Introduction to String Theory. Bosonic Strings
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Particles-Versus-Strings.Pdf
Particles vs. strings http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/vs.html In light of the huge amount of propaganda and confusion regarding string theory, it might be useful to consider the relative merits of the descriptions of the fundamental constituents of matter as particles or strings. (More-skeptical reviews can be found in my physics parodies.A more technical analysis can be found at "Warren Siegel's research".) Predictability The main problem in high energy theoretical physics today is predictions, especially for quantum gravity and confinement. An important part of predictability is calculability. There are various levels of calculations possible: 1. Existence: proofs of theorems, answers to yes/no questions 2. Qualitative: "hand-waving" results, answers to multiple choice questions 3. Order of magnitude: dimensional analysis arguments, 10? (but beware hidden numbers, like powers of 4π) 4. Constants: generally low-energy results, like ground-state energies 5. Functions: complete results, like scattering probabilities in terms of energy and angle Any but the last level eventually leads to rejection of the theory, although previous levels are acceptable at early stages, as long as progress is encouraging. It is easy to write down the most general theory consistent with special (and for gravity, general) relativity, quantum mechanics, and field theory, but it is too general: The spectrum of particles must be specified, and more coupling constants and varieties of interaction become available as energy increases. The solutions to this problem go by various names -- "unification", "renormalizability", "finiteness", "universality", etc. -- but they are all just different ways to realize the same goal of predictability. -
Supergravity and Its Legacy Prelude and the Play
Supergravity and its Legacy Prelude and the Play Sergio FERRARA (CERN – LNF INFN) Celebrating Supegravity at 40 CERN, June 24 2016 S. Ferrara - CERN, 2016 1 Supergravity as carved on the Iconic Wall at the «Simons Center for Geometry and Physics», Stony Brook S. Ferrara - CERN, 2016 2 Prelude S. Ferrara - CERN, 2016 3 In the early 1970s I was a staff member at the Frascati National Laboratories of CNEN (then the National Nuclear Energy Agency), and with my colleagues Aurelio Grillo and Giorgio Parisi we were investigating, under the leadership of Raoul Gatto (later Professor at the University of Geneva) the consequences of the application of “Conformal Invariance” to Quantum Field Theory (QFT), stimulated by the ongoing Experiments at SLAC where an unexpected Bjorken Scaling was observed in inclusive electron- proton Cross sections, which was suggesting a larger space-time symmetry in processes dominated by short distance physics. In parallel with Alexander Polyakov, at the time in the Soviet Union, we formulated in those days Conformal invariant Operator Product Expansions (OPE) and proposed the “Conformal Bootstrap” as a non-perturbative approach to QFT. S. Ferrara - CERN, 2016 4 Conformal Invariance, OPEs and Conformal Bootstrap has become again a fashionable subject in recent times, because of the introduction of efficient new methods to solve the “Bootstrap Equations” (Riccardo Rattazzi, Slava Rychkov, Erik Tonni, Alessandro Vichi), and mostly because of their role in the AdS/CFT correspondence. The latter, pioneered by Juan Maldacena, Edward Witten, Steve Gubser, Igor Klebanov and Polyakov, can be regarded, to some extent, as one of the great legacies of higher dimensional Supergravity. -
Lectures on D-Branes
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by CERN Document Server CPHT/CL-615-0698 hep-th/9806199 Lectures on D-branes Constantin P. Bachas1 Centre de Physique Th´eorique, Ecole Polytechnique 91128 Palaiseau, FRANCE [email protected] ABSTRACT This is an introduction to the physics of D-branes. Topics cov- ered include Polchinski’s original calculation, a critical assessment of some duality checks, D-brane scattering, and effective worldvol- ume actions. Based on lectures given in 1997 at the Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge, at the Trieste Spring School on String The- ory, and at the 31rst International Symposium Ahrenshoop in Buckow. June 1998 1Address after Sept. 1: Laboratoire de Physique Th´eorique, Ecole Normale Sup´erieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris, FRANCE, email : [email protected] Lectures on D-branes Constantin Bachas 1 Foreword Referring in his ‘Republic’ to stereography – the study of solid forms – Plato was saying : ... for even now, neglected and curtailed as it is, not only by the many but even by professed students, who can suggest no use for it, never- theless in the face of all these obstacles it makes progress on account of its elegance, and it would not be astonishing if it were unravelled. 2 Two and a half millenia later, much of this could have been said for string theory. The subject has progressed over the years by leaps and bounds, despite periods of neglect and (understandable) criticism for lack of direct experimental in- put. To be sure, the construction and key ingredients of the theory – gravity, gauge invariance, chirality – have a firm empirical basis, yet what has often catalyzed progress is the power and elegance of the underlying ideas, which look (at least a posteriori) inevitable. -
