Biography

Jim Halverson is an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

His research is at the interface of string theory, particle physics and cosmology, and mathematics. He is particularly interested in the string landscape and its implications for particle physics and cosmology beyond their standard models. These implications often follow from the structure of extra-dimensional geometries, of which there are many possibilities. Halverson’s research therefore requires importing techniques from mathematics and computer science.

I teach physics courses at Northeastern University, including:

• PHYS 5115: Quantum Mechanics, Spring 2019.
• PHYS 5115: Quantum Mechanics, Fall 2018.
• PHYS 7326: Quantum Field Theory 2, Spring 2018.
• PHYS 7325: Quantum Field Theory 1, Fall 2017.
• PHYS 7733: Topics in Elementary Particle Physics and Cosmology, Spring 2017.
• PHYS 5115: Quantum Mechanics, Spring 2016.

Positions Held

• Assistant Professor, Northeastern University, from September 2015.
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, 2012-2015.

Education

• Ph.D. Physics, University of Pennsylvania, May 2012, advised by Professor Mirjam Cvetic.
• B.S. Physics, Mathematics, University of Virginia, May 2007, with highest distinction.

Awards and Honors

• Graduate Fellowship in High Energy Theory, United States Department of Energy, 2011-2012.
  
• Graduate Fellowship, String Vacuum Project (SVP) of the National Science Foundation, 2009-2011.
  
• Chair’s Teaching Award, University of Pennsylvania, September 2008.
  

Publication List

My papers in high energy physics and mathematics can be found on inSPIRE, including journal information.

Invited Conference Talks and Colloquia

• At the Crossroads of Machine Learning and Physics,
  Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, February 2019.
  TBA.

• Simons Summer Workshop,
  Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, August 2018.
  de Sitter Vacua and Computational Complexity.

• String Theory Challenges in Particle Physics and Cosmology,
  University of Bonn, July 2018.
  Geometries, Agents, and Remnants.

• Machine Learning and Physics,
  Tsinghua University, July 2018.
  Reinforcement Learning and the String Landscape.

• String Phenomenology 2018,
  Warsaw, July 2018.
  String Theory and Data Science.

• Strings 2018,
  Okinawa, June 2018.
  String Theory and Data Science.

• Machine Learning in Geometry and Physics,
  Yau Mathematical Science Center, TSIMF Sanya, June 2018.
  On Finding Small Cosmological Constants with Deep Reinforcement Learning.

• Strings, Geometry, and Black Holes,
  King’s College London, April 2018.
  Deep Reinforcement Learning and the Boundary of Weak Coupling.

• Workshop on Data Science and String Theory,
  LMU Munich, March 2018, with Fabian Ruehle.
  Machine Learning Tools for String Theory

• Workshop on Data Science and String Theory,
  LMU Munich, March 2018.
  Anomaly Detection: Mapping the IIB Lamppost with Reinforcement Learning.

• Physics and Geometry of F-theory,
  IFT-Madrid, March 2018.
  A Large Ensemble of F-theory Geometries: the Weak, the Strong, and the Non-Higgsable

• Workshop on String Field Theory and String Phenomenology
  Harish-Chandra Research Institute, February 2018.
  Big Data and the Landscape: A Case Study in F-theory.

• String Phenomenology 2017
  Virginia Tech, July 2017.
  Universality in a Large Ensemble of Geometries.

• Theoretical Advanced Studies Institute (TASI)
  University of Colorado, Boulder, June 2017.
  String Remnants 2.

• Theoretical Advanced Studies Institute (TASI)
  University of Colorado, Boulder, June 2017.
  String Remnants 1.

• International Conference on the Interconnection between Particle Physics and Cosmology,
  Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, May 2017.
  GUTs, Remnants, and the String Landscape.

• Superconformal Field Theories in Four or More Dimensions,
  Aspen Center for Physics, March 2017.
  Dualities of Deformed N=2 SCFTs from Link Monodromy on D3-brane States.

• Physics and Geometry of F-theory 2017
  International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, February 2017.
  Dualities from Braids and Landscapes from Trees.

• The Mathematics and Physics of F-theory,
  Virginia Tech, October 2016.
  Dualities of Deformed N=2 SCFTs from Link Monodromy on D3-brane States.

• Simons Collaboration on Special Holonomy in Geometry, Analysis, and Physics,
  Background Lecture, Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, September 2016.
  Gauge Enhancement in M-theory on G2 Spaces.

• Simons Collaboration on Special Holonomy in Geometry, Analysis, and Physics,
  Background Lecture, Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, September 2016.
  More on Gauge Enhancement in M-theory on Calabi-Yau Varieties.

• Geometry and Topology of Particle Physics,
  The Fields Institute, Toronto, August 2016.
  D3-brane SCFTs from N=2 Deformations, String Junctions, and Knots.

