Related papers: Towards a Big Crunch Dual
String theory appears to admit a group of discrete field transformations -- called $S$ dualities -- as exact non-perturbative quantum symmetries. Mathematically, they are rather analogous to the better-known $T$ duality symmetries, which…
The low-energy limit of string theory contains additional gravitational degrees of freedom, a skew-symmetric tensor $B$-field and a scalar dilaton, that are not present in general relativity. Together with the metric, these three fields are…
Input from QCD and string theory is used in order to elucidate basic features of the string theory dual of QCD, It is argued that the relevant string theory is a five-dimensional version of the type-0 superstring. The vacuum solution is…
Various nonsupersymmetric theories at large but finite $N$ are argued to permit light scalars and large hierarchies without fine-tuning. In a dual string description, the hierarchy results from competition between classical and quantum…
We explore the symmetry structure of Type II Little String Theories and their T-dualities. We construct these theories both from the bottom-up perspective starting with seed Superconformal Field Theories, and from the top-down using…
It is known that certain AdS boundary conditions allow smooth initial data to evolve into a big crunch. To study this type of cosmological singularity, one can use the dual quantum field theory, where the non-standard boundary conditions…
We review recent progress in string cosmology, where string dualities are applied so as to obtain complete cosmological evolutions, free of any essential singularities. Two classes of models are analyzed. The first class consists of string…
The quantization of circular strings in an anti-de Sitter background spacetime is performed, obtaining a discrete spectrum for the string mass. A comparison with a four-dimensional homogeneous and isotropic spacetime coupled to a conformal…
We derive a class of solutions to the string sigma-model equations for the closed bosonic string. The tachyon field is taken to form a constant condensate and the beta-function equations at one-loop level are solved for the evolution of the…
Gravity duals for little string theories --- which give rise to four-dimensional theories that undergo permanent confinement in the infrared --- have not been studied in great detail. We address this question in the framework of heterotic…
The two major goals in fundamental physics are: 1) Unification of all forces incorporating relativity and quantum theory, 2) Understanding the origin and evolution of the Universe as well as explaining the smallness of the cosmological…
We propose a new version of the $AdS/CFT$ correspondence, where polymer structures similar to Loop Quantum Cosmology spin networks can be induced on an isotropic and homogeneous flat Randall-Sundrum II brane, corresponding to the…
I argue that string theory compactified on a Riemann surface crosses over at small volume to a higher dimensional background of supercritical string theory. Several concrete measures of the count of degrees of freedom of the theory yield…
One of the main goals of the field of string phenomenology is to describe the properties of our spacetime in low-energy effective models related to and consistent with string theory. It is known that our universe undergoes accelerated…
We analyze the large-$N$ expansion of general non-equilibrium systems with fluctuating matrix degrees of freedom and $SU(N)$ symmetry, using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism and its closed real-time contour with a forward and backward…
In these lectures, I review the current status of cosmic strings and cosmic superstrings. I first discuss topological defects in the context of Grand Unified Theories, focusing in particular in cosmic strings arising as gauge theory…
We prove that critical and subcritical N=2 string theory gives a realization of an N=2 superfield extension of the topological conformal algebra. The essential observation is the vanishing of the background charge.
Resolution of cosmological singularities is an important problem in any full theory of quantum gravity. The Milne orbifold is a cosmology with a big-bang/big-crunch singularity, but being a quotient of flat space it holds potential for…
We investigate particular cosmological models, based either on tachyon fields or on perfect fluids, for which soft future singularities arise in a natural way. Our main result is the description of a smooth crossing of the soft singularity…
We present a detailed discussion of the duality between dilaton gravity on AdS_2 and open strings. The correspondence between the two theories is established using their symmetries and field theoretical, thermodynamic, and statistical…