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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

The torus is an auxiliary geometric object for calculating the interaction of gravitons. If the torus is cut into two halves, two cylinders are created that represent the respective interactions of two gauge theories (Graphics: S. Stieberger/MPP)

String theory: gravity and the standard model move closer together

The topic is considered THE classic dilemma in physics: the incompatibility of the quantum world - the description of the smallest building blocks of matter - with space-time in the universe, which is in the regime of gravity. With string theory,…

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Professor Cumrun Vafa (Photo: private)

Humboldt Research Award winner Cumrun Vafa comes to the MPP as a guest

The highly respected theoretical physicist Cumrun Vafa from Harvard University has received one of the prestigious Humboldt Research Awards. Along with this award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation comes an invitation for a stay of up to one…

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Quantum Gravity: German-Israeli cooperation signed and sealed

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…

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Group members

E-mail address: e-mail@mpp.mpg.de
Phone number: +49 89 32354-extension
name function e-mail extension office
Artime, Manuel Student manuel.artime 593 A.3.31
Basile, Ivano, Dr. Postdoc ivano.basile 267 A.3.38
Bersigotti, Leonardo PhD Student leonardo.bersigotti 321 A.3.37
Blumenhagen, Ralph, PD Dr. Senior Scientist ralph.blumenhagen 276 A.3.27
Delgado, Matilda, Dr. Postdoc matilda.delgado 267 A.3.34
Dong, Jin, Dr. Postdoc jin.dong 251 A.3.30
Etheredge, Muldrow, Dr. Postdoc muldrow.etheredge 206 A.3.25
Gligovic, Aleksandar PhD Student aleksandar.gligovic 273 A.3.35
Herraez, Alvaro Postdoc alvaro.herraez 321 A.3.34
Junghans, Daniel, Dr. Postdoc daniel.junghans 284 A.3.57
Kervyn, Xavier PhD Student xavier.kervyn 593 A.3.31
Kneißl, Christian PhD Student christian.kneissl 251 A.3.30
Leivadaros, Panagiotis Student panagiotis.leivadaros 251 A.3.30
Lüst, Dieter, Prof. Dr. Director dieter.luest 282 A.3.43
Masias Teves, Joaquin Aurelio PhD Student joaquin.masias 273 A.3.35
Melotti, Luca, Dr. Postdoc luca.melotti 206 A.3.25
Montella, Carmine PhD Student carmine.montella 321 A.3.37
Novicic, Dusan PhD Student dusan.novicic LMU LMU
Paraskevopoulou, Antonia PhD Student antonia.paraskevopoulou 273 A.3.25
Siammenos, Fotis Student fotis.siammenos 593 A.3.31
Staudt, Georgina PhD Student georgina.staudt 293 A.3.37
Stieberger, Stephan, Dr. Senior Scientist stephan.stieberger 310 A.3.23
Sturm, Annette Secretary annette.sturm 482 A.3.45
Tazzoli, Giulia PhD Student giulia.tazzoli 251 A.3.30
Valcelli, Filippo Student filippo.valcelli 206 A.3.25
Zatti, Matteo, Dr. Postdoc matteo.zatti 206 A.3.25

Key publications

Black hole entropy and moduli-dependent species scale
Niccolò Cribiori (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Dieter Lüst (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Munich U., ASC), Georgina Staudt (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Munich U., ASC)
e-Print: 2212.10286 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2023.138113 (publication)
Published in: Phys.Lett.B 844 (2023), 138113, Phys.Lett.B 844 (2023), 138113

Species entropy and thermodynamics
Niccolò Cribiori (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Dieter Lüst (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Munich U., ASC), Carmine Montella (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Bologna U.)
e-Print: 2305.10489 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP10(2023)059
Published in: JHEP 10 (2023), 059

The dark dimension in a warped throat
Ralph Blumenhagen (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Max Brinkmann (Bologna U. and Padua U. and INFN, Padua), Andriana Makridou (Munich, Max Planck Inst.)
e-Print: 2208.01057 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2023.137699 (publication)
Published in: Phys.Lett.B 838 (2023), 137699

The emergence proposal and the emergent string
Ralph Blumenhagen (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Munich, Tech. U., Universe), Aleksandar Gligovic (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Munich, Tech. U., Universe), Antonia Paraskevopoulou (Munich, Max Planck Inst.and Munich U.)
e-Print: 2305.10490 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP10(2023)145
Published in: JHEP 10 (2023), 145

A Relation between One-Loop Amplitudes of Closed and Open Strings (One-Loop KLT Relation)
S. Stieberger (Munich, Max Planck Inst.)
e-Print: 2212.06816 [hep-th]

Dark dimension, the swampland, and the dark matter fraction composed of primordial black holes
Luis A. Anchordoqui (Lehman Coll. and City Coll., N.Y. and Amer. Museum Natural Hist.), Ignatios Antoniadis (Paris, LPTHE), Dieter Lüst (Munich, Max Planck Inst. and Munich U., ASC)
e-Print: 2206.07071 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.106.086001 (publication)
Published in: Phys.Rev.D 106 (2022) 8, 086001

Dynamical cobordism of a domain wall and its companion defect 7-brane
Ralph Blumenhagen (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Niccolò Cribiori (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Christian Kneissl (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Andriana Makridou (Munich, Max Planck Inst.)
e-Print: 2205.09782 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP08(2022)204
Published in: JHEP 08 (2022), 204

Conformal blocks from celestial gluon amplitudes
Wei Fan (Jiangsu U. Sci. Technol., Zhenjiang), Angelos Fotopoulos (Northeastern U. and Wentworth Inst. Tech.), Stephan Stieberger (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Tomasz R. Taylor (Northeastern U.), Bin Zhu(Northeastern U.)
e-Print: 2103.04420 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP05(2021)170
Published in: JHEP 05 (2021), 170

Extended Super BMS Algebra of Celestial CFT
Angelos Fotopoulos (Northeastern U. and Wentworth Inst. Tech.), Stephan Stieberger (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Tomasz R. Taylor (Northeastern U.), Bin Zhu (Northeastern U.)
e-Print: 2007.03785 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP09(2020)198
Published in: JHEP 09 (2020), 198

Swampland, Gradient Flow and Infinite Distance
Alex Kehagias (Natl. Tech. U., Athens), Dieter Lüst (Munich U., ASC and Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Severin Lüst (IPhT, Saclay and Ecole Polytechnique, CPHT)
e-Print: 1910.00453 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2020)170
Published in: JHEP 04 (2020), 170

AdS and the Swampland
Dieter Lüst (Munich U., ASC and Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Eran Palti (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Cumrun Vafa (Harvard U., Phys. Dept.)
e-Print: 1906.05225 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2019.134867 (publication)
Published in: Phys.Lett.B 797 (2019), 134867

Swampland Variations on a Theme by KKLT
Ralph Blumenhagen (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Daniel Kläwer (Munich, Max Planck Inst.), Lorenz Schlechter (Munich, Max Planck Inst.)
e-Print: 1902.07724 [hep-th]
DOI: 10.1007/JHEP05(2019)152
Published in: JHEP 05 (2019), 152

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