Entry requirements

String Theory I

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, the student should be able to

• derive the spectrum of strings in various backgrounds, e.g., in the presence of D-branes or compact dimensions,
• apply T-duality to open and closed strings, and explain the effect of T-duality on the electromagnetic fields on D-branes,
• explain the special features of the electrodynamics on D-branes, in particular in comparison to Maxwell’s theory,
• outline a way of how the particles of the Standard Model of particle physics can be obtained from string theory,
• explain the string theory description of black holes, the counting of their microstates, and their role in the AdS/CFT correspondence,
• explain how string interactions are accounted for in the theory.

Content

Bosonic and superstrings in various backgrounds, D-branes, compact dimensions and T-duality, Born-Infeld electrodynamics, string thermodynamics and black holes, AdS/CFT correspondence, string interactions.

Instruction

Lectures

Assessment

Reading assignments, active participation in class, homework projects.