Curriculum Vitæ
Curriculum Vitæ Nome : Laura Maria Andrianopoli Nazionalit`a: Italiana Data e luogo di nascita : 8 Gennaio 1969, Torino (Italia) Lingue parlate : Italiano, Inglese, Francese Posizione attuale : dal 01/11/2007 Ricercatrice Universitaria presso il Dipartimento di Fisica del Politecnico di Torino Indirizzo: C.so Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 I-10129 Torino, Italia Indirizzo e-mail : [email protected] Formazione accademica • 1994 - 1997: corso di Dottorato in Fisica presso l'Universit`adi Genova. Rela- tore: Prof. C. Imbimbo; Co-relatore: Prof. R. D'Auria Titolo della Tesi di Dottorato: \U-duality in supergravity theories and extremal black holes", discussa a Roma il giorno 8 Maggio 1998 • Luglio 1994: Laurea in Fisica Teorica presso l'Universit`adi Torino con votazione finale di 110/110 e Lode. Relatore: Prof. Ferdinando Gliozzi; Co-relatore: Prof. Riccardo D'Auria Titolo della Tesi : \Una nuova rappresentazione per l'accoppiamento dei campi scalari alla supergravit`a Attivit`adi Ricerca Borse Post-Dottorato: • 1 Novembre 2004 - 31 Ottobre 2007: Grant da parte del Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, per svolgere ricerche presso la Di- visione Teorica del CERN di Ginevra e il Dipartimento di Fisica del Politecnico di Torino. • 1 Novembre 2002 - 31 Ottobre 2004: Posizione di Fellow presso la Divisione Teorica del CERN, Ginevra • 1 Settembre 2000 - 31 Ottobre 2002: Posizione di Assegnista di Ricerca presso il Dipartimento di Fisica del Politecnico di Torino • 1 Ottobre 1998 - 31 Agosto 2000: Posizione di Post-Dottorato presso la Divi- sione Teorica dell'Universit`aK.U.Leuven, in Belgio, nell'ambito del progetto: TMR ERBFMRXCT96-0045 • 15 Febbraio 1998 - 30 Settembre 1998: Posizione di borsista presso la Divisione Teorica del CERN, Ginevra grazie al contributo della borsa Angelo Della Riccia • Conferimento della prima posizione nella graduatoria di merito del Concorso INFN a n. -
String Theory University of Cambridge Part III Mathematical Tripos
Preprint typeset in JHEP style - HYPER VERSION January 2009 String Theory University of Cambridge Part III Mathematical Tripos Dr David Tong Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 OWA, UK http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/string.html [email protected] –1– Recommended Books and Resources J. Polchinski, String Theory • This two volume work is the standard introduction to the subject. Our lectures will more or less follow the path laid down in volume one covering the bosonic string. The book contains explanations and descriptions of many details that have been deliberately (and, I suspect, at times inadvertently) swept under a very large rug in these lectures. Volume two covers the superstring. M. Green, J. Schwarz and E. Witten, Superstring Theory • Another two volume set. It is now over 20 years old and takes a slightly old-fashioned route through the subject, with no explicit mention of conformal field theory. How- ever, it does contain much good material and the explanations are uniformly excellent. Volume one is most relevant for these lectures. B. Zwiebach, A First Course in String Theory • This book grew out of a course given to undergraduates who had no previous exposure to general relativity or quantum field theory. It has wonderful pedagogical discussions of the basics of lightcone quantization. More surprisingly, it also has some very clear descriptions of several advanced topics, even though it misses out all the bits in between. P. Di Francesco, P. Mathieu and D. S´en´echal, Conformal Field Theory • This big yellow book is a↵ectionately known as the yellow pages. -
Classical String Theory
PROSEMINAR IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS Classical String Theory ETH ZÜRICH APRIL 28, 2013 written by: DAVID REUTTER Tutor: DR.KEWANG JIN Abstract The following report is based on my talk about classical string theory given at April 15, 2013 in the course of the proseminar ’conformal field theory and string theory’. In this report a short historical and theoretical introduction to string theory is given. This is fol- lowed by a discussion of the point particle action, leading to the postulation of the Nambu-Goto and Polyakov action for the classical bosonic string. The equations of motion from these actions are derived, simplified and generally solved. Subsequently the Virasoro modes appearing in the solution are discussed and their algebra under the Poisson bracket is examined. 1 Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 The Relativistic String4 2.1 The Action of a Classical Point Particle..........................4 2.2 The General p-Brane Action................................6 2.3 The Nambu Goto Action..................................7 2.4 The Polyakov Action....................................9 2.5 Symmetries of the Action.................................. 11 3 Wave Equation and Solutions 13 3.1 Conformal Gauge...................................... 13 3.2 Equations of Motion and Boundary Terms......................... 14 3.3 Light Cone Coordinates................................... 15 3.4 General Solution and Oscillator Expansion......................... 16 3.5 The Virasoro Constraints.................................. 19 3.6 The Witt Algebra in Classical String Theory........................ 22 2 1 Introduction In 1969 the physicists Yoichiro Nambu, Holger Bech Nielsen and Leonard Susskind proposed a model for the strong interaction between quarks, in which the quarks were connected by one-dimensional strings holding them together. However, this model - known as string theory - did not really succeded in de- scribing the interaction. -
