Why 26 dimensions in (bosonic) string theory

Title

Why 26 dimensions in (bosonic) string theory

Speaker

Prof. Sergio IGURI (GTIIT & CONICET)

Time and Location

Nov. 15, 2022, Tuesday, 6:30pm-7:30pm (China Time), E508 (Education Building, 5th floor)

Language

English

Abstract

String theory is one of the few scenarios where gravity can be described at the quantum level. One of its most outstanding features is that the physical consistency of the theory can be compromised if it is not set in a target space with a specific dimensionality, known as the critical dimension. In this talk I will explain what aspects of string theory demand critical dimensionality and what are the mechanisms used to recover the known laws of physics in 4 dimensions from it. I will focus on the case of the bosonic string, whose critical dimension is 26.

Biography

Sergio IGURI is a theoretical physicist working in string theory and conformal field theories. He obtained his Master degree in Physics from Buenos Aires University and, after spending two years in Stockholm Universitet, Sweden, he ended his PhD studies at Buenos Aires University, Argentina, from which he obtained his PhD in Physics in 2005. He held postdoctoral positions at the Institute of Astronomy and Space Physics (IAFE) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and at CEA/Saclay, Paris, France. In 2011 he joined the Argentinean National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) where he is currently an Associate researcher. He has broad experience teaching both Mathematics and Physics and he supervised 5 Master degree theses and 1 PhD thesis. Sergio IGURI is interested in string theory and the AdS/CFT correspondence, especially within the context of strings propagating in AdS3. He is also interested in generalized geometry and double field theory as scenarios for describing dualities and string compactifications.