1st Edition
Geometry and Physics of Branes
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.
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