• The Amsterdam String Workshop
  University of Amsterdam, July 2016.
  Non-Higgsable Clusters and Symmetry in the Landscape.

• Special Holonomy Geometry, Mirror, and Supersymmetry,
  National Science Foundation FRG Workshop, Harvard University, May 2016.
  Gauge Enhancement and Landscapes in G2 Compactifications of M-theory.

• F-theory at 20,
  Walter Burke Institute, CalTech, February 2016.
  Strong coupling and geometrically non-Higgsable seven-branes.

• String-Pheno-Cosmo 2015,
  Galileo Galilei Institute, October 2015.
  The Complex Structure of the F-theory Landscape.

• String Phenomenology 2015,
  University of Madrid, June 2015.
  Gauge Enhancement and Landscapes in G2 Compactifications of M-theory.

• Stratified Spaces in Geometric and Computational Topology and Physics,
  the University of Wisconsin, Madison, April 2015.
  Kodaira’s Alternative to Grand Unification.

• String / M-Theory Compactifications and Moduli Stabilization,
  University of Michigan, March 2015.
  Symmetry in the Landscape, Non-Higgsable Clusters, and the Standard Model.

• Physics and Geometry of F-theory,
  MPI Munich, February 2015.
  Symmetry in the Strongly Coupled Landscape.

• Physics Colloquium,
  Northeastern University, February 2015.
  Formal Theory and its Applications to the Standard Model and Beyond.

• Physics Colloquium,
  Baylor University, January 2015.
  Setting Sail in the String Landscape.

• Hidden Sector Dark Matter,
  Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, November 2014.
  Hidden and Visible Sectors from Non-Higgsable Clusters.

• Model Building in the LHC Era,
  Aspen Center for Physics, July 2014.
  Theoretically Motivated Electroweak Exotics in String Theory.

• Geometry and Physics of F-theory,
  Heidelberg University, February 2014.
  Non-Abelian Gauge Symmetry and the Higgs Mechanism in F-theory.

• APS Divisional Meeting,
  UC Santa Cruz, August 2013.
  New Motivation for WIMP Dark Matter.

• Simons Summer Workshop,
  Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, July 2013.
  Matter in F-theory from Singular Elliptic Fibrations.

• String Phenomenology 2011,
  the University of Wisconsin, Madison, August 2011.
  Instantons in F-theory from Heterotic Duality.

• String Vacuum Project Meeting,
  University of Pennsylvania, May 2011.
  Three Looks at Instantons in F-theory.

• String Vacuum Project Meeting,
  Ohio State University, November 2014.
  Approaching the Landscape: Computability of IIB / F-theory Instantons and Insights from MSSM-containing quivers.

• String Vacuum Project Meeting,
  Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, May 2010.
  Instanton Effects in Semi-Realistic MSSM Quivers and F-theory.

Workshop and Conference Organization

• String Phenomenology 2020,
  Northeastern University, 2020.
  member of the organizing committee.

• String Theory and the Hidden Universe,
  Aspen Center for Physics, 2019.
  member of the organizing committee.

• PASCOS 2018,
  Case Western Reserve University, June 2018.
  convener of session on “Unification and String Theory.”

• Workshop on Data Science and String Theory,
  Northeastern University, November 2017.
  member of the organizing committee.

• Workshop on String/M-theory Compactifications and Particle Physics,
  Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics, March 2015.
  member of the organizing committee.

• String Vacuum Project Spring Meeting,
  University of Pennsylvania, May 2011.
  co-organizer.

University Seminars and Submitted Talks

• October 2018, Syracuse University.
• October 2018, UC Irvine.
• October 2018, University of Illinois.
• September 2018, Boston University.
• May 2018, Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC).
• March 2018, University of Oxford.
• October 2016, Virginia Tech.
• April 2016, Northeastern University, Mathematics.
• February 2016, Yale University.
• December 2015, Northeastern University, Mathematics.
• December 2015, Texas A&M.
• September 2015, MIT.
• April 2015, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
• January 2015, UC Santa Barbara.
• December 2014, California Institute of Technology.
• September 2014, Cornell University.
• May 2014, Harvard University.
• April 2014, McGill University.
• April 2014, MIT.
• April 2014, Brandeis University.
• November 2013, University of Pennsylvania.
• November 2013, University of Southern California.
• October 2013, UC Santa Barbara Math/Physics.
• March 2013, University of Michigan.
• November 2012, University of Southern California.
• October 2012, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
• Summer 2012, String Phenomenology.
• March 2012, Cornell University.
• December 2011, University of Chicago.
• December 2011, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
• November 2011, Princeton University.
• November 2011, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
• Summer 2011, SUSY, String Math.
• April 2011, University of Chicago.
• February 2011, MIT.

