncture of S, there is a birational Weyl group action on the space X P G L m, S. We prove that it is given by cluster Poisson transformations. We prove a similar result for the involution of X P G L m, S