Prof. Mirjam Cvetič: D-branes in string theory and implications for particle physics

Ob 16h vse udeležence vabimo na čaj. Prof. Mirjam Cvetič, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, U. S. A. D-branes in string theory and implications for particle physics We review developments leading to the unification of string theories (M-theory), with an emphasis on particle physics implications. We introduce extended objects - Dirichlet branes - and highlight an important geometric role that these objects play in deriving particle physics from string theory. Constructions of string solutions with Dirichlet branes, that have features of the Standard Model with three families of quarks and leptons, are reviewed. We also highlight recent developments for calculations of perturbative and non-perturbative (D-brane instanton) Yukawa couplings that may lead to realistic fermion mass hierarchies.