applicationContext = Production

String theory

String theory is a promising solution for a profound problem: How does everyday gravitation behave on the short distance scales where the phenomena of quantum physics become noticeable?

In the basic approach of string theory, the fundamental objects of physics are no longer point-like particles but rather one-dimensional objects, so-called strings.

It appears that the strings move through a ten-dimensional space-time and must be supersymmetrical there. This assumption has many consequences: for example, that besides the strings there are also higher-dimensional objects, so-called D-branes.

A central question is how our familiar four-dimensional space-time, with the physics known to us, can be derived from this higher-dimensional theory.

In this context, the string theory group at MPP deals with different compactification scenarios. In doing so, the theorists also investigate what implications these have for particle physics and cosmology. Furthermore, we study general properties of quantum gravity and string theory in the framework of the swampland program. Among other things, it deals with the question which quantum field theories allow a consistent embedding in string theory at low energies or in quantum gravity at high energies - and for which quantum field theories this is not the case. The latter then belong to the so-called swampland.

Further, they are studying the quantum properties of black holes and the structure of quantum scattering processes in quantum field theory and quantum gravitation as well as the mathematical properties of compactifications, and non-associative algebras in particular.

String theory at the MPP

News releases

01/31/2022

Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) will collaborate closely in the field of quantum gravity. The German Research Foundation (DFG) recently approved a three-year cooperation project that is unique in this field. The funding amounts to 1.6…

Read more
05/10/2017

Vladislav Kupriyanov has recently joined the Max Planck Institute for Physics as a postdoctoral research fellow. The scientist dedicates himself primarily to aspects of the quantization of string theory and M-theory and will collaborate with the group headed by Dieter Lüst, Director at the Max…

Read more
04/20/2016

Where do the most important topics and trends in theoretical physics lie? This is the question to be pursued by internationally renowned experts at the symposium “New Developments in Theoretical Particle Physics.” The event takes place from May 18 to 20, 2016, at the Max Planck Institute for…

Read more

Group members

E-mail address: e-mail@mpp.mpg.de
Phone number: +49 89 32354-extension
name e-mail extension
Basile, Ivano, Dr. ibasile 267
Benincasa, Paolo, Dr. pbeninca 284
Bischof, Andreas bischof 201
Blumenhagen, Ralph, PD Dr. blumenha 276
Cribiori, Niccolò, Dr. cribiori 206
De Biasio, Davide debiasio 201
Eckardt, Ben eckardt 293
Gligovic, Aleksandar aglig 273
Grigo, Paul pgrigo 293
Herraez, Alvaro aherraez 321
Kaddachi, Seyf seyf 293
Kneißl, Christian ckneissl 251
Li, Yixuan, Dr. yixuan 300
Lüst, Dieter, Prof. Dr. luest 282
Makridou, Andriana amakrido 251
Masias Teves, Joaquin Aurelio jmasias 273
Mazloumi, Seyed Pouria pmazlomi 251
Montella, Carmine montella 321
Muntz, Benjamin bmuntz 293
Neudert, Matthias mneudert 293
Novicic, Dusan novicic LMU
Paraskevopoulou, Antonia aparaske 293
Pari, Andrea apari BIB
Pasquini, Michael pasquini BIB
Pelkner, Maximilian mpelkner 293
Raml, Thomas raml 406
Scalisi, Marco, Dr. mscalisi 532
Staudt, Georgina georgina 293
Stieberger, Stephan, Dr. stieberg 310
Sturm, Annette asturm 482

Key publications

X. Bekaert, J. Erdmenger, D. Ponomarev and C. Sleight,
Quartic AdS Interactions in Higher-Spin Gravity from Conformal Field Theory
Journal of High Energy Physics 1511 (2015) 149  
arXiv:1508.0429

R. Blumenhagen, A. Font, M. Fuchs, D. Herschmann, E. Plauschinn, Y. Sekiguchi, F. Wolf
"A Flux-Scaling Scenario for High-Scale Moduli Stabilization in String
Theory", Nucl.Phys. B897 (2015) 500-554
arXiv:1503.07634

G. Dvali, C. Gomez, R. Isermann, D. Lüst, S. Stieberger
Black Hole Formation and Classicalization in ultra-Planckian 2 -> N Scattering
Nucl.Phys. 893 (2015) 187
arXiv:1409.7405

A. Font, I. Garcia Etxebarria, D. Lüst, S. Massai, C. Mayrhofer
Heterotic T-fects, 6D SCFTs and F-Theory
arXiv:1603.09361