Related papers: The membrane as a perturbation around string-like …
We analyse the problem of defining a Poisson bracket structure on the space of solutions of the equations of motions of first order Hamiltonian field theories. The cases of Hamiltonian mechanical point systems (as a (0 + 1)-dimensional…
Just as non-commutative gauge theories arise from quantising open strings in a large magnetic field, non-Abelian two-form gauge theories may conceivably be constructed by quantising open membranes in a large three-form magnetic background.…
We propose a precise definition of multidimensional fluids generated by self-gravitating extended objects such as strings and membranes: a p-dimensional perfect fluid is a smooth involutive p-dimensional distribution on a spacetime, each…
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…
In a recent paper, Polchinski and Strassler found a string theory dual of a gauge theory with reduced supersymmetry. Motivated by their approach, we perturb the $\N=8$ theory living on a set of N M2 branes to $\N=2$, by adding fermion mass…
A manifestly covariant equation is derived to describe the second order perturbations in topological defects and membranes on arbitrary curved background spacetimes. This, on one hand, generalizes work on macroscopic strings in Minkowski…
We describe how the presence of the antisymmetric tensor (torsion) on the world sheet action of string theory renders the size of the target space a gauge non invariant quantity. This generalizes the R <--> 1/R symmetry in which momenta and…
We suggest and motivate a precise equivalence between uncompactified eleven dimensional M-theory and the N = infinity limit of the supersymmetric matrix quantum mechanics describing D0-branes. The evidence for the conjecture consists of…
Space-filling S-branes can mediate a transition between a contracting and an expanding universe in the Einstein frame. Following up on previous work that uncovered such bouncing solutions in the context of weakly coupled thermal…
Infinite-dimensional Grassmannian manifold contains moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces of all genera. This well known fact leads to a conjecture that non-perturbative string theory can be formulated in terms of Grassmannian. We present new…
We give a probabilistic representation of a one-dimensional diffusion equation where the solution is discontinuous at $0$ with a jump proportional to its flux. This kind of interface condition is usually seen as a semi-permeable barrier.…
The first massive level of closed bosonic string theory is studied. Free-field equations are derived by imposing Weyl invariance on the world sheet. A two-parameter solution to the equation of motion and constraints is found in two…
It is pointed out that one-component \phi^4 lattice theory in four dimensions has a non-perturbative sector which can be studied by means of an exact duality transformation of its Ising limit. This duality maps it to a membrane model. As a…
The wave equation (free boson) problem is studied from the viewpoint of the relations on the symplectic manifolds associated to the boundary induced by solutions. Unexpectedly there is still something to say on this simple, well-studied…
In the first half of this note, after briefly motivating and reviewing membrane field theories, we consider their BPS funnel solutions. We discuss some aspects of embedding M-theory fuzzy funnels in these theories. In the second half, we…
We extensively develop a perturbation theory for nonlinear cosmological dynamics, based on the Lagrangian description of hydrodynamics. We solve hydrodynamic equations for a self-gravitating fluid with pressure, given by a polytropic…
This course provides a self contained introduction to the general theory of relativistic brane models, of the category that includes point particle, string, and membrane representations for phenomena that can be considered as being confined…
We continue the development of the topological membrane approach to open and unoriented string theories. We study orbifolds of topologically massive gauge theory defined on the geometry $[0,1]\times\Sigma$, where $\Sigma$ is a generic…
We revisit the construction of the tensionless limit of closed bosonic string theory in the covariant formulation in the light of Galilean conformal symmetry that rises as the residual gauge symmetry on the tensionless worldsheet. We relate…
It is shown that a first-order cosmological perturbation theory for the open, flat and closed Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker universes admits one, and only one, gauge-invariant variable which describes the perturbation to the energy…