The purpose of this paper is to solve a problem posed by Strominger in constructing smooth models of superstring theory with flux. These are given by non-Kähler manifolds with torsion.

Given a hyperbolic 3–manifold with torus boundary, we bound the change in volume under a Dehn filling where all slopes have length at least 2π. This result is applied to give explicit diagrammatic bounds on the volumes of many knots and links, as well as their Dehn fillings and branched covers. Finally, we use this result to bound the volumes of knots in terms of the coefficients of their Jones polynomials.

In this note the fractional analytic index, for a projective elliptic operator associated to an Azumaya bundle, of [5] is related to the equivariant index of [1, 6] for an associated transversally elliptic operator.

We discuss the uniruledness of various base loci of linear systems related to the canonical divisor. In particular we prove that the stable base locus of the canonical divisor of a smooth projective variety of general type is covered by rational curves.