Glossary of String Theory

Glossary of string theoryWikipedia

This page is a glossary of terms in string theory, including related areas such as supergravity, supersymmetry, andhigh energy physics.Contents :

Conventions !$@ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V

1

2 2

W XYZ See also References

1 Conventions-bein A sux indicating a frame, where the rst part is a German word indicating the dimension (as in zweibein,

vierbein, and so on).

-ino The superpartners of bosons are often denoted by the sux -ino; for example, photon/photino.

s- The superpartners of fermions are often denoted by adding s- at the beginning; for example, quark/squark.

2 1. Fine-structure constant

2. Regge slope, or inverse of the string tension

3. A Fourier coecient of a spacetime coordinate.

4. s is the strong coupling constant

1. One of the two conformal superghost elds , used in the BRST quantization of the superstring

2. Euler beta function

3. Beta function describing the change of coupling constant under the renormalization group ow

1. Dirac matrix

2. One of the two conformal superghost elds , used in the BRST quantization of the superstring

3. World-sheet metric ab(,)

4. Photon

5. Euler constant .57721...

1. Lattice

2. Euler Gamma function

3. Dirac matrix

4. Width of some scattering process

1. Kronecker delta function

2. An innitesimal change in something; for example L is an innitesimal change in L

1. Propagator

2. Delta baryon, a baryon with 3 light quarks and isospin 3/2

3. Laplace operator in Euclidean space or more generally a Riemannian manifold

3 1. Small positive real number

2. Antisymmetric tensor

1. Flat Lorentzian metric on spacetime

2. Dedekind eta function, a weight 1/2 modular form

3. Neutral avor meson with PC= +

1. Theta function

2. is the Cabbibo angle

3. is the Weinberg angle, also called the weak mixing angle

Cosmological constant

2. Large energy or large mass cuto in regularization

3. Lambda baryon, a baryon with 2 light quarks and isospin 0

1. Renormalization scale, with the dimensions of mass

2. Muon

Neutrino

1. Xi baryon, a baryon with 1 light quark

1. 3.14159...

2. Pion

The momentum density conjugate to X

Rho meson, a light meson with PC=

1. Spacelike coordinate on the world-sheet

2. Scattering cross section

3. Pauli matrix

4. See #sigma model

1. Sigma baryon, a baryon with 2 light quarks and isospin 1

1. Timelike coordinate on the world-sheet

2. Element of the upper half plane

3. Tauon

Upsilon meson (bb)

Scalar eld

Neutral-avor heavy meson with PC= ++

1. Spinor eld

2. Psi meson (cc)

1. Density of something in the universe; for example, is the neutrino density

2. Omega baryon, a baryon with no light quarks

4 4 A

3 !$@' (prime) X means X/.

dot above letter means X/

1. A covariant derivative

2. The del operator.

The D'Alembert operator, or non-Euclidean Laplacian.

[,] A commutator: [A,B] = ABBA.

{,} An anticommutator: {A,B} = AB+BA.

4 AA 1. A connection 1-form

2. Short for antiperiodic, a boundary condition on strings.

3. Short for axial vector

4. An asymmetry

action Main article: action (physics)A function S on the space of elds given (formally) by the integral of the Lagrangian density over spacetime,whose stationary points are the solutions of the equations of motion.

ADE Main article: ADE classicationRefers to the ADE classication (An,D, E6, E7, E8) of simply laced Dynkin diagrams, and to several relatedclassications of Lie algebras, singularities and so on.

ADHM Initials of Atiyah, Drinfeld, Hitchin, and Manin, as in the ADHM construction of instantons.

ADM Initials of Arnowitt, Deser, and Misner, as in ADM energy, a way of dening the global energy in an asymp-totically at spacetime, or ADM decomposition of a metric, or ADM formalism.

AdS Anti-de Sitter, as in anti-de Sitter space, a Lorentzian analogue of hyperbolic space

AdS/CFT Anti-de Sitter/conformal eld theory, especially the AdS/CFT correspondence.

ALE Asymptotically locally Euclidean

ALEPH ALEPH experiment at LEP

AMSB Anomaly mediation supersymmetry breaking

ASD Anti self-dual (connection)

ATLAS The ATLAS experiment at CERN, a particle detector.

axino Main article: AxinoA hypothetical supersymmetric partner of an axion.

axion Main article: AxionA hypothetical scalar particle whose mass arises from a coupling rather than from a mass term in the La-grangian, used to resolve the strong CP problem.

