Phases of unstable conifolds

Abstract

We explore the phase structure induced by closed string tachyon condensation of toric nonsupersymmetric conifold-like singularities described by an integral charge matrix Q=(n{sub 1}n{sub 2}-n{sub 3}-n{sub 4}), n{sub i}>0, iQ{sub i}{ne}0, initiated by Narayan [J. High Energy Phys. 03 (2006) 036]. Using gauged linear sigma model renormalization group flows and toric geometry techniques, we see a cascadelike phase structure containing decays to lower order conifold-like singularities, including, in particular, the supersymmetric conifold and the Y{sup pq} spaces. This structure is consistent with the Type II GSO projection obtained previously for these singularities. Transitions between the various phases of these geometries include flips and flops.