Conference and Workshop Participation

• Geometry and Physics of F-theory, January 2018, Banff Interntional Research Station.
• Special Holonomy: Progress and Open Problems 2017, Simons Center for Geometry and Physics.
• $G_2$ Holonomy Working Group, Aspen Center for Physics, August 2017.
• The Many Faces of Naturalness, Aspen Center for Physics, Summer 2016.
• F-theory at the Interface of Particle Physics and Mathematics, Aspen Center for Physics, Summer 2015.
• Simons Summer Workshop, Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, Summer 2014.

Service, Outreach, and Miscellaneous

• Referee: for the Canadian Journal of Physics, JHEP, and Physics Letters B.
• Seminar Organizer: for the UC Santa Barbara HEP Theory group and the KITP locals lunch.
• Substitute Lecturer: in Quantum Field Theory, E&M, General Relativity, and ``Physics for Poets.”
• Youth Outreach: as a part of KITP’s outreach efforts, I gave lectures at Santa Barbara area high schools.
• Computer Skills: C, Java, Python, HTML, CSS, and Sage.

References

• Professor Mirjam Cvetic, University of Pennsylvania
• Professor Antonella Grassi, University of Pennsylvania
• Professor Joseph Polchinski, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
• Professor David R. Morrison, UC Santa Barbara
• Professor Paul Langacker, Institute for Advanced Study
• Professor Washington Taylor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

• j.halverson@northeastern.edu
• 617.373.2957
• jhhalverson
• Dana Research Center, 226

James Halverson

## Publications

Non-simply-laced Symmetry Algebras in F-theory on Singular Spaces
Antonella Grassi, James Halverson, Cody Long, Julius L. Shaneson, and Jiahua Tian
arXiv: 1805.06949.

Dark Glueballs and their Ultralight Axions
James Halverson, Brent D. Nelson, Gustavo Salinas, and Fabian Ruehle
arXiv: 1805.06011.

Infinitely Many M2-instanton Corrections to M-theory on $G_2$-manifolds
Andreas P. Braun, Michele Del Zotto, James Halverson, Magdalena Larfors, David R. Morrison, and Sakura Schäfer-Nameki
arXiv: 1803.02343.

TASI Lectures on Remnants from the String Landscape
James Halverson and Paul Langacker
arXiv: 1801.03503.

Vacuum Selection from Cosmology on Networks of String Geometries
Jonathan Carifio, William J. Cunningham, James Halverson, Dmitri Krioukov, Cody Long, and Brent D. Nelson
arXiv: 1711.06685.

On the Scarcity of Weak Coupling in the String Landscape
James Halverson, Cody Long, and Benjamin Sung
JHEP 02 2018. arXiv: 1710.09374.

Machine Learning in the String Landscape
Jonathan Carifio, James Halverson, Dmitri Krioukov, and Brent D. Nelson
JHEP 09 2017. arXiv: 1707.00655.

Algorithmic universality in F-theory compactifications
James Halverson, Cody Long, and Benjamin Sung
Phys. Rev. D96 2017. arXiv: 1706.02299.

Exact Geodesic Distances in FLRW Spacetimes
William Cunningham, David Rideout, James Halverson, and Dmitri Krioukov
Phys. Rev. D96 2017. arXiv: 1705.00730.

Ultralight axion in supersymmetry and strings and cosmology at small scales
James Halverson, Cody Long, and Pran Nath
Phys. Rev. D96 2017. arXiv: 1703.07779.

Dualities of deformed $ \mathcalN=2 $ SCFTs from link monodromy on D3-brane states
Antonella Grassi, James Halverson, Fabian Ruehle, and Julius L. Shaneson
JHEP 09 2017. arXiv: 1611.01154.

Cost of seven-brane gauge symmetry in a quadrillion F-theory compactifications
James Halverson and Jiahua Tian
Phys. Rev. D95 2017. arXiv: 1610.08864.

String Theory and the Dark Glueball Problem
James Halverson, Brent D. Nelson, and Fabian Ruehle
Phys. Rev. D95 2017. arXiv: 1609.02151.

Strong Coupling in F-theory and Geometrically Non-Higgsable Seven-branes
James Halverson
Nucl. Phys. B919 2017. arXiv: 1603.01639.

String Consistency, Heavy Exotics, and the 750 GeV Diphoton Excess at the LHC: Addendum
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Paul Langacker
arXiv: 1602.06257.

String Consistency, Heavy Exotics, and the $750$ GeV Diphoton Excess at the LHC
Mirjam Cvetič, James Halverson, and Paul Langacker
Fortsch. Phys. 64 2016. arXiv: 1512.07622.