55 Bb 1. One of the two conformal ghost elds b, c used in the BRST quantization of the bosonic string.2. A bottom quark.B 1. Baryon number2. Short for boson.3. Short for baryon.4. Short for backward;for example, B is the cross section for backward scattering.5. a bottom meson.BAO Baryon acoustic oscillationBB Big BangBBN Big Bang nucleosynthesisbino Main article: gaugino

A hypothetical supersymmetric partner of the gauge eld corresponding to weak hypercharge.BIon A BPS solution representing an innite string ending on a D-brane. Named after the BornInfeld action.BPS Main article: BPS state

A state related to the Bogomol'nyiPrasadSommereld bound.BR Branching ratioBRSBRST quantization Main article: BRST quantization

Short for Becchi, Rouet, Stora and Tyutin, who introduced the BRST quantization of gauge theories.brane Short for membrane. a higher-dimensional manifold moving in spacetime. See also p-brane, D-brane.BTZ Initials of BaadosTeitelboimZanelli, as in BTZ black hole, a black hole in 2+1-dimensional gravity.BV BatalinVilkovisky, as in BatalinVilkovisky formalism.

6 Cc 1. The speed of light, when not using units where this is 1.2. A central charge of the Virasoro algebra or similar algebra.3. One of the two conformal ghost elds b, c used in the BRST quantization of the bosonic string.4. A Chern class.5. A charm quark.C 1. Charge, especially the charge symmetry.CalabiYau Main article: CalabiYau manifold

A Khler manifold with vanishing Ricci curvature, used for compactifying string theories.CAR Canonical anticommutation relationsCBR Cosmic background radiationCC 1. Charged current (weak interaction).2. Complex conjugate

6 6 C

3. Compatibility conditionCCR Canonical commutation relationCCR and CAR algebrasCDF Collider Detector at FermilabCDM Cold dark matterCERN Conseil Europen pour la Recherche Nuclairechargino Main article: chargino

A hypothetical charged supersymmetric partner of a gauge boson.ChernSimons 1.

Main article: ChernSimons theory

2.Main article: ChernSimons form

chiral 1. Not invariant under the parity symmetry. The word comes from the Greek meaning hand"; the termsleft-handed and right-handed are often used to describe chiral objects.Main article: Chirality (physics)

2. A chiral multiplet is a type of supermutliplet of a supersymmetry algebra.CIPT Contour improved perturbation theoryCKG Short for conformal Killing group.CKM The CabibboKobayashiMaskawa matrix.CKS Short for conformal Killing spinor.CKV Short for conformal Killing vector.CFT Conformal eld theoryChanPaton A ChanPaton charge is a degree of freedom carried by an open string on its endpoints.cl 1. Short for classical (for example, Scl is the classical action).2. CL is short for condence limit.closed A closed string is one with no ends.CM Center of mass (frame)CMBCMBR Cosmic microwave background radiationCMS 1. The Compact Muon Solenoid at CERN, a particle detector.2. Short for the Center-of-Momentum System, a coordinate system where the total momentum is 0.compactication A method for reducing the apparent dimension of spacetime by wrapping the string around a

compact manifold.cosmological constant Main article: cosmological constant

The constant term of the Lagrangian, inducing a term in the action proportional to the volume of spacetimeCP Short for ChargeParity, as in CP symmetry.CPC Short for ChargeParity conservation.

7CPT Short for ChargeParityTime, as in CPT symmetry or CPT theorem.CPV Short for ChargeParity violation.critical The critical dimension is the spacetime dimension in which a string or superstring theory is consistent;

usually 26 for string theories and 10 for superstring theories.CVC Conserved vector current.CY Short for CalabiYau, as in CalabiYau manifold, a Ricci-at Khler manifold, often used for compactifying

superstring theories.

7 Dd 1. The exterior derivative of a form.2. A down quark.3. The dimension of spacetime.D 1. Short for Dirichlet, as in D-brane2. The dimension of spacetime3. A connection or dierential operator4. A Dynkin diagram of an orthogonal group in even dimensions.5. A charmed meson.D0 Main article: D experiment

D-braneDp-brane Main article: D-brane

Short for Dirichlet (mem)brane, a submanifold (of dimension p+1) on which the ends of strings are constrainedto lie, so that the strings satisfy Dirichlet boundary conditions.