Arxiv:Hep-Th/0110227V1 24 Oct 2001 Elivrac Fpbae.Orcnieain a Eextended Be Can Considerations Branes
REMARKS ON WEYL INVARIANT P-BRANES AND Dp-BRANES J. A. Nieto∗ Facultad de Ciencias F´ısico-Matem´aticas de la Universidad Aut´onoma de Sinaloa, C.P. 80010, Culiac´an Sinaloa, M´exico Abstract A mechanism to find different Weyl invariant p-branes and Dp-branes actions is ex- plained. Our procedure clarifies the Weyl invariance for such systems. Besides, by consid- ering gravity-dilaton effective action in higher dimensions we also derive a Weyl invariant action for p-branes. We argue that this derivation provides a geometrical scenario for the arXiv:hep-th/0110227v1 24 Oct 2001 Weyl invariance of p-branes. Our considerations can be extended to the case of super-p- branes. Pacs numbers: 11.10.Kk, 04.50.+h, 12.60.-i October/2001 ∗[email protected] 1 1.- INTRODUCTION It is known that, in string theory, the Weyl invariance of the Polyakov action plays a central role [1]. In fact, in string theory subjects such as moduli space, Teichmuler space and critical dimensions, among many others, are consequences of the local diff x Weyl symmetry in the partition function associated to the Polyakov action. In the early eighties there was a general believe that the Weyl invariance was the key symmetry to distinguish string theory from other p-branes. However, in 1986 it was noticed that such an invariance may be also implemented to any p-brane and in particular to the 3-brane [2]. The formal relation between the Weyl invariance and p-branes was established two years later independently by a number of authors [3]. -
The Birth of String Theory
THE BIRTH OF STRING THEORY String theory is currently the best candidate for a unified theory of all forces and all forms of matter in nature. As such, it has become a focal point for physical and philosophical dis- cussions. This unique book explores the history of the theory’s early stages of development, as told by its main protagonists. The book journeys from the first version of the theory (the so-called Dual Resonance Model) in the late 1960s, as an attempt to describe the physics of strong interactions outside the framework of quantum field theory, to its reinterpretation around the mid-1970s as a quantum theory of gravity unified with the other forces, and its successive developments up to the superstring revolution in 1984. Providing important background information to current debates on the theory, this book is essential reading for students and researchers in physics, as well as for historians and philosophers of science. andrea cappelli is a Director of Research at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Florence. His research in theoretical physics deals with exact solutions of quantum field theory in low dimensions and their application to condensed matter and statistical physics. elena castellani is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Uni- versity of Florence. Her research work has focussed on such issues as symmetry, physical objects, reductionism and emergence, structuralism and realism. filippo colomo is a Researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Florence. His research interests lie in integrable models in statistical mechanics and quantum field theory. paolo di vecchia is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Nordita, Stockholm, and at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen. -
The Birth of String Theory
The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli INFN, Florence Elena Castellani Department of Philosophy, University of Florence Filippo Colomo INFN, Florence Paolo Di Vecchia The Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen and Nordita, Stockholm Contents Contributors page vii Preface xi Contents of Editors' Chapters xiv Abbreviations and acronyms xviii Photographs of contributors xxi Part I Overview 1 1 Introduction and synopsis 3 2 Rise and fall of the hadronic string Gabriele Veneziano 19 3 Gravity, unification, and the superstring John H. Schwarz 41 4 Early string theory as a challenging case study for philo- sophers Elena Castellani 71 EARLY STRING THEORY 91 Part II The prehistory: the analytic S-matrix 93 5 Introduction to Part II 95 6 Particle theory in the Sixties: from current algebra to the Veneziano amplitude Marco Ademollo 115 7 The path to the Veneziano model Hector R. Rubinstein 134 iii iv Contents 8 Two-component duality and strings Peter G.O. Freund 141 9 Note on the prehistory of string theory Murray Gell-Mann 148 Part III The Dual Resonance Model 151 10 Introduction to Part III 153 11 From the S-matrix to string theory Paolo Di Vecchia 178 12 Reminiscence on the birth of string theory Joel A. Shapiro 204 13 Personal recollections Daniele Amati 219 14 Early string theory at Fermilab and Rutgers Louis Clavelli 221 15 Dual amplitudes in higher dimensions: a personal view Claud Lovelace 227 16 Personal recollections on dual models Renato Musto 232 17 Remembering the `supergroup' collaboration Francesco Nicodemi 239 18 The `3-Reggeon vertex' Stefano Sciuto 246 Part IV The string 251 19 Introduction to Part IV 253 20 From dual models to relativistic strings Peter Goddard 270 21 The first string theory: personal recollections Leonard Susskind 301 22 The string picture of the Veneziano model Holger B. -
