Duality in Quantum Field Theory (and String Theory)

These lectures give an introduction to duality in Quantum Field Theory. We discuss the phases of gauge theories and the implications of the electric-magnetic duality transformation to describe the mechanism of confinement. We review the exact results of N=1 supersymmetric QCD and the Seiberg-Witten solution of N=2 super Yang-Mills. Some of its extensions to String Theory are also briefly discussed.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, LaTeX, revtex, two references added. Based on a lectures delivered by L. A.-G. at `The Workshop on Fundamental Particles and Interactions', held in Vanderbilt University, and CERN-La Plata-Santiago de Compostela School of Physics, both in May 199

De Rham Cohomology of the Supermanifolds and Superstring BRST Cohomology

We show that the BRST operator of Neveu-Schwarz-Ramond superstring is closely related to de Rham differential on the moduli space of decorated super-Riemann surfaces P. We develop formalism where superstring amplitudes are computed via integration of some differential forms over a section of P over the super moduli space M. We show that the result of integration does not depend on the choice of section when all the states are BRST physical. Our approach is based on the geometrical theory of integration on supermanifolds of which we give a short review.Comment: 6 page

Generalized Dirichlet Branes and Zero-modes

We investigate the effective dynamics of an arbitrary Dirichlet p-brane, in a path-integral formalism, by incorporating the massless excitations of closed string modes in open bosonic string theory. It is shown that the closed string background fields in the bosonic sector of type II theories induce invariant extrinsic curvature on the world-volume. In addition, the curvature can be seen to be associated with a divergence at the boundary of string world-sheet. The re-normalization of the collective coordinates, next to leading order in its derivative expansion, is performed to handle the divergence and the effective dynamics is encoded in Dirac-Born-Infeld action. Furthermore, the collective dynamics is generalized to include appropriate fermionic partners in type I super-string theory. The role of string modes is reviewed in terms of the collective coordinates and the gauge theory on the world-volume is argued to be non-local in presence of the U(1) invariant field strength.Comment: LaTex, 20 pages, v2: minor changes and added references v3:typos corrected, some statements are clarified in the context of zero-mode

Topics in String Theory and Quantum Gravity

These are the lecture notes for the Les Houches Summer School on Quantum Gravity held in July 1992. The notes present some general critical assessment of other (non-string) approaches to quantum gravity, and a selected set of topics concerning what we have learned so far about the subject from string theory. Since these lectures are long (133 A4 pages), we include in this abstract the table of contents, which should help the user of the bulletin board in deciding whether to latex and print the full file. 1-FIELD THEORETICAL APPROACH TO QUANTUM GRAVITY: Linearized gravity; Supergravity; Kaluza-Klein theories; Quantum field theory and classical gravity; Euclidean approach to Quantum Gravity; Canonical quantization of gravity; Gravitational Instantons. 2-CONSISTENCY CONDITIONS: ANOMALIES: Generalities about anomalies; Spinors in 2n dimensions; When can we expect to find anomalies?; The Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem and the computation of anomalies; Examples: Green-Schwarz cancellation mechanism and Witten's SU(2) global anomaly. 3-STRING THEORY I. BOSONIC STRING: Bosonic string; Conformal Field Theory; Quantization of the bosonic string; Interaction in string theory and the characterization of the moduli space; Bosonic strings with background fields. Stringy corrections to Einstein equations; Toroidal compactifications. $R$-duality; Operator formalism 4-STRING THEORY II. FERMIONIC STRINGS: Fermionic String; Heterotic String; Strings at finite temperature; Is string theory finite? 5-OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AND CONCLUSIONS: String ``Phenomenology''; Black Holes and Related SubjectsComment: 133 pages, 22 figures (not included, available upon request), LaTe

More On Critical Collapse of Axion-Dilaton System in Dimension Four

We complete our previous study of critical gravitational collapse in the axion-dilaton system by analysing the hyperbolic and parabolic ans\"atze. As could be expected, the corresponding Choptuik exponents in four-dimensions differ from the elliptic case.Comment: 13 pages, Latex file, no figure,v2: to appear in JCA

TABLE RONDE : VERS UNE MEILLEURE GESTION DE L'EAU PAR LES INDUSTRIELS

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Infinite-genus surfaces and the universal Grassmannian

Correlation functions can be calculated on Riemann surfaces using the operator formalism. The state in the Hilbert space of the free field theory on the punctured disc, corresponding to the Riemann surface, is constructed at infinite genus, verifying the inclusion of these surfaces in the Grassmannian. In particular, a subset of the class of $O_{HD}$ surfaces can be identified with a subset of the Grassmannian. The concept of flux through the ideal boundary is used to study the connection between infinite-genus surface and the domain of string perturbation theory. The different roles of effectively closed surfaces with Dirichlet boundaries in a more complete formulation of string theory are identified.Comment: 14 pages, TeX, 3 figures. The July, 1995 version contains an expanded introductio

Remarks on Time-Space Noncommutative Field Theories

We propose a physical interpretation of the perturbative breakdown of unitarity in time-like noncommutative field theories in terms of production of tachyonic particles. These particles may be viewed as a remnant of a continuous spectrum of undecoupled closed-string modes. In this way, we give a unified view of the string-theoretical and the field-theoretical no-go arguments against time-like noncommutative theories. We also perform a quantitative study of various locality and causality properties of noncommutative field theories at the quantum level.Comment: 19 pages, LaTe

Blackhole/String Transition for the Small Schwarzschild Blackhole of AdS5×S5AdS_5 \times S^5 and Critical Unitary Matrix Models

In this paper we discuss the blackhole-string transition of the small Schwarzschild blackhole of $AdS_5 \times S^5$ using the AdS/CFT correspondence at finite temperature. The finite temperature gauge theory effective action, at weak {\it and} strong coupling, can be expressed entirely in terms of constant Polyakov lines which are $SU (N)$ matrices. In showing this we have taken into account that there are no Nambu-Goldstone modes associated with the fact that the 10 dimensional blackhole solution sits at a point in $S^5$. We show that the phase of the gauge theory in which the eigenvalue spectrum has a gap corresponds to supergravity saddle points in the bulk theory. We identify the third order $N = \infty$ phase transition with the blackhole-string transition. This singularity can be resolved using a double scaling limit in the transition region where the large N expansion is organized in terms of powers of $N^{-2/3}$. The $N = \infty$ transition now becomes a smooth crossover in terms of a renormalized string coupling constant, reflecting the physics of large but finite N. Multiply wound Polyakov lines condense in the crossover region. We also discuss the implications of our results for the resolution of the singularity of the Lorenztian section of the small Schwarzschild blackhole.Comment: 44 pages, Minor changes,the submitted version in the journa