Gauge sector statistics of intersecting D-brane models

In this article, which is based on the first part of my PhD thesis, I review the statistics of the open string sector in T^6/(Z_2xZ_2) orientifold compactifications of the type IIA string. After an introduction to the orientifold setup, I discuss the two different techniques that have been developed to analyse the gauge sector statistics, using either a saddle point approximation or a direct computer based method. The two approaches are explained and compared by means of eight- and six-dimensional toy models. In the four-dimensional case the results are presented in detail. Special emphasis is put on models containing phenomenologically interesting gauge groups and chiral matter, in particular those containing a standard model or SU(5) part.