D-string A D1-braneDBI Short for DiracBornInfeld, as in the DBI action, an action based on the BornInfeld action, a modication

of the Maxwell action of electrodynamics.DDF Initials of Del Guidice, Di Vecchia, and Fubini, as in Del GuidiceDi VecchiaFubini operator, operators

generating an oscillator algebra.DELPHI DELPHI experiment at LEP.DESY Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronDGLAP Initials of DokshitzerGribovLipatovAltarelliParisi who introduced the DGLAP evolution equation in

QCD.Di Dieomorphism or dieomorphism group.dilatino Main article: dilatino

A supersymmetric partner of the dilaton.dilaton Main article: dilaton

A massless scalar particle, related to dilations of spacetime.Dirichlet Dirichlet boundary conditions on an open string say that the ends of the string are xed (often lying on a

D-brane).DIS Deep inelastic scattering

8 8 E

DLCQ Discrete light-cone quantization

DM Dark matter

D Main article: D experiment

Dp-brane Main article: D-braneShort for Dirichlet (mem)brane, a submanifold (of dimension p+1) on which the ends of strings are constrainedto lie, so that the strings satisfy Dirichlet boundary conditions.

DR 1. Short for dimensional regularization.

2. Short for dimensional reduction, a way of constructing theories from simpler theories in higher dimensions,sometimes by making elds invariant under some spacelike translations.

dS de Sitter, as in de Sitter space, a Lorentzian analogue of a sphere

dS/CFT de Sitter/conformal eld theory, especially the dS/CFT correspondence.

dual resonance model Main article: Dual resonance modelAn early precursor of string theory.

duality Main article: String dualityA hidden connection between two dierent theories, such as S-duality, T-duality, U-duality, mysterious duality.

DY Initials of DrellYan, as in DY process.

dyon Main article: DyonA hypothetical particle with both electrical and magnetic charge.

8 Ee 1. Eulers constant

2. A frame

3. An electron

E Energy

E Main article: E6 (mathematics)The exceptional Lie algebra of rank 6 and dimension 78.



e Short for eective (eld theory).

EFT Eective eld theory, a low-energy approximation to a theory.

einbein A frame in 1 dimension

elfbein A frame in 11 dimensions

energymomentum tensor Main article: Energymomentum tensorA symmetric tensor T (also called the stress-energy tensor) describing the variation of the action under changesin the metric, whose components give the local energy, momentum and stress densities. In at spacetimes itcan also be given by combining the Noether currents of the translation symmetries.

EWSB Electro-weak symmetry breaking.

99 FF 1. A curvature form of a connection

2. The world-sheet fermion number.

3. Short for fermion

3. Short for forward;for example, F is the cross section for backward scattering.

F Main article: F4 (mathematics)The exceptional Lie algebra of rank 4 and dimension 52.

FCNC Flavor-changing neutral current.

eld A section of a ber bundle

FOPT Fixed-order perturbation theory.

F-string Fundamental string

F-theory Main article: F-theoryPossibly an abbreviation of father theory. A 12-dimensional string theory introduced by Vafa.

FRW FriedmanRobertsonWalker metric on spacetime

10 Gg 1. A metric

2. A coupling constant

3. The genus of a Riemann surface.

4. A gluon.

G 1. Newtons gravitational constant, sometimes written GN.

2. The Fermi coupling constant for weak interactions, sometimes written GF.

3. Gn is an odd element of the Ramond or NeveuSchwarz superalgebra.

G Main article: G2 (mathematics)The exceptional Lie algebra of rank 2 and dimension 14, or a G2 manifold with G holonomy.

gaugino A spin 1/2 supersymmetric partner of a gauge boson.

gh Abbreviation for ghost; for example, Sgh is the ghost action.

ghost A vector of negative norm.

GKO Short for GoddardKentOlive. The GKO construction, also called the coset construction, is a way of con-structing unitary discrete series representations of the Virasoro algebra.

GL A general linear group.

gluino Main article: gluinoA hypothetical supersymmetric partner of a gluon.

gluon Main article: gluonA gauge boson associated with the strong force.

