Related papers: A Layman's Guide to M-theory
As shown by Ho\v{r}ava and Witten, there are gravitational anomalies at the boundaries of $M^{10}\times S^1/Z_2$ of 11 dimensional supergravity. They showed that only 10 dimensional vector multiplets belonging to $E_8$ gauge group can be…
The current classification of $\mathcal{N} = 1$ string theories in eight and seven dimensions is completely captured by K3 surfaces with F-Theory or M-Theory frozen singularities. In this note we show that there are inequivalent ways of…
Recent criticism of higher-dimensional extensions of Einstein's theory is considered. This may have some justification as regards string theory, but is misguided as applied to five-dimensional theories with a large extra dimension. Such…
We construct M-theory on the orbifold C^2/Z_N by coupling 11-dimensional supergravity to a seven-dimensional Yang-Mills theory located on the orbifold fixed plane. It is shown that the resulting action is supersymmetric to leading…
These four lectures, addressed to an audience of graduate students in experimental high energy physics, survey some of the basic concepts in string theory. The purpose is to convey a general sense of what string theory is and what it has…
In this talk I review recent developments in superstring theory. In the first half of the talk I discuss some of the earlier developments in this subject. This includes a review of the status of string theory as a unified theory of gravity…
This presentation is intended to give a flavour of the physics to be studied and discovered by exploiting the interface between string theory, M-theory and field theory provided by the dynamics of extended objects called `branes', and their…
We construct an eleven-dimensional superspace with superspace coordinates and formulate a finite M-theory using non-anticommutative geometry. The conjectured M-theory has the correct eleven-dimensional supergravity low energy limit. We…
We consider string phenomenological models based on 11D Horava-Witten M-theory with 5 branes in the bulk. If the 5-branes cluster close to the distant orbifold plane (d_n\equiv 1-z_n\simeq 0.1) and if the topological charges of the physical…
The landscape of possible four-dimensional low-energy effective theories arising from compactifications of string/M-theory seems vast. This might lead one to believe that any consistent-looking effective field theory coupled to gravity can…
In the early 1970s, after a slow start, and lots of hurdles, Quantum Field Theory emerged as the superior doctrine for understanding the interactions between relativistic sub-atomic particles. After the conditions for a relativistic field…
It will be argued that among the known systems in three dimensions that have string like excitations periodic U(1) pure gauge theories are the most likely candidates to lead to a string representation of their universal properties. Some…
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…
We demonstrate that the spectrum of any consistent string theory in $D$ dimensions must satisfy a number of supertrace constraints: $ Str~M^{2n}=0 $ for $0 \leq n < D/2-1$, integer $n$. These results hold for a large class of string…
In these lectures, we review the D=11 supermembrane and supersymmetric matrix models at an introductory level. We also discuss some more recent developments in connection with non-perturbative string theory.
BPS saturated p-branes play an important role in recent progress in understanding superstring theory and M theory. One approach to understanding the dynamics of p-branes is to formulate an effective (p+1)-dimensional world-volume theory.…
After initially meeting with fierce resistance, "branes", p-dimensional extended objects which go beyond particles (p=0) and strings (p=1), now occupy centre stage in theoretical physics as microscopic components of M-theory, as the seeds…
The four six-dimensional ``little string'' theories are all described in the infinite momentum frame (IMF) as matrix theories by non-trivial 1+1 dimensional infra-red fixed points. We characterize these fixed points using supergravity.…
We consider conditions under which a universe contracting towards a big crunch can make a transition to an expanding big bang universe. A promising example is 11-dimensional M-theory in which the eleventh dimension collapses, bounces, and…
We describe three previously unnoticed components of the moduli space of minimally supersymmetric string theories in $d\geq 7$, describing in some detail their spectrum and duality properties. We find a new component in nine and eight…