Life at the Interface of Particle Physics and String Theory∗
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A String Landscape Perspective on Naturalness Outline • Preliminaries
A String Landscape Perspective on Naturalness A. Hebecker (Heidelberg) Outline • Preliminaries (I): The problem(s) and the multiverse `solution' • Preliminaries (II): From field theory to quantum gravity (String theory in 10 dimensions) • Compactifications to 4 dimensions • The (flux-) landscape • Eternal inflation, multiverse, measure problem The two hierarchy/naturalness problems • A much simplified basic lagrangian is 2 2 2 2 4 L ∼ MP R − Λ − jDHj + mhjHj − λjHj : • Assuming some simple theory with O(1) fundamental parameters at the scale E ∼ MP , we generically expectΛ and mH of that order. • For simplicity and because it is experimentally better established, I will focus in on theΛ-problem. (But almost all that follows applies to both problems!) The multiverse `solution' • It is quite possible that in the true quantum gravity theory, Λ comes out tiny as a result of an accidental cancellation. • But, we perceive that us unlikely. • By contrast, if we knew there were 10120 valid quantum gravity theories, we would be quite happy assuming that one of them has smallΛ. (As long as the calculations giving Λ are sufficiently involved to argue for Gaussian statisics of the results.) • Even better (since in principle testable): We could have one theory with 10120 solutions with differentΛ. Λ-values ! The multiverse `solution' (continued) • This `generic multiverse logic' has been advertised long before any supporting evidence from string theory existed. This goes back at least to the 80's and involves many famous names: Barrow/Tipler , Tegmark , Hawking , Hartle , Coleman , Weinberg .... • Envoking the `Anthropic Principle', [the selection of universes by demanding features which we think are necessary for intelligent life and hence for observers] it is then even possible to predict certain observables. -
A Quantum Focussing Conjecture Arxiv:1506.02669V1 [Hep-Th]
Prepared for submission to JHEP A Quantum Focussing Conjecture Raphael Bousso,a;b Zachary Fisher,a;b Stefan Leichenauer,a;b and Aron C. Wallc aCenter for Theoretical Physics and Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A. bLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A. cInstitute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA Abstract: We propose a universal inequality that unifies the Bousso bound with the classical focussing theorem. Given a surface σ that need not lie on a horizon, we define a finite generalized entropy Sgen as the area of σ in Planck units, plus the von Neumann entropy of its exterior. Given a null congruence N orthogonal to σ, the rate of change of Sgen per unit area defines a quantum expansion. We conjecture that the quantum expansion cannot increase along N. This extends the notion of universal focussing to cases where quantum matter may violate the null energy condition. Integrating the conjecture yields a precise version of the Strominger-Thompson Quantum Bousso Bound. Applied to locally parallel light-rays, the conjecture implies a Quantum Null Energy Condition: a lower bound on the stress tensor in terms of the second derivative of the von Neumann entropy. We sketch a proof of this novel relation in quantum field theory. arXiv:1506.02669v1 [hep-th] 8 Jun 2015 Contents 1 Introduction2 2 Classical Focussing and Bousso Bound5 2.1 Classical Expansion5 2.2 Classical Focussing Theorem6 2.3 Bousso Bound7 3 Quantum Expansion and Focussing Conjecture8 3.1 Generalized Entropy -
String Theory for Pedestrians
String Theory for Pedestrians – CERN, Jan 29-31, 2007 – B. Zwiebach, MIT This series of 3 lecture series will cover the following topics 1. Introduction. The classical theory of strings. Application: physics of cosmic strings. 2. Quantum string theory. Applications: i) Systematics of hadronic spectra ii) Quark-antiquark potential (lattice simulations) iii) AdS/CFT: the quark-gluon plasma. 3. String models of particle physics. The string theory landscape. Alternatives: Loop quantum gravity? Formulations of string theory. 1 Introduction For the last twenty years physicists have investigated String Theory rather vigorously. Despite much progress, the basic features of the theory remain a mystery. In the late 1960s, string theory attempted to describe strongly interacting particles. Along came Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD)– a theory of quarks and gluons – and despite their early promise, strings faded away. This time string theory is a credible candidate for a theory of all interactions – a unified theory of all forces and matter. Additionally, • Through the AdS/CFT correspondence, it is a valuable tool for the study of theories like QCD. • It has helped understand the origin of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of black holes. • Finally, it has inspired many of the scenarios for physics Beyond the Standard Model of Particle physics. 2 Greatest problem of twentieth century physics: the incompatibility of Einstein’s General Relativity and the principles of Quantum Mechanics. String theory appears to be the long-sought quantum mechanical theory of gravity and other interactions. It is almost certain that string theory is a consistent theory. It is less certain that it describes our real world. -
