String Theory Methods For Condensed Matter Physics

The discovery of a duality between Anti-de Sitter spaces (AdS) and Conformal Field Theories (CFT) has led to major advances in our understanding of quantum field theory and quantum gravity. String theory methods and AdS/CFT correspondence maps provide new ways to think about difficult condensed matter problems. String theory methods based on the AdS/CFT correspondence allow us to transform problems so they have weak interactions and can be solved more easily. They can also help map problems to different descriptions, for instance mapping the description of a fluid using the Navier-Stokes equations to the description of an event horizon of a black hole using Einstein's equations. This textbook covers the applications of string theory methods and the mathematics of AdS/CFT to areas of condensed matter physics. Bridging the gap between string theory and condensed matter, this is a valuable textbook for students and researchers in both fields.

The book is based on lectures given at the TASI summer school of 2010. It aims to provide advanced graduate students, postdoctorates and senior researchers with a survey of important topics in particle physics and string theory, with special emphasis on applications of methods from string theory and quantum gravity in condensed matter physics and QCD (especially heavy ion physics). Contents: Overview:Introduction to Gauge/Gravity Duality (J Polchinski)TASI Lectures on Holographic Space-Time, SUSY, and Gravitational Effective Field Theory (T Banks)LHC Physics:Fundamentals of LHC Experiments (J Nielsen)Theoretical Particle Physics at Hadron Colliders: An Introduction (M J Strassler)String Model Building, Landscape and Phenomenology:TASI Lectures: Particle Physics from Perturbative and Non-perturbative Effects in D-Braneworlds (M Cvetic and J Halverson)Supergravity and String Vacua in Various Dimensions (W Taylor)TASI Lectures on Complex Structures (F Denef)Supersymmetry from the Top Down (M Dine)AdS/CFT Applications:The Landscape of the Hubbard Model (S Sachdev)Holography for Strongly Coupled Media (D T Son)Collisions in Anti-de Sitter Space, Conformal Symmetry, and Holographic Superconductors (S S Gubser)Emergence of Supersymmetry, Gauge Theory and String Theory in Condensed Matter Systems (S-S Lee)Lectures on Holographic Non-Fermi Liquids and Quantum Phase Transitions (N Iqbal, H Liu and M Mezei)The Fluid/Gravity Correspondence (S Minwalla, V E Hubeny and M Rangamani) Readership: Graduate students, beginning post-docs and advanced researchers. Keywords:String Theory;condensed Matter Physics;Heavy Ion Physics;AdS-CFT Correspondence

"Over the past decade string theory has had an increasing impact on many areas of physics: high energy and hadronic physics, gravitation and cosmology, mathematical physics and even condensed matter physics. The impact has been through many major conceptual and methodological developments in quantum field theory in the past fifteen years. In addition, string theory has exerted a dramatic influence on developments in contemporary mathematics, including Gromov-Witten theory, mirror symmetry in complex and symplectic geometry, and important ramifications in enumerative geometry." "This volume is derived from a conference of younger leading practitioners around the common theme: "What is string theory?" The talks covered major current topics, both mathematical and physical, related to string theory. Graduate students and research mathematicians interested in string theory in mathematics and physics will be interested in this workshop."--BOOK JACKET.

This book presents a selection of advanced lectures from leading researchers, providing recent theoretical results on strongly coupled quantum field theories. It also analyzes their use for describing new quantum states, which are physically realizable in condensed matter, cold-atomic systems, as well as artificial materials. It particularly focuses on the engineering of these states in quantum devices and novel materials useful for quantum information processing. The book offers graduate students and young researchers in the field of modern condensed matter theory an updated review of the most relevant theoretical methods used in strongly coupled field theory and string theory. It also provides the tools for understanding their relevance in describing the emergence of new quantum states in a variety of physical settings. Specifically, this proceedings book summarizes new and previously unrelated developments in modern condensed matter physics, in particular: the interface of condensed matter theory and quantum information theory; the interface of condensed matter physics and the mathematics emerging from the classification of the topological phases of matter, such as topological insulators and topological superconductors; and the simulation of condensed matter systems with cold atoms in optical lattices.

A comprehensive, graduate-level textbook introducing quantum field theory, giving equal emphasis to operator and path integral formalisms.

A new edition of a successful advanced text in condensed matter physics.

This relatively new field applies equations from string theory to solve the questions of early cosmology, since the standard picture of our universe emerging from a 'big bang' leaves many fundamental issues unanswered. String theory, on the other hand, postulates that fundamental ingredients of nature are not zero-dimensional point particles but tiny one-dimensional filaments. This theory harmoniously unites quantum mechanics and general relativity -- the previously known laws of the small and the large -- which are otherwise incompatible. The field of string cosmology has matured considerably over the past few years, attracting many new adherents. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the topic, it is difficult for practitioners to be conversant with all the many different aspects. This book thus fills a huge gap by bringing together all the different strains of research into one single volume. The resulting collection of selected articles presents the latest, ongoing results from renowned experts currently working in the field. From the contents: * Introduction to Cosmology and String Theory * String Inflation: Brane Inflation and Inflation from Moduli * Cosmic Superstrings * The CMB as a Possible Probe of String Theory * String Gas Cosmology * Gauge-gravity Duality and String Cosmology * Heterotic M-theory and C A welcome addition to the literature for graduate students, students in astronomy, astronomers, mathematicians and theoretical physicists.

A pioneering treatise presenting how the mathematical techniques of holographic duality can unify the fundamental theories of physics.