In this talk, I will present two works that we have carried out on the hep-th side.
The first part concerns the SU(2) adjoint Higgs model, which can be regarded as a toy model of grand unified theories (GUTs). The phase structure of this model has not attracted much attention since the 1980s. However, our recent study suggests that it actually exhibits a nontrivial phase structure, which we refer to as deconfinement–Higgs continuity. I will explain this result and its implications.
The second part focuses on type IIB superstring theory. Type IIB string theory is particularly attractive because it accommodates both GUT-like structures, such as F-theory GUTs, and inflationary scenarios. On the other hand, analyzing its vacua typically requires sophisticated tools from algebraic geometry, making the theory technically challenging, and many aspects remain to be fully understood. In our work, we showed that a generalized symmetry necessarily emerges, largely independent of the detailed choice of vacuum. Moreover, this symmetry is scale invariant and can potentially influence infrared physics.
Due to time constraints, I may not be able to cover all details. Nevertheless, I hope that this talk will provide some useful insights for the hep-ph community.
