Fixing All Moduli in a Simple F-theory Compactification

Abstract

We discuss a simple example of an F-theory compactification on a Calabi-Yau fourfold where background fluxes, nonperturbative effects from Euclidean D3 instantons and gauge dynamics on D7 branes allow us to fix all closed and open string moduli. We explicitly check that the known higher order corrections to the potential, which we neglect in our leading approximation, only shift the results by a small amount. In our exploration of the model, we encounter interesting new phenomena, including examples of transitions where D7 branes absorb O3 planes, while changing topology to preserve the net D3 charge.