Related papers: Quantum fields, strings, and physical mathematics
A sketch is given of a circle of ideas relating quantum field theories with representation theory. The main mathematical ingredients are spinor geometry and the gauge group equivariant K-theory of the space of connections.
This talk surveys a broad range of applications of quantum field theory, as well as some recent developments. The stress is on the notion of effective field theories. Topics include implications of neutrino mass and a possible small value…
This paper tentatively conjectures a possible physical picture that may help explain links between quantum field theories and string theories. A correspondence might occur if the stringy parameters $\tau $ and $\sigma_i $ are interpreted as…
We review the status of (scalar) quantum field theory on curved spacetimes using a novel formulation in terms of non linear functionals over the smooth configuration fields. In particular, this entails also a new foundation of locally…
A polemical article evaluating string theory from the point of view of a quantum field theorist working in a mathematics department. Comments to the author are encouraged.
These proceedings discuss some of the highlights of recent research in Formal Theory. The topics covered range from recent progress in scattering amplitudes, quantum gravity constraints on effective field theories, AdS/CFT, flat space…
This elementary introduction to string field theory highlights the features and the limitations of this approach to quantum gravity as it is currently understood. String field theory is a formulation of string theory as a field theory in…
A geometric framework for describing quantum particles on a possibly curved background is proposed. Natural constructions on certain distributional bundles (`quantum bundles') over the spacetime manifold yield a quantum ``formalism'' along…
This is an invited contribution to the Special Issue of "Foundations of Physics" titled "Forty Years Of String Theory: Reflecting On the Foundations". I have been asked to assess string theory as an outsider, and to compare it with the…
We give an overview of the field of quantum gravity, string theory and black holes summarizing various white papers in this subject that were submitted as part of the Snowmass process.
Till now, the foundation of quantum physics is still mysterious. To explore the mysteries in the foundation of quantum physics, people always take it for granted that quantum processes must be some types of fields/objects on a rigid space.…
I review some recent progress in String/M-theory
We introduce the historical development and physical idea behind topological Yang-Mills theory and explain how a physical framework describing subatomic physics can be used as a tool to study differential geometry. Further, we emphasize…
In this expository paper written for physicists and geometers we introduce the notions of TQFT and of orbifold. Then we survey the construction of TQFT's originating from orbifolds such as Chen-Ruan theory and Orbifold String Topology.
The paper contains the construction of a topological quantum field theory with corners that underlies the smooth topological quantum field theory of Lickorish. Among other things, a contraction formula for diagrams is proved, the presence…
This is an introduction to some recent developments in string theory and M theory. We try to concentrate on the main physical aspects, and often leave more technical details to the original literature.
Quantum aspects of black holes represent an important testing ground for a theory of quantum gravity. The recent success of string theory in reproducing the Bekenstein-Hawking black hole entropy formula provides a link between general…
String Quantum Gravity is motivated and introduced. Advances in the study of the classical and quantum string dynamics in curved spacetime are reported: 1-New Classes of Exact Multistring solutions in curved spacetimes. 2-Mass spectrum of…
This thesis presents several new insights on the interface between mathematics and theoretical physics, with a central role for fermions on Riemann surfaces. First of all, the duality between Vafa-Witten theory and WZW models is embedded…
Quantum field theory has formed the conceptual framework of most of physics for more than sixty years. It incorporates a complete revision of our conception of the nature of matter and existence itself. Yet it is rarely taught, or even…