Entry requirements

String Theory I.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the 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

Homework assignments.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.