Related papers: Distance-dependent interaction between cosmic stri…

The Matrix String Theory, i.e. the two dimensional U(N) SYM with N=(8,8) supersymmetry, has classical BPS solutions that interpolate between an initial and a final string configuration via a bordered Riemann surface. The Matrix String…

These lectures trace the origin of string theory as a theory of hadronic interactions (predating QCD itself) to the present ideas on how the QCD string may arise in Superstring theory in a suitably deformed background metric. The…

This report presents some studies of the gauge/string theory correspondence, a deep relation that is possible to establish between quantum field theories with local gauge symmetry and superstring theories including gravity. In its original…

We consider the behavior of open strings on AdS wormholes in Gauss-Bonnet theory, which are the Gauss-Bonnet gravity duals of a pair of field theories. A string with both endpoints on the same side of the wormhole describes two charges…

We study the stability of superconducting strings in a U(1)_{local} x U(1)_{global} model coupled via a gauge field interaction term to U(1) Abelian-Higgs strings. The effect of the interaction on current stability is numerically…

We compare the predictions of the effective string description of confinement in finite temperature gauge theories to high precision Monte Carlo data for the three-dimensional Z(2) gauge theory. We show that string interaction effects…

We study some dynamical aspects of the correspondence between strings in AdS space and external heavy quarks in N=4 SYM. Specifically, by examining waves propagating on such strings, we make some plausible (and some surprising) inferences…

Cosmic strings in non-abelian gauge theories naturally gain a spectrum of massless, or light, excitations arising from their embedding in color and flavor space. This opens up the possibility that colliding strings miss each other in the…

We consider a generalization of the Nielsen-Olesen ansatz, in an abelian-Higgs model with externally coupled charge, which describes strings with twisted magnetic flux lines in the vortex core. The solution does not possess cylindrical…

We explore the formation and the evolution of the string network in the Abelian Higgs model with two complex scalar fields. A special feature of the model is that it possesses a global $U(1)$ symmetry in addition to the $U(1)$ gauge…

We are considering the semi-classical string soliton solution of Gubser, Klebanov and Polyakov which represents highly excited states on the leading Regge trajectory, with large spin in $AdS_5$. A prescription relates this soliton solution…

Products of large-N conformal field theories coupled by multi-trace interactions in diverse dimensions are used to define quantum multi-gravity (multi-string theory) on a union of (asymptotically) AdS spaces. One-loop effects generate a…

We calculate the energy spectrum of closed strings in SU(N) gauge theories with N=2,3,4,6,8 in 2+1 dimensions to a high accuracy. We attempt to control all systematic errors, and this allows us to perform a precise comparison with different…

Starting from the Abelian Higgs field theory, we construct the theory of quantum Abrikosov--Nielsen--Olesen strings. It is shown that in four space -- time dimensions in the limit of infinitely thin strings, the conformal anomaly is absent,…

Cosmic strings with degrees of freedom beyond the standard Abrikosov-Nielsen-Olesen or Nambu-Goto strings are ubiquitous in field theory as well as in models with extra dimensions, such as string theoretic brane inflation scenarios. Here we…

We comment on the relation between string theory and empirical science, grounding our discussion in cosmology, a subject with increasingly precise data in which this connection operates at several levels. It is important to take into…

We argue that gravitational interactions between open strings ending on D3-branes are largely shaped by the D3-branes' backreaction. To this end we consider classical open strings coupled to general relativity in Poincare AdS5 backgrounds.…

String Theory includes a plethora of higher-spin excitations, which clearly lie behind its most spectacular properties, but whose detailed behavior is largely unknown. Conversely, string interactions contain much useful information on…

The spatial string tension of a SU(N) gauge theory without quarks is calculated using gauge/string duality for 1.2T_c<T<3T_c. The result is remarkably consistent with the available lattice data for N=2,3. Some evidence is found that to…

Cosmic strings are topological defects arising in a variety of cosmological scenarios, as the Universe undergoes symmetry-breaking phase transitions, whose discovery would offer valuable insight into the high-energy physics that shaped the…