GMSB Gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking.

10 11 H

goldstino Main article: goldstinoA massless spin 1/2 particle associated with spontaneous breakdown of supersymmetry, analogous to theGoldstone boson.

GR General relativity

graviton Main article: gravitonA conjectural spin 2 massless particle responsible for gravity.

gravitino Main article: gravitinoA supersymmetric partner of the graviton.

Green Named for Michael Green.

GS GreenSchwarz formalism, a way of incorporating supersymmetry into string theory that is supersymmetric in10-dimensional spacetime.

GSO Short for Ferdinando Gliozzi, Jol Scherk, and David A. Olive, as in the GSO projection, a projection insuperstring theory that eliminates tachyons.

GSW The 2-volume work on superstring theory by Green, Schwarz, and Witten.

GUT Grand unied theory, a hypothetical theory unifying the strong and electroweak forces.

GWS GlashowWeinbergSalem theory of the electroweak force.

GZK The GreisenZatsepinKuzmin limit on the energy of cosmic background radiation from distant sources.

11 Hh 1. The weight of a eld (for example, its eigenvalue for L0).

2. Hermitian; for example, h.c. stands form hermitian conjugate.

H 1. The Hamiltonian.

2. The Higgs boson.

3. The Hubble constant.

HaagLopuszanskiSohnius theorem Main article: HaagLopuszanskiSohnius theoremA theorem describing the possible supersymmetries of a quantum eld theory, generalizing the ColemanMandula theorem.

Hagedorn temperature Main article: Hagedorn temperatureThe temperature above which the partition function diverges due to the exponentially increasing number ofstring states.

h.c.

hc Hermitian conjugate

HCMS Hadronic center of mass (frame)

HDM Higgs doublet model

HE Short for heterotic-E28, a heterotic string theory based on the group E28.

helicity Main article: Helicity (particle physics)The projection of the spin of a massless particle in the direction of its momentum.

HERA Hadron Elektron Ring Anlage

11

heterotic Main article: heterotic stringNamed after the Greek word heterosis, meaning hybrid vigour. A hybrid of bosonic string theory and super-string theory, introduced by David Gross, Jerey Harvey, Emil Martinec, and Ryan Rohm in 1985.

Higgs boson Main article: Higgs bosonA massive scalar particle related to the spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism in the electroweak theory.

Higgsino Main article: HiggsinoA hypothetical supersymmetric partner of a Higgs boson.

HO Short for heterotic-orthogonal, a heterotic string theory based on the orthogonal group O32(R).

holographic principle Main article: Holographic principle

HQET Heavy quark eective theory

Hyperkhler

Hyperkaehler Main article: Hyperkhler manifoldA Riemannian manifold with holonomy contained in the compact form of the symplectic group.

Hypermultiplet Main article: HypermultipletA type of supermultiplet (representation) of an extended supersymmetry algebra.

12 Ii 1

I Isospin.

IGM Intergalactic medium

ination Main article: Ination (cosmology)A hypothetical very rapid increase in the size of the very early universe.

instanton Main article: InstantonA self-dual or anti-self-dual connection in a principal bundle over a four-dimensional Riemannian manifold.

int Short for interaction; for example, H might be an interaction Hamiltonian.

inv Short for invisible; for example, is the width for invisible decays (those unobseverd by an experiment).

13 JJ 1. A current

2. A source

3. Spin.

14 Kk A momentum

K A kaon (a strange meson).

K3 Main article: K3 surfaceA simply connected compact complex surface of Kodaira dimension 0

12 15 L

K-theory Main articles: K-theory and K-theory (physics)A cohomology theory based on vector bundles.

KacMoody algebra Main article: KacMoody algebraA central extension of a loop algebra.

KhlerKaehler Named after Erich Khler1. A Khler manifold is a complex manifold with a compatible Riemannian metric.2. A Khler metric is the metric on a Khler manifold.3. A Khler potential is a function of superelds used to construct a Lagrangian.KalbRamond eld Main article: KalbRamond eld

KK KaluzaKleinKM 1. The KobayashiMaskawa mechanism for CP violation.2. KacMoody algebra.KZ Initials of Knizhnik and Zamolodchikov, as in KZ equation, a dierential equation related to the primary elds

of a current algebra.

15 LL 1. A Lagrangian2. Ln is an element