String Seminars

This series consists of talks in the area of Superstring Theory.

Seminar Series Events/Videos

Currently there are no upcoming talks in this series.

Holographic Duals for a Class of 3-dimensional N=4 SCFT

Tuesday Jan 24, 2012
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I will present a newly found duality between an infinite class of 3-dimensional N=4 gauge theories at their conformal IR fixed point and type IIB string theory solutions. This correspondence gives a new tool to explore the strongly coupled phase of the supersymmetric gauge theories in question.

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Constraining Conformal Field Theories with a Higher Spin Symmetry

Tuesday Dec 06, 2011
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We study the constraints imposed by the existence of a single higher spin conserved current on a three dimensional conformal field theory. A single higher spin conserved current implies the existence of an infinite number of higher spin conserved currents. The correlation functions of the stress tensor and the conserved currents are then shown to be equal to those of a free field theory. Namely a theory of $N$ free bosons or free fermions. This is an extension of the Coleman-Mandula theorem to CFT's, which do not have a conventional S matrix.

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ABJM Theory as a Fermi Gas

Tuesday Nov 29, 2011
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The partition function on the three-sphere of many supersymmetric Chern-Simons-matter theories reduces, by localization, to a matrix model. In this talk I will describe a new method to study these models in the M-theory limit, but at all orders in the 1/N expansion. The method is based on reformulating the matrix model as the partition function of a Fermi gas. This new approach leads to a completely elementary derivation of the N^{3/2} behavior for ABJM theory and other quiver Chern-Simons-matter theories.

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Localization in 3d Gauge Theories

Thursday Nov 24, 2011
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In this talk I will give an overview of localization and some of its applications for QFTs in three dimensions. I will start by reviewing the localization procedure for N=2 supersymmetric gauge theories in three dimensions on S^3. I will then describe some of the applications to field theory dualities and to holography, and the possibility of extracting information about RG fixed points from the localized partition function.

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Moduli of Heterotic String Compactifications

Wednesday Nov 23, 2011
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Tuesday Nov 22, 2011
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We investigate the use of the embedding formalism and the Mellin transform in the calculation of tree-level conformal correlation functions in $AdS$/CFT.

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Exact one-loop strong coupling results for string spectrum in AdS4 x CP3 versus the all-loop Bethe Ansatz

Thursday Nov 17, 2011
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A non-trivial test of the string vs. integrability correspondence is
suggested: exact equivalence is established between strings in AdS4 x

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Tuesday Nov 15, 2011
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Critical theories of gravity are certain higher derivative theories in which parameters are so tuned as to eliminate massive excitations for the spin-2 field. Asymptotically AdS black hole entropy in these theories works out to be zero. We show that such theories arise naturally on the boundary of AdS in the form of counterterms. Such counterterms are derived by demanding cutoff independence of the Euclidean onshell action and black hole entropy.

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Higher-Spin Interactions: Three-point Functions and Beyond

Thursday Nov 10, 2011
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Taking String Theory as a theoretical laboratory'', I will present handy expressions for bosonic and fermionic (SUSY) higher-spin Noether currents. I will also describe a class of non-local higher-spin Lagrangian couplings that are generically required by the Noether procedure starting from four-points. The construction clarifies the origin of old problems for these systems and links String Theory to some aspects of Field Theory that go beyond its conventional low energy limit.

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On Four Point Functions of 1/2 BPS operators in the AdS/CFT Correspondence

Tuesday Nov 08, 2011
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In this talk I will provide evidence supporting the Dolan/Nirschl/Osborn conjecture for the precise form of the amplitude of four-point functions of 1/2-BPS operators in N=4 SYM theory at strong coupling and in the large N limit. I will also discuss the methods that allowed the evaluation of amplitudes involving operators of arbitrary conformal dimension.

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RECENT PUBLIC LECTURE

Mario Livio: Brilliant Blunders

Speaker: Mario Livio