D-Brane Actions and N = 2 Supergravity Solutions
D-Brane Actions and N =2Supergravity Solutions Thesis by Calin Ciocarlie In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 2004 (Submitted May 20 , 2004) ii c 2004 Calin Ciocarlie All Rights Reserved iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to the people who have taught me Physics throughout my education. My thesis advisor John Schwarz has given me insightful guidance and invaluable advice. I benefited a lot by collaborating with outstanding colleagues: Iosif Bena, Iouri Chepelev, Peter Lee, Jongwon Park. I have also bene- fited from interesting discussions with Vadim Borokhov, Jaume Gomis, Prof. Anton Kapustin, Tristan McLoughlin, Yuji Okawa, and Arkadas Ozakin. I am also thankful to my Physics teacher Violeta Grigorie who’s enthusiasm for Physics is contagious and to my family for constant support and encouragement in my academic pursuits. iv Abstract Among the most remarkable recent developments in string theory are the AdS/CFT duality, as proposed by Maldacena, and the emergence of noncommutative geometry. It has been known for some time that for a system of almost coincident D-branes the transverse displacements that represent the collective coordinates of the system become matrix-valued transforming in the adjoint representation of U(N). From a geometrical point of view this is rather surprising but, as we will see in Chapter 2, it is closely related to the noncommutative descriptions of D-branes. A consequence of the collective coordinates becoming matrix-valued is the ap- pearance of a “dielectric” effect in which D-branes can become polarized into higher- dimensional fuzzy D-branes. -
Table of Contents More Information
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19790-8 - The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia Table of Contents More information Contents List of contributors page x Photographs of contributors xiv Preface xxi Abbreviations and acronyms xxiv Part I Overview 1 1 Introduction and synopsis 3 2 Rise and fall of the hadronic string 17 gabriele veneziano 3 Gravity, unification, and the superstring 37 john h. schwarz 4 Early string theory as a challenging case study for philosophers 63 elena castellani EARLY STRING THEORY Part II The prehistory: the analytic S-matrix 81 5 Introduction to Part II 83 5.1 Introduction 83 5.2 Perturbative quantum field theory 84 5.3 The hadron spectrum 88 5.4 S-matrix theory 91 5.5 The Veneziano amplitude 97 6 Particle theory in the Sixties: from current algebra to the Veneziano amplitude 100 marco ademollo 7 The path to the Veneziano model 116 hector r. rubinstein v © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19790-8 - The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia Table of Contents More information vi Contents 8 Two-component duality and strings 122 peter g.o. freund 9 Note on the prehistory of string theory 129 murray gell-mann Part III The Dual Resonance Model 133 10 Introduction to Part III 135 10.1 Introduction 135 10.2 N-point dual scattering amplitudes 137 10.3 Conformal symmetry 145 10.4 Operator formalism 147 10.5 Physical states 150 10.6 The tachyon 153 11 From the S-matrix to string theory 156 paolo di vecchia 12 Reminiscence on the birth of string theory 179 joel a. -
Introductory Lectures on String Theory and the Ads/CFT Correspondence
AEI-2002-034 Introductory Lectures on String Theory and the AdS/CFT Correspondence Ari Pankiewicz and Stefan Theisen 1 Max-Planck-Institut f¨ur Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Am M¨uhlenberg 1,D-14476 Golm, Germany Summary: The first lecture is of a qualitative nature. We explain the concept and the uses of duality in string theory and field theory. The prospects to understand QCD, the theory of the strong interactions, via string theory are discussed and we mention the AdS/CFT correspondence. In the remaining three lectures we introduce some of the tools which are necessary to understand many (but not all) of the issues which were raised in the first lecture. In the second lecture we give an elementary introduction to string theory, concentrating on those aspects which are necessary for understanding the AdS/CFT correspondence. We present both open and closed strings, introduce D-branes and determine the spectra of the type II string theories in ten dimensions. In lecture three we discuss brane solutions of the low energy effective actions, the type II supergravity theories. In the final lecture we compare the two brane pictures – D-branes and supergravity branes. This leads to the formulation of the Maldacena conjecture, or the AdS/CFT correspondence. We also give a brief introduction to the conformal group and AdS space. 1Based on lectures given in July 2001 at the Universidad Simon Bolivar and at the Summer School on ”Geometric and Topological Methods for Quantum Field Theory” in Villa de Leyva, Colombia. Lecture 1: Introduction There are two central open problems in theoretical high energy physics: the search for a quantum theory of gravity and • the solution of QCD at low energies.