Related papers: A Proposal for Strings at D>1
In this opening talk I first describe how we are entering a data-rich era, and what clues we might soon have to physics beyond the SM (on a time scale of several years). Then we turn to a number of the basic issues we hope to explain, and…
We propose a random matrix model as a representation for $D=1$ open strings. We show that the model is equivalent to $N$ fermions with spin in a central potential that also includes a long-range ferromagnetic interaction between the…
Cosmic strings are predicted by many field-theory models, and may have been formed at a symmetry-breaking transition early in the history of the universe, such as that associated with grand unification. They could have important…
We review the structure of the moduli space of particular N = (2,2) superconformal field theories. We restrict attention to those of particular use in superstring compactification, namely those with central charge c = 3d for some integer d…
In this lecture I summarize recent developments on strings propagating in curved spacetime. Exact conformal field theories that describe gravitational backgrounds such as black holes and more intricate gravitational singularities have been…
In this paper, which is a revised version of the author's PhD thesis, we analyze two different applications of string theory. In the first part, we focus on four dimensional compactifications of Type II string theories preserving N=1…
We find the precise relationship between the loop gas method and the matrix quantum mechanics approach to two-dimensional string theory. The two systems are distinguished by different target spaces ($\Z$ and $\R$, respectively) as far as…
Superconformal field theory with $\mathcal{N}=2$ supersymmetry in four dimensional spacetime provides a prime playground to study strongly coupled phenomena in quantum field theory. Its rigid structure ensures valuable analytic control over…
In these lecture notes, I review how to use large N techniques to solve quantum field theories in various dimensions. In particular, the case of N-dimensional quantum mechanics, non-relativistic cold and dense neutron matter, and scalar…
What is the dimension of spacetime? We address this question in the context of the AdS/CFT Correspondence. We give a prescription for computing the number of large bulk dimensions, $D$, from strongly-coupled CFT$_d$ data, where "large"…
These are introductory lectures on the correspondence between SU(N) gauge theories and Superstring Theory in anti-de Sitter geometries (AdS). The subject combines a number of different topics, including supersymmetric field theory,…
We study some of the novel properties of conformal field theories with noncompact target spaces as applied to string theory. Standard CFT results get corrected by boundary terms in the target space in a way consistent with the expected…
In this letter, an alternative string theory in twistor space is proposed for describing perturbative N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory. Like the recent proposal of Witten, this string theory uses twistor worldsheet variables and has manifest…
We present an overview of the intimate relationship between string and D-brane dynamics, and the dynamics of gauge and gravitational fields in three spacetime dimensions. The successes, prospects and open problems in describing both…
We use lattice techniques to study the closed-string spectrum of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. We calculate the energies of the lowest lying ~30 states for strings with lengths between l ~ 0.45 fm and l ~ 3 fm, and compare to…
In this note we expose some surprising connections between string theory and statistical inference. We consider a large collective of agents sweeping out a family of nearby statistical models for an M-dimensional manifold of statistical…
This Thesis discusses a number of issues related to the problem of tadpoles and vacuum redefinitions that the breaking of supersymmetry brings about in String Theory. The idea pursued here is to try to formulate the theory in a ``wrong''…
We describe some recent progress in understanding and formulating string theory which is based on extensive studies of strings in lower (D=2) dimension. At the center is a large $W_{\infty}$ symmetry that appears most simply in the matrix…
We consider some consequences of describing the gauge and matter degrees of freedom in our universe by open strings, as suggested by the braneworld scenario. We focus on the geometric effects described by the open string metric and…
We investigate the velocity-dependent one-scale (VOS) model to the case of one cosmic F-string and two D-strings as color flux tubes in pure Spin($4N$) gauge theory. We analytically calculate the scaling string density as a function of the…