Related papers: Quantization of strings and branes coupled to BF t…
Four dimensional BF theory admits a natural coupling to extended sources supported on two dimensional surfaces or string world-sheets. Solutions of the theory are in one to one correspondence with solutions of Einstein equations with…
Three different methods to quantize the spherically symmetric sector of electromagnetism are presented: First, it is shown that this sector is equivalent to Abelian BF-theory in four spacetime dimensions with suitable boundary conditions.…
We consider quantum theory of fields \phi defined on a D dimensional manifold (bulk) with an interaction V(\phi) concentrated on a d<D dimensional surface (brane). Such a quantum field theory can be less singular than the one in d…
We discuss the field theory of 3-brane probes in F-theory compactifications in two configurations, generalizing the work of Sen and of Banks, Douglas and Seiberg. One configuration involves several parallel 3-brane probes in F-theory…
In brane world scenarios with a bulk scalar field between two branes it is known that 4-dimensional Einstein gravity is restored at low energies on either brane. By using a gauge-invariant gravitational and scalar perturbation formalism we…
We discuss BF theories defined on manifolds with spatial boundaries. Variational arguments show that one needs to augment the usual action with a boundary term for specific types of boundary conditions. We also show how to use this…
This article provides a self contained overview of the geometry and dynamics of relativistic brane models, of the category that includes point particle, string, and membrane representations for phenomena that can be considered as being…
In the framework of a five-dimensional model with one 3-brane and an infinite extra dimension, we discuss a process in which matter escapes from the brane and propagates into the bulk to arbitrarily large distances. An example is a decay of…
Four dimensional supergravities may be the right framework to describe particle physics at low energies. Its connection to the underlying string theory can be implemented through higher dimensional supergravities which bear special…
We systematically investigate open strings in the plane wave background of type IIB string theory. We carefully analyze possible boundary conditions for open strings and find static as well as time-dependent branes. The branes fall into…
We construct a topological field theory which, on the one hand, generalizes BF theories in that there is non-trivial coupling to `topological matter fields'; and, on the other, generalizes the three-dimensional model of Carlip and Gegenberg…
A string theory in $3$ euclidean spacetime dimensions is found to describe the semiclassical behavior of a certain exact physical state of quantum general relativity in $4$ dimensions. Both the worldsheet and the three dimensional metric…
We discuss the relations between (topological) quantum field theories in 4 dimensions and the theory of 2-knots (embedded 2-spheres in a 4-manifold). The so-called BF theories allow the construction of quantum operators whose trace can be…
D-branes are by now an integral part of our toolbox towards understanding nature. In this review we will describe recent progress in their use to realize fundamental interactions. The realization of the Standard Model and relevant physics…
We consider a deformation of the BF theory in any dimension by means of the antifield BRST formalism. Possible consistent interaction terms for the action and the gauge symmetries are analyzed and we find a new class of topological gauge…
A brane world model is investigated, in which there are many branes that may intersect and self intersect. One of the branes, being a 3-brane, represents our spacetime, while the other branes, if they intersect our brane world, manifest…
A general effective field theory formalism is presented which describes the low-energy dynamics of a 3-brane universe. In this scenario an arbitrary four-dimensional particle theory, such as the Standard Model, is constrained to live on the…
In this article we lay foundations for a formal relationship of spin foam models of gravity and BF theory to their continuum canonical formulations. First the derivation of the spin foam model of the BF theory from the discrete BF theory…
Models with extra dimensions have attracted much interest recently because they may provide the solution for long standing problems in physics. One interesting and very attractive idea is that our visible universe is confined to a…
D-branes, topological defects in string theory on which string endpoints can live, may give new insight into the understanding of the cosmological evolution of the Universe at early epochs. We analyze the dynamics of D-branes in curved…