Introduction to String Theory

• Grant number: 24/07309-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Elementary Particle Physics and Fields
• Principal Investigator: Fernando David Marmolejo Schmidtt
• Grantee: Simão Pedro Vasconcelos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the 1960s, String Theory emerged as an attempt to explain strong interactions, but over time it has proven potentially capable of unifying the four fundamental interactions of nature. It proposes that matter, at its most fundamental level, is composed of one-dimensional strings, which is the theory's only new axiom. In this simple and elegant model, the action is proportional to the area described by the motion of the one-dimensional string, unlike other models where the action is proportional to the length of the line described by the motion of point particles. With this approach, entities and forces naturally arise in the theory's development, making it the leading candidate for unifying Quantum Gravity and Quantum Field Theory. Therefore, its study is crucial for High Energy Physics, as well as for mathematics and understanding the universe. This project aims to introduce the basic concepts necessary for understanding the theory by the student.