Related papers: Strings and Planck Oscillators
The first part of this thesis is a general introduction to the bosonic and fermionic string theory, to the concept of D brane and to string dualities. A discussion of anomalies cancellation closes the chapter. The second part of the thesis…
In these two lectures, delivered at the XXXVII Karpacz Winter School, February 2001, I review some applications of superspace in various topics related to string theory and M-theory. The first lecture is mainly devoted to descriptions of…
We review the holographic correspondence between field theories and string/M theory, focusing on the relation between compactifications of string/M theory on Anti-de Sitter spaces and conformal field theories. We review the background for…
The search for a theory that unifies general relativity and quantum theory has focused attention on models of physics at the Planck scale. One possible consequence of models such as string theory may be that Lorentz invariance is not an…
In the covariant-gauge two-dimensional quantum gravity, various derivations of the critical dimension D=26 of the bosonic string are critically reviewed, and their interrelations are clarified. It is shown that the string theory is not…
We discuss superstring theory based on the reader's intuition and her college knowledge of general physics and calculus. Nowadays, superstring theory is considered the best candidate to explain physical phenomena that involve all of the…
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.
There have been many remarkable developments in our understanding of superstring theory in the past few years, a period that has been described as ``the second superstring revolution.'' Several of them are discussed here. The presentation…
We show that the $N=2$ superstrings may be viewed as a special class of the $N=4$ superstrings and demonstrate their equivalence. This allows us to realize all known string theories based on linear algebras and with $N<4$ supersymmetries as…
We construct a vacuum of string theory in which the magnitude of the vacuum energy is $< 10^{-123}$ in Planck units. Regrettably, the sign of the vacuum energy is negative, and some supersymmetry remains unbroken.
We show that if the string scale is identifed with the intermediate scale, $M_s=\sqrt{M_W M_{Planck}} \sim 10^{11}$ GeV, then the notorious hierarchy, $M_W/M_{Planck} \sim 10^{-16}$, can be explained using only $M_c/M_s \sim 0.01 \sim…
It is demonstrated how the hierarchy between the gauge coupling unification scale of minimal supersymmetry and the Planck (or string) scale, which resembles in order of magnitude a loop factor, can actually be explained as such in…
An example of a consistent theory with massive higher spin fields is constructed in flat space-time of dimension three. The action is written in the light-cone gauge. The theory has certain stringy features, e.g. its spectrum is unbounded…
In this article the quantum fluctuation of a rigid and static string is reported to be identical to a free quantum particle. Solutions similar to this static string have already been found in the semi-classical quantizaton of pulsating…
We consider N=2 superconformal theories defined on a 3+1 dimensional hyperplane intersection of two sets of M5 branes. These theories have (tensionless) BPS string solitons. We use a dual supergravity formulation to deduce some of their…
It is shown that in one spatial dimension the quantum oscillator is dual to the charged particle situated in the field described by the superposition of Coulomb and Calogero-Sutherland potentials.
We analyse two issues that arise in the context of (matrix) string theories in plane wave backgrounds, namely (1) the use of Brinkmann- versus Rosen-variables in the quantum theory for general plane waves (which we settle conclusively in…
In the present paper we consider quantum theories obtained by quantization of classical theories with first-class constraints assuming that these constraints form a Lie algebra. We show that in this case, one can construct physical…
The decay constant of the QCD axion is required by observation to be small compared to the Planck scale. In theories of "natural inflation," and certain proposed anthropic solutions of the cosmological constant problem, it would be…
The physics of supersymmetry is reviewed from the perspective of physics at ever increasing energies. Starting from the minimal supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model at the electroweak scale, we proceed to higher energies seeking…