1st Edition

Geometry and Physics of Branes

Edited By U Bruzzo, V. Gorini, U. Moschella Copyright 2002

    Branes are solitonic configurations of a string theory that are represented by extended objects in a higher-dimensional space-time. They are essential for a comprehension of the non-perturbative aspects of string theory, in particular, in connection with string dualities. From the mathematical viewpoint, branes are related to several important theories, such as homological mirror symmetry and quantum cohomology.

    Geometry and Physics of Branes provides an introduction to current research in some of these different areas, both in physics and mathematics. The book opens with a lucid introduction to the basic aspects of branes in string theory. Topics covered in subsequent chapters include tachyon condensation, the geometry surrounding the Gopakumar-Vafa conjecture (a duality between the SU(N) Chern-Simons theory on S3 and a IIA string theory compactified on a Calabi-Yau 3-fold), two-dimensional conformal field theory on open and unoriented surfaces, and the development of a homology theory naturally attached to the deformations of vector bundles that should be relevant to the study of homological mirror symmetry.

    Introduction
    U. Bruzzo

    Deformation Theory, Homological Algebra and Mirror Symmetry
    Kenji Fuyaka

    Topics in String Tachyon Dynamics
    Ce'sar Go'mez and Pedro Resco

    Large N Dualities and D-Branes
    Antonella Grassi and Michele Rossi

    Elementary Introduction to Branes in String Theory
    Alberto Lerda

    Two-Dimensional Conformal Field Theory on Open and Unoriented Surfaces
    Yassen Stanev

    Biography

    Bruzzo, U; Gorini, V.; Moschella, U.

    "The introductory lectures are particularly pedagogical and clear and I recommend them to my students that enter the subject."
    -M. Bianchi