Combinatorics in N = 1 Heterotic Vacua

Abstract

We briefly review an algorithmic strategy to explore the landscape of heterotic E 8 × E 8 vacua, in the context of compactifying smooth Calabi-Yau threefolds with vector bundles. The Calabi-Yau threefolds are algebraically realised as hypersurfaces in toric varieties, and a large class of vector bundles are constructed thereon as monads. In the spirit of searching for standard-like heterotic vacua, emphasis is placed on the integer combinatorics of the model-building programme.