Strings, Branes, Black Holes and Quantum Field Theory

Professor Jerome Gauntlett

Two Cornerstones of Theoretical Physics Quantum Mechanics

Uncertainty Principle

Two Cornerstones of Theoretical Physics Quantum Mechanics

Uncertainty Principle
Standard Model of Particle Physics: Quantum Field Theory Yang-Mills Theory SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1) Describes 3 of the 4 known forces: Electromagnetism Strong nuclear force (quark confinement) Weak nuclear force (beta decay)

Two Cornerstones of Theoretical Physics General Relativity Equivalence Principle

Two Cornerstones of Theoretical Physics General Relativity Equivalence Principle

Big Bang cosmology Black holes Gravitational waves

Two Cornerstones of Theoretical Physics Quantum Mechanics General Relativity

Quantum Gravity

String Theory

A very brief history of string theory

Two Revolutions:
80s Perturbative string theory: Its consistent Its quantum gravity

90s Non-perturbative string theory: Dualities, branes (extended objects), black holes, supergravity, quantum field theory,.

History: Not linear! UK very strong in BIG ideas. Not fashion driven.

Perturbative String Theory

String coupling g << 1

Spectrum of string states: Infinite number of harmonics

infinite tower of particle states with different mass

Spectrum includes a massless graviton state and hence string theory is quantum gravity

Perturbative String Theory

Interactions

The likelihood of splitting or joining is determined by g Perturbative expansion

g2

g4

g6

Makes sense for g<<1

Perturbative String Theory

Consistency implies Five perturbative string theories type I, type IIA, type IIB, HET E8 x E8 , HET SO(32)

Ten spacetime dimensions - wrap up 6 a la Kaluza-Klein

D=6

D=3 GUTs Supersymmetry

Supersymmetry
All elementary particles are either Bosons spin 0, 1, 2, . . . Fermions spin 1/2, 3/2, . . . forces matter

Supersymmetry is the only symmetry that can combine them Supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model may be seen at the LHC Low energy approximation to string theory is supergravity - supersymmetric generalisation of Einsteins equations of General Relativity My recent work has focussed on systematically analysing supergravity solutions

Non-Perturbative String Theory: The Duality Revolution

What is the description of string theory when g>>1? String Theory 1: g

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String Theory 2: 1/g

Non-Perturbative String Theory: The Duality Revolution

What is the description of string theory when g>>1? String Theory 1: g

< >

String Theory 2: 1/g

Key input: Branes (extended objects).

p-brane

p-brane

My first paper (with Achucarro, Itoh and Townsend), 1989: Supersymmetry on the brane: world volume supersymmetry from space-time supersymmetry of the four-dimensional supermembrane

p-brane

My first paper (with Achucarro, Itoh and Townsend), 1989: Supersymmetry on the brane: world volume supersymmetry from space-time supersymmetry of the four-dimensional supermembrane

1761 papers with brane in the title

Brane Surgery Brane Scans Brane Waves .. - P. Townsend - M. Duff

Brane Dynamics
When g<<1 some branes can be described as surfaces on which strings can end:

Web of interconnected string theories

All five perturbative string theories are connected by dualities. Also connected to an eleven dimensional theory that at low energies is described by supergravity.

There are no strings in the eleven dimensional limit. Strings are not fundamental to M-theory.

Black Holes and Black Rings

Black Holes are key arenas for quantum gravity.
Classically: black holes are black.

Quantum mechanically: black holes are thermal

Hawking radiate at TH

Bekenstein-Hawking entropy: SBH =

1 4

Area

BIG question: can we provide a statistical mechanical interpretation? i.e. SBH = klnN ?

Black Holes in String Theory

1. Construct a black hole by wrapping branes on the compact space. The localised blob of energy carries conserved charges (e.g. mass, angular momentum, electric charge)

D=6

D=3

Black Holes in String Theory

1. Construct a black hole by wrapping branes on the compact space. The localised blob of energy carries conserved charges (e.g. mass, angular momentum, electric charge)

D=6

D=3

Black Holes In String Theory

2. g<<1 (small string coupling). Back reaction of branes on the geometry is small. Can count the number of string states with these conserved charges N. 3. g>>1 (large string coupling). The back reaction is large and the configuration is a black hole with these conserved charges and entropy SBH. Find SBH = klnN, exactly. One of the highlights of string theory!

Subtlety: argument implicitly assumes that the black holes are uniquely specified by their conserved charges. For black holes in four dimensions this is true. In addition they all have event horizons with spherical topology.

Both facts were thought to generalise to higher dimensions. Both dont!

In five dimensions:
Supersymmetric black holes with event horizons of spherical topology. Supersymmetric Black Rings, black holes with a ring topology.

Moreover, the black rings violate uniqueness. (JPG, J. Gutowski) Currently a very active area of investigation. Black hole More generally: Are black rings the tip of the iceberg?

Black ring

Can we classify the possibilities?

Strings and Quantum Field Theory

Limit 1: (Gravitational back reaction is small) A quantum field theory living on the branes
Limit 2: (Gravitational back reaction is large) A curved supergravity background

Maldacenas AdS/CFT correspondence: Strings propagating on certain supergravity backgrounds in 10 (or 11) dimensions are equivalent to quantum field theories

So what?

1. Quantum gravity on certain backgrounds is quantum field theory! 2. Quantum field theory is quantum gravity! 3. Quantum field theory in four spacetime dimensions is string theory in ten or eleven spacetime dimensions! Many subsequent developments (>3600 citations).

Now have string descriptions of quantum field theories with very interesting dynamics.
We dont have a string description of ordinary QCD or the minimal supersymmetric standard model . Yet.

String theory is a key tool for understanding quantum field theory. I am applying my programme of systematically analysing supersymmetric solutions of supergravity theories to try and find more examples of the correspondence. Have elucidated some of the underlying geometrical structures. Have found infinite classes of new solutions of supergravity each of which is dual to a quantum field theory that is now being actively studied. (JPG, D. Martelli, J. Sparks, D.Waldram) Beautiful interplay between geometry and physics.

Conclusion
String/M-theory is a sophisticated and beautiful set of physical and mathematical ideas. Compelling connections with black holes quantum field theory Clues to the deepest open questions:

What is string/M-theory?
What is the stringy principle?

Is it the theory of quantum gravity?

Thanks
Acharya Achucarro Azcarraga Dabholkar Dowker Gibbons Giddings Gomis Gutowski Harvey Horowitz Hull Itoh Izquierdo Kastor

Collaborators
Koehl C. Kim N. Kim Lambert K. Lee S. Lee Liu Lowe A. Mateos D. Mateos Martelli Myers Pakis Papadopoulos Park

Portugues Reall Robinson Sparks Suryanarayana Tada Tong Townsend Traschen Waldram West Yastremiz Yi
Zamaklar

1987 - 1991 1991 - 1994 1994 - 1996 1996 - 2003 2003 -

Cambridge (PhD) - Paul Townsend Chicago (Postdoc) - Jeff Harvey CALTECH (Postdoc) - John Schwarz Queen Mary (Lecturer, Reader, Professor) - Chris Hull Imperial