Physics of four-dimensional solutions of string theory

December 13 - December 14

Institut Henri Poincare

Mirjam Cvetic (PENNState)

Presently no lecture notes exist

Lecture 1 INTRODUCTION TO CONFORMAL THEORY TECHNIQUES TO CONSTRUCT CONSISTENT FOUR-DIMENSIONAL STRING SOLUTIONS

• Superconformal invariance of super-Nambu-Goto action

• Modular invariance

• Physical states

• Amplitude calculations-couplings in the effective theory

Lecture 2 HETEROTIC STRING SOLUTIONS

• E_8 ×E_8 heterotic string

• Symmetric Z_3 orbifold compactification: physical states, couplings

• Generalisation to free fermionic constructions

• Quasi-realistic examples: states, couplings, "anomalous" U(1)

• Physics implications of quasi-realistic examples

Lecture 3 TYPE I SOLUTIONS

• SO(32) superstring

• Z_3 orientifold compactifications: consistency conditions, "anomalous" U(1), physical states, couplings

• Deformations of Z_3 orientifold: blow up, continuous and discrete Wilson lines

• Toward quasi-realistic models: Z_6 orientifold with general discrete Wilson lines