Spinning strings and spin chains

• Applicant: Dr. Mario Salizzoni
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields
• Term: from 2004 to 2006
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5437738

String theory is the most promising proposal for unifying the fundamental forces of nature. In particular gravitational interaction and gauge interactions are both present in string theory. The gauge/string theory correspondence establishes a deep relation between quantum field theory with local gauge symmetries and superstring theories including gravity. In its original version it relates type IIB string theory on AdS5 x S5 and N = 4 Super Yang Mills in 4 dimensions with gauge group SU(N). Although generally accepted as true by the string scientific community, direct tests of the conjecture are difficult because one of the most used tools in physics, i.e. perturbative expansion in powers of a small parameter, is not available in this case. This is because perturbative string and gauge theory are described by opposite asymptotic regions of a common parameter. My research proposal focuses on the possibility of sidestepping this difficulty by analyzing the spectrum of semiclassical strings rotating with high angular momenta. The spectrum obtained in this way is to be compared with gauge quantities obtained interpreting the corresponding gauge invariant operators as integrable quantum spin chains. In particular the use of continuous description of spin chains can be decisive for a step towards a deeper understanding of the AdS/CFT correspondence.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• Cooperation Partner: Privatdozent Dr. Harald Dorn