“What Happened to the Post-War Dream?”: Nostalgia, Trauma, and Affect in British Rock of the 1960S and 1970S by Kathryn B. C
“What Happened to the Post-War Dream?”: Nostalgia, Trauma, and Affect in British Rock of the 1960s and 1970s by Kathryn B. Cox A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Music Musicology: History) in the University of Michigan 2018 Doctoral Committee: Professor Charles Hiroshi Garrett, Chair Professor James M. Borders Professor Walter T. Everett Professor Jane Fair Fulcher Associate Professor Kali A. K. Israel Kathryn B. Cox [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6359-1835 © Kathryn B. Cox 2018 DEDICATION For Charles and Bené S. Cox, whose unwavering faith in me has always shone through, even in the hardest times. The world is a better place because you both are in it. And for Laura Ingram Ellis: as much as I wanted this dissertation to spring forth from my head fully formed, like Athena from Zeus’s forehead, it did not happen that way. It happened one sentence at a time, some more excruciatingly wrought than others, and you were there for every single sentence. So these sentences I have written especially for you, Laura, with my deepest and most profound gratitude. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although it sometimes felt like a solitary process, I wrote this dissertation with the help and support of several different people, all of whom I deeply appreciate. First and foremost on this list is Prof. Charles Hiroshi Garrett, whom I learned so much from and whose patience and wisdom helped shape this project. I am very grateful to committee members Prof. James Borders, Prof. Walter Everett, Prof. -
Sacred Rhetorical Invention in the String Theory Movement
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Communication Studies Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research Communication Studies, Department of Spring 4-12-2011 Secular Salvation: Sacred Rhetorical Invention in the String Theory Movement Brent Yergensen University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/commstuddiss Part of the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Yergensen, Brent, "Secular Salvation: Sacred Rhetorical Invention in the String Theory Movement" (2011). Communication Studies Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research. 6. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/commstuddiss/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Communication Studies, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication Studies Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. SECULAR SALVATION: SACRED RHETORICAL INVENTION IN THE STRING THEORY MOVEMENT by Brent Yergensen A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major: Communication Studies Under the Supervision of Dr. Ronald Lee Lincoln, Nebraska April, 2011 ii SECULAR SALVATION: SACRED RHETORICAL INVENTION IN THE STRING THEORY MOVEMENT Brent Yergensen, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 2011 Advisor: Ronald Lee String theory is argued by its proponents to be the Theory of Everything. It achieves this status in physics because it provides unification for contradictory laws of physics, namely quantum mechanics and general relativity. While based on advanced theoretical mathematics, its public discourse is growing in prevalence and its rhetorical power is leading to a scientific revolution, even among the public. -
The String Theory Landscape and Cosmological Inflation
The String Theory Landscape and Cosmological Inflation Background Image: Planck Collaboration and ESA The String Theory Landscape and Cosmological Inflation Outline • Preliminaries: From Field Theory to Quantum Gravity • String theory in 10 dimensions { a \reminder" • Compactifications to 4 dimensions • The (flux-) landscape • Eternal inflation and the multiverse • Slow-roll inflation in our universe • Recent progress in inflation in string theory From Particles/Fields to Quantum Gravity • Naive picture of particle physics: • Theoretical description: Quantum Field Theory • Usually defined by an action: Z 4 µρ νσ S(Q)ED = d x Fµν Fρσ g g with T ! @Aµ @Aν 0 E Fµν = − = @xν @xµ −E "B Gravity is in principle very similar: • The metric gµν becomes a field, more precisely Z 4 p SG = d x −g R[gµν] ; where R measures the curvature of space-time • In more detail: gµν = ηµν + hµν • Now, with hµν playing the role of Aµ, we find Z 4 ρ µν SG = d x (@ρhµν)(@ h ) + ··· • Waves of hµν correspond to gravitons, just like waves of Aµ correspond to photons • Now, replace SQED with SStandard Model (that's just a minor complication....) and write S = SG + SSM : This could be our `Theory of Everything', but there are divergences .... • Divergences are a hard but solvable problem for QFT • However, these very same divergences make it very difficult to even define quantum gravity at E ∼ MPlanck String theory: `to know is to love' • String theory solves this problem in 10 dimensions: • The divergences at ~k ! 1 are now removed (cf. Timo Weigand's recent colloquium talk) • Thus, in 10 dimensions but at low energy (E 1=lstring ), we get an (essentially) unique 10d QFT: µνρ µνρ L = R[gµν] + FµνρF + HµνρH + ··· `Kaluza-Klein Compactification’ to 4 dimensions • To get the idea, let us first imagine we had a 2d theory, but need a 1d theory • We can simply consider space to have the form of a cylinder or `the surface of a rope': Image by S. -