On gauge enhancement and singular limits in G$_2$ compactifications of M-theory
James Halverson and David R. Morrison
JHEP 04 2016. arXiv: 1507.05965.

$ \mathrm\mathbbP^1 $-bundle bases and the prevalence of non-Higgsable structure in 4D F-theory models
James Halverson and Washington Taylor
JHEP 09 2015. arXiv: 1506.03204.

The landscape of M-theory compactifications on seven-manifolds with G$_2$ holonomy
James Halverson and David R. Morrison
JHEP 04 2015. arXiv: 1412.4123.

Geometry and Topology of String Junctions
Antonella Grassi, James Halverson, and Julius L. Shaneson
arXiv: 1410.6817.

Non-Higgsable QCD and the Standard Model Spectrum in F-theory
Antonella Grassi, James Halverson, Julius Shaneson, and Washington Taylor
JHEP 01 2015. arXiv: 1409.8295.

On finiteness of Type IIB compactifications: Magnetized branes on elliptic Calabi-Yau threefolds
Mirjam Cvetič, James Halverson, Denis Klevers, and Peng Song
JHEP 06 2014. arXiv: 1403.4943.

Vectorlike Leptons as the Tip of the Dark Matter Iceberg
James Halverson, Nicholas Orlofsky, and Aaron Pierce
Phys. Rev. D90 2014. arXiv: 1403.1592.

Non-Abelian Gauge Symmetry and the Higgs Mechanism in F-theory
Antonella Grassi, James Halverson, and Julius L. Shaneson
Commun. Math. Phys. 336 2015. arXiv: 1402.5962.

Anomaly Nucleation Constrains SU(2) Gauge Theories
James Halverson
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111 2013. arXiv: 1310.1091.

Perturbative Corrections to Kaehler Moduli Spaces
James Halverson, Hans Jockers, Joshua M. Lapan, and David R. Morrison
Commun. Math. Phys. 333 2015. arXiv: 1308.2157.

Matter From Geometry Without Resolution
Antonella Grassi, James Halverson, and Julius L. Shaneson
JHEP 10 2013. arXiv: 1306.1832.

New Methods for Characterizing Phases of 2D Supersymmetric Gauge Theories
James Halverson, Vijay Kumar, and David R. Morrison
JHEP 09 2013. arXiv: 1305.3278.

Stringy Hidden Valleys
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Hernan Piragua
JHEP 02 2013. arXiv: 1210.5245.

On Seven-Brane Dependent Instanton Prefactors in F-theory
Mirjam Cvetic, Ron Donagi, James Halverson, and Joseph Marsano
JHEP 11 2012. arXiv: 1209.4906.

Ultraviolet Completions of Axigluon Models and Their Phenomenological Consequences
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Paul Langacker
JHEP 11 2012. arXiv: 1209.2741.

Implications of String Constraints for Exotic Matter and Z’ s Beyond the Standard Model
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Paul Langacker
JHEP 11 2011. arXiv: 1108.5187.

Three Looks at Instantons in F-theory – New Insights from Anomaly Inflow, String Junctions and Heterotic Duality
Mirjam Cvetic, Inaki Garcia Etxebarria, and James Halverson
JHEP 11 2011. arXiv: 1107.2388.

TASI Lectures: Particle Physics from Perturbative and Non-perturbative Effects in D-braneworlds
Mirjam Cvetic and James Halverson
arXiv: 1101.2907.

On the computation of non-perturbative effective potentials in the string theory landscape: IIB/F-theory perspective
Mirjam Cvetic, Inaki Garcia-Etxebarria, and James Halverson
Fortsch. Phys. 59 2011. arXiv: 1009.5386.

Singlet Extensions of the MSSM in the Quiver Landscape
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Paul Langacker
JHEP 09 2010. arXiv: 1006.3341.

Global F-theory Models: Instantons and Gauge Dynamics
Mirjam Cvetic, Inaki Garcia-Etxebarria, and James Halverson
JHEP 01 2011. arXiv: 1003.5337.

The Weinberg Operator and a Lower String Scale in Orientifold Compactifications
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, Paul Langacker, and Robert Richter
JHEP 10 2010. arXiv: 1001.3148.

Mass Hierarchies versus proton Decay in MSSM Orientifold Compactifications
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Robert Richter
arXiv: 0910.2239.

Mass Hierarchies from MSSM Orientifold Compactifications
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Robert Richter
JHEP 07 2010. arXiv: 0909.4292.

Realistic Yukawa structures from orientifold compactifications
Mirjam Cvetic, James Halverson, and Robert Richter
JHEP 12 2009. arXiv: 0905.3379.

Charge frustration and quantum criticality for strongly correlated fermions
Liza Huijse, James Halverson, Paul Fendley, and Kareljan Schoutens
Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 2008. arXiv: 0804.0174.