What U Can Do: New Solutions and New Challenges Beyond Leading Order

Abstract

String theories naturally exhibit dualities that lead to hidden symmetries in the low-energy effective description, which have been used to great effect to generate supergravity solutions. We review recent progress in using hidden symmetries arising from T-duality to generate higher-derivative-corrected solutions, as well as the problems that arise from non-perturbative effects when extending this paradigm to hidden symmetries arising from U-duality.

14 pages, 3 figures; essay written for the Gravity Research Foundation 2026 Awards for Essays on Gravitation

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