Lectures on Naturalness, String Landscape and Multiverse
Lectures on Naturalness, String Landscape and Multiverse Arthur Hebecker Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Philosophenweg 19, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany 24 August, 2020 Abstract The cosmological constant and electroweak hierarchy problem have been a great inspira- tion for research. Nevertheless, the resolution of these two naturalness problems remains mysterious from the perspective of a low-energy effective field theorist. The string theory landscape and a possible string-based multiverse offer partial answers, but they are also controversial for both technical and conceptual reasons. The present lecture notes, suitable for a one-semester course or for self-study, attempt to provide a technical introduction to these subjects. They are aimed at graduate students and researchers with a solid back- ground in quantum field theory and general relativity who would like to understand the string landscape and its relation to hierarchy problems and naturalness at a reasonably technical level. Necessary basics of string theory are introduced as part of the course. This text will also benefit graduate students who are in the process of studying string theory arXiv:2008.10625v3 [hep-th] 27 Jul 2021 at a deeper level. In this case, the present notes may serve as additional reading beyond a formal string theory course. Preface This course intends to give a concise but technical introduction to `Physics Beyond the Standard Model' and early cosmology as seen from the perspective of string theory. Basics of string theory will be taught as part of the course. As a central physics theme, the two hierarchy problems (of the cosmological constant and of the electroweak scale) will be discussed in view of ideas like supersymmetry, string theory landscape, eternal inflation and multiverse. -
Introduction to String Theory A.N
Introduction to String Theory A.N. Schellekens Based on lectures given at the Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen Last update 6 July 2016 [Word cloud by www.worldle.net] Contents 1 Current Problems in Particle Physics7 1.1 Problems of Quantum Gravity.........................9 1.2 String Diagrams................................. 11 2 Bosonic String Action 15 2.1 The Relativistic Point Particle......................... 15 2.2 The Nambu-Goto action............................ 16 2.3 The Free Boson Action............................. 16 2.4 World sheet versus Space-time......................... 18 2.5 Symmetries................................... 19 2.6 Conformal Gauge................................ 20 2.7 The Equations of Motion............................ 21 2.8 Conformal Invariance.............................. 22 3 String Spectra 24 3.1 Mode Expansion................................ 24 3.1.1 Closed Strings.............................. 24 3.1.2 Open String Boundary Conditions................... 25 3.1.3 Open String Mode Expansion..................... 26 3.1.4 Open versus Closed........................... 26 3.2 Quantization.................................. 26 3.3 Negative Norm States............................. 27 3.4 Constraints................................... 28 3.5 Mode Expansion of the Constraints...................... 28 3.6 The Virasoro Constraints............................ 29 3.7 Operator Ordering............................... 30 3.8 Commutators of Constraints.......................... 31 3.9 Computation of the Central Charge..................... -
Chasing the Light the CLOUD CULT STORY Mark Allister
Chasing the Light Chasing the Light THE CLOUD CULT STORY Mark Allister Foreword by Mark Wheat University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis • London Interview excerpts from the film No One Said It Would Be Easy are repro- duced by permission of John Paul Burgess. Cloud Cult lyrics are reproduced by permission of Cloud Cult/Craig Minowa. Photographs reproduced by permission of Cloud Cult/Craig Minowa unless otherwise credited. Thanks to Jeff DuVernay, Cody York (http://www.cody yorkphotography.com), and Stacy Schwartz (http://www.stacyannschwartz. com) for contributing photographs to the book. Copyright 2014 by Mark Allister Foreword copyright 2014 by Mark Wheat All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the University of Minnesota Press 111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290 Minneapolis, MN 55401– 2520 http://www.upress.umn.edu {~?~IQ: CIP goes here.} Printed in the United States of America on acid- free paper The University of Minnesota is an equal- opportunity educator and employer. 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Meredith Coole Allister, partner extraordinaire When your life is finished burning down, You’ll be all that’s left standing there. You’ll become a baby cumulus, And fly up to the firmament. No one gets to know the purpose, We need to learn to live without knowing. But all we are saying is Step forward, step forward. -
The Romance Between Maths and Physics
