We use the polynomial formulation of the holomorphic anomaly equations governing perturbative topological string theory to derive the free energies in a scaling limit to all orders in perturbation theory for any CalabiYau threefold. The partition function in this limit satisfies an Airy differential equation in a rescaled topological string coupling. One of the two solutions of this equation gives the perturbative expansion and the other solution provides geometric hints of the non-perturbative structure of topological string theory. Both solutions can be expanded naturally around strong coupling.

A bstract 6d superconformal field theories (SCFTs) are the SCFTs in the highest possible dimension. They can be geometrically engineered in F-theory by compactifying on non-compact elliptic Calabi-Yau manifolds. In this paper we focus on the class of SCFTs whose base geometry is determined by 2 curves intersecting according to ADE Dynkin diagrams and derive the corresponding mirror Calabi-Yau manifold. The mirror geometry is uniquely determined in terms of the mirror curve which has also an interpretation in terms of the Seiberg-Witten curve of the four-dimensional theory arising from torus compactification. Adding the affine node of the ADE quiver to the base geometry, we connect to recent results on SYZ mirror symmetry for the A case and provide a physical interpretation in terms of little string theory. Our results, however, go beyond this case as our construction naturally covers the D and E cases as

We find two conditions related to the {\it news functions} of the Bondi's radiating vacuum spacetimes. We provide a complete proof of the positivity of the Bondi mass by using Schoen-Yau's method under one condition and by using Witten's method under another condition.

We review first Azumaya geometry and D-branes in the realm of algebraic geometry along the line of Polchinski-Grothendieck Ansatz from our earlier work and then use it as background to introduce Azumaya C^{\infty} -manifolds with a fundamental module and morphisms therefrom to a projective complex manifold. This gives us a description of D-branes of A-type. Donaldson's picture of Lagrangian and special Lagrangian submanifolds as selected from the zero-locus of a moment map on a related space of maps can be merged into the setting. As a pedagogical toy model, we study D-branes of A-type in a Calabi-Yau torus. Simple as it is, it reveals several features of D-branes, including their assembling/disassembling. The 4th theme of Sec. 2.4, the 2nd theme of Sec. 4.2, and Sec. 4.3 are to be read respectively with Gmez-Sharpe (arXiv: hep-th/0008150), Donagi-Katz-Sharpe (arXiv: hep-th/0309270), and Denef (arXiv: hep-th/0107152). Some string-theoretical remarks are given at the end of each section.

We define a notion of stability for chiral ring of four dimensional N= 1 theory by introducing test chiral rings and generalized a maximization. We conjecture that a chiral ring is the chiral ring of a superconformal field theory if and only if it is stable. We then study N= 1 field theory derived from D3 branes probing a three-fold singularity X, and show that the K stability which implies the existence of Ricci-flat conic metric on X is equivalent to the stability of chiral ring of the corresponding field theory.