String Theory I (2023-24)
Main content blocks
- Lecturer: Profile: Xenia De La Ossa
Course information
General Prerequisites:
Quantum Field Theory (MT)
Course Term: Hilary
Course Lecture Information: 16 lectures
Course Weight: 1
Course Overview:
1 unit
16 lectures
Areas: PT
Sequels: String Theory II (TT)
Lecturer: Prof Xenia de la Ossa
Method of Assessment: Mini Project only, HT.
16 lectures
Areas: PT
Sequels: String Theory II (TT)
Lecturer: Prof Xenia de la Ossa
Method of Assessment: Mini Project only, HT.
Course Synopsis:
Historical background, Dolen-Horn-Schmid duality, the Veneziano and Virasoro-Shapiro amplitudes. Nambu-Goto and Polyakov world-sheet actions, equations of motion and constraints, open and closed strings and their corresponding boundary conditions. Old covariant quantization: the Virasoro algebra, physical state conditions, ghosts, critical spacetime dimension, and spacetime particle spectrum. Basic considerations of light-cone gauge quantization. Vertex operators and string scattering amplitudes. Strings in background fields, spacetime effective action. Circle compactification, elementary consideration of D-branes, T-duality.
Section outline
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Lectures: Monday 10-11 am and Wednesday 9-10 am in L5
Classes: there will be two classes set up as follows
Hand-in your solutions by noon on the Wednesday before the class.
Tutor: Enrico Marchetto
Week 2: Friday 26th Jan, 9:30am, C3
Week 4: Friday 9th Feb, 9:30am, C3
Week 6: Friday 23rd Feb, 9:30am, C3
Week 8: Friday 8th Mar, 2:00pm, C5
Tutor: Xenia de la Ossa
Week 3: Thursday, 1 Feb 16:00, L6
Week 5: Thursday, 15 Feb, 16:00, L6
Week 7: Thursday, 29 Feb 16:00, L6Week 9: Thursday, 14 Mar, 16:00, L6 or remote (tentative, to be discussed with students) -
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Please be aware of potential typos and errors. If you notice any, please let me know in the lectures or via email.
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