The Romance Between Maths and Physics Miranda C. N. Cheng University of Amsterdam Very happy to be back in NTU indeed! Question 1: Why is Nature predictable at all (to some extent)? Question 2: Why are the predictions in the form of mathematics? the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in natural sciences. Eugene Wigner (1960) First we resorted to gods and spirits to explain the world , and then there were ….. mathematicians?! Physicists or Mathematicians? Until the 19th century, the relation between physical sciences and mathematics is so close that there was hardly any distinction made between “physicists” and “mathematicians”. Even after the specialisation starts to be made, the two maintain an extremely close relation and cannot live without one another. Some of the love declarations … Dirac (1938) If you want to be a physicist, you must do three things— first, study mathematics, second, study more mathematics, and third, do the same. Sommerfeld (1934) Our experience up to date justifies us in feeling sure that in Nature is actualized the ideal of mathematical simplicity. It is my conviction that pure mathematical construction enables us to discover the concepts and the laws connecting them, which gives us the key to understanding nature… In a certain sense, therefore, I hold it true that pure thought can grasp reality, as the ancients dreamed. Einstein (1934) Indeed, the most irresistible reductionistic charm of physics, could not have been possible without mathematics … Love or Hate? It’s Complicated… In the era when Physics seemed invincible (think about the standard model), they thought they didn’t need each other anymore. -
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title General Properties of Landscapes: Vacuum Structure, Dynamics and Statistics Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8392m6fc Author Zukowski, Claire Elizabeth Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California General Properties of Landscapes: Vacuum Structure, Dynamics and Statistics by Claire Elizabeth Zukowski A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physics in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Raphael Bousso, Chair Professor Lawrence J. Hall Professor David J. Aldous Summer 2015 General Properties of Landscapes: Vacuum Structure, Dynamics and Statistics Copyright 2015 by Claire Elizabeth Zukowski 1 Abstract General Properties of Landscapes: Vacuum Structure, Dynamics and Statistics by Claire Elizabeth Zukowski Doctor of Philosophy in Physics University of California, Berkeley Professor Raphael Bousso, Chair Even the simplest extra-dimensional theory, when compactified, can lead to a vast and complex landscape. To make progress, it is useful to focus on generic features of landscapes and compactifications. In this work we will explore universal features and consequences of (i) vacuum structure, (ii) dynamics resulting from symmetry breaking, and (iii) statistical predictions for low-energy parameters and observations. First, we focus on deriving general properties of the vacuum structure of a theory independent of the details of the geometry. We refine the procedure for performing compactifications by proposing a general gauge- invariant method to obtain the full set of Kaluza-Klein towers of fields for any internal geometry. Next, we study dynamics in a toy model for flux compactifications. -
Back Cover Inside (Print)
CONTENTS - Continued PHYSICAL REVIEW D THIRD SERIES, VOLUME 57, NUMBER 4 15 FEBRUARY 1998 Recycling universe . 2230 Jaume Garriga and Alexander Vilenkin Cosmological particle production and generalized thermodynamic equilibrium . 2245 Winfried Zimdahl Spherical curvature inhomogeneities in string cosmology . 2255 John D. Barrow and Kerstin E. Kunze Strong-coupling behavior of 4 theories and critical exponents . 2264 Hagen Kleinert Hamiltonian spacetime dynamics with a spherical null-dust shell . 2279 Jorma Louko, Bernard F. Whiting, and John L. Friedman Black hole boundary conditions and coordinate conditions . 2299 Douglas M. Eardley Ampli®cation of gravitational waves in radiation-dominated universes: Relic gravitons in models with matter creation . ..................................... 2305 D. M. Tavares and M. R. de Garcia Maia Evolution equations for gravitating ideal ¯uid bodies in general relativity . 2317 Helmut Friedrich Five-brane instantons and R2 couplings in Nϭ4 string theory . 2323 Jeffrey A. Harvey and Gregory Moore Exact gravitational threshold correction in the Ferrara-Harvey-Strominger-Vafa model . 2329 Jeffrey A. Harvey and Gregory Moore Effective theories of coupled classical and quantum variables from decoherent histories: A new approach to the back reaction problem . 2337 J. J. Halliwell Quantization of black holes in the Wheeler-DeWitt approach . 2349 Thorsten Brotz Trace-anomaly-induced effective action for 2D and 4D dilaton coupled scalars . 2363 Shin'ichi Nojiri and Sergei D. Odintsov Models for chronology selection . 2372 M. J. Cassidy and S. W. Hawking S-wave sector of type IIB supergravity on S1ϫT4 ................................................... 2381 Youngjai Kiem, Chang-Yeong Lee, and Dahl Park Kerr spinning particle, strings, and superparticle models . 2392 A. Burinskii Stuffed black holes .