Research

The Stringtheory Group at the Arnold Sommerfeld Center and at the Max-Planck-Institute for Physics is investigating several aspects of Superstring Theory, its relation to Quantum Field Theory, in particular to gauge theories and to the Standard Model. Furthermore, members of the group are also interested in gravity, black holes and cosmology. Special topics include:

• String- and M-Theory compactification, in particular the construction of D-brane models, heterotic string vacua and flux compactifications as well as statistical analysis of stringtheory models.
• String Phenomenology: the search for string models close to the Standard Model and the analysis of the low energy physics.
• The relation between strings and branes and the dynamics of gauge theories with the help of the AdS/CFT correspondence.
• The problem of supersymmetry breaking in string theory.
• Black hole entropies and black hole attractors.
• Duality symmetries in string theory.
• Cosmological implications of string theory, stringy inflationary scenarios.

We are members of

• the EU-RTN network Basic Constituents, Fundamental Forces and Symmetries of the Universe,
• the DFG Schwerpunktprogramm (1096) Stringtheorie im Kontext von Teilchenphysik, Quantenfeldtheorie, Quantengravitation, Kosmologie und Mathematik,
• the SFB-Transregio (TRR 33) The Dark Universe and
• the Cluster of Excellency for Fundamental Physics Origin and Structure of the Univserse.