Related papers: A Layman's Guide to M-theory
String theory, specifically type-II superstring theory, can be formulated in any ten-dimensional signature. To facilitate the study of supergravity and superstring theories in this setting, we present a uniform construction of supersymmetry…
The dynamics of extended objects, such as strings and membranes, has attracted more attention in the past decades since the fundamental objects introduced in high-energy physics are no longer pointlike. Their motion is generally quite…
N=1 supersymmetric QCD is considered using the recently proposed picture of it as the world volume theory of a single M-theory fivebrane with two of its dimensions wrapped on a Riemann surface. The conditions under which a second M-theory…
In this paper, we consider solutions and spectral functions of M-theory from Milne spaces with extra free dimensions. Conformal deformations to the metric associated with the real hyperbolic space forms are derived. For the…
The recent developments in string theory suggest that the space-time coordinates should be generalized to non-commuting matrices. Postulating this suggestion as the fundamental geometrical principle, we formulate a candidate for covariant…
Exceptional Periodicity (EP) has taught us that there are families of M Theory-like superalgebras in spacetime dimensions $11,19,27,\dots$ up to infinity. In this paper, we make the conjecture that M Theory at each level of EP can be…
We write down a $GL(D+1)$ (D for the dimension of string theory) manifest fundamental brane worldvolume current algebra description of M theory, which consists of a pair of vector field $X^m$ and dual 2-form field $X_{mn}$, compositing…
We consider M-theory in the presence of M parallel M5-branes probing a transverse A_{N-1} singularity. This leads to a superconformal theory with (1,0) supersymmetry in six dimensions. We compute the supersymmetric partition function of…
One hundred years ago this year attempts began to generalise general relativity with the ambition of incorporating electromagnetism alongside gravitation in a unified field theory. These developments led to gauge theories and models with…
We investigate compactifications of M-theory from $11\to 5\to 4$ dimensions and discuss geometrical properties of 4-d moduli fields related to the structure of 5-d theory. We study supersymmetry breaking by compactification of the fifth…
This work starts with the observation of a certain "rule" (up to now unexplored) in the fundamental laws of Nature. We show some evidence of this, and formulate it as a fundamental principle which exhibits a number physical consequences. In…
We argue that two four-dimensional strongly coupled superconformal field theories, on the Higgs branch in certain large N limits, become respectively (2,0) theory and (1,1) little string theory in six dimensions. We identify the spectrum of…
String theory is at the moment the only advanced approach to a unification of all interactions, including gravity. But, in spite of the more than thirty years of its existence, it does not make any empirically testable predictions, and it…
These notes on string theory are based on a series of talks I gave during my graduate studies. As the talks, this introductory essay is intended for young students and non-string theory physicists.
In these lectures I discuss the possibility that superstrings of cosmic length might exist and be observable. I first review the original idea of cosmic strings arising as gauge theory solitons, and discuss in particular their network…
Scattering amplitudes which describe the interaction of physical states play an important role in determining physical observables. In string theory the physical states are given by vibrations of open and closed strings and their…
We follow the point of view that superstring theory, as the theory of quantum gravity in the number of spacetime dimensions bigger than 4, serves as mathematics for both, 4 dimensional QG and exotic smoothness on open 4-manifolds.…
A manifestly S-dual, and `12 dimensional', IIB superstring action with an $Sl(2;\bR)$ doublet of `Born-Infeld' fields is presented. The M-theory origin of the 12th dimension is the M-2-brane tension, which can be regarded as the flux of a…
This is the written version of a talk given in Bonn on September 11th, 2001 during a workshop on "Special structures in string theory". We report on joint work in progress with George Papadopoulos aimed at classifying the maximally…
We suggest that M-theory could be non-perturbatively equivalent to a local quantum field theory. More precisely, we present a ``renormalizable'' gauge theory in eleven dimensions, and show that it exhibits various properties expected of…