B2246 - INTRODUCTION TO STRING THEORY

Learning outcomes

This course gives a comprehensive introduction to the basic concepts of string theory. At the end of the course the students will gain a solid knowledge of the bosonic string, superstring theory, spacetime effective actions, string compactifications, D-branes and string dualities, holography. In particular they will acquire the tools necessary to understand modern developments of string theory and its connections with quantum field theory, low energy phenomenology and cosmology, supersymmetric gauge theories and pure mathematics.

Course contents

Module 2: Prof. Lin

1) Motivation and overview

2) Classical relativistic string

3) The quantum string

4) Scattering of strings

5) Strings in background fields

6) The supersymmetric string

 

Module 1: Prof. Cicoli

1) Circle compactification and T-duality

2) The low energy effective action of string theory

3) Calabi-Yau compactifications

4) D-branes in type II Calabi-Yau compactifications

5) Flux compactifications

6) Moduli stabilisation and supersymmetry breaking

7) String cosmology

Readings/Bibliography

1) D. Tong, “String Theory” (Cambridge, Part III Maths, https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/string.html),

2) T. Weigand, “Introduction to String Theory” (Heidelberg University, https://www.thphys.uni-heidelberg.de/courses/weigand/Strings11-12.pdf),

3) A. Uranga, “Graduate Course in String Theory” (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, https://members.ift.uam-csic.es/auranga/firstpage.html ).

Further reading and references:

1) R. Blumenhagen, D. Lüst, S. Theisen, “Basic Concepts of String Theory”,

2) M. Green, J. Schwarz, E. Witten, “Superstring Theory” (Vol. I),

3) J. Polchinski, “String Theory” (Vol. I),

4) B. Zwiebach, “A First Course in String Theory”

5) R. Blumenhagen, B. Kors, D. Luest, S. Stieberger, “Four-dimensional String Compactifications with D-Branes, Orientifolds and Fluxes [https://inspirehep.net/literature/730501] ”:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0610327

6) J.Louis, “Introduction to String Phenomenology”:

https://www.physik.uni-hamburg.de/th2/ag-louis/dokumente/lectures/ws-14-15/ws-14-15-lecture-notes.pdf

7) J. Louis “Generalised Calabi-Yau compactifications with D-branes and fluxes”

https://www.physik.uni-hamburg.de/th2/ag-louis/dokumente/lecture-notes-and-talks/generalized-calabi-yau-compactifications-with-d-branes-and-fluxes.pdf

8) M. Cicoli, J. Conlon, A. Maharana, S. Parameswaran, F. Quevedo, I. Zavala, "String cosmology: from the early universe to today":

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2303.04819

Teaching methods

Standard blackboard lectures

Assessment methods

Oral interview

Office hours

See the website of Michele Cicoli

See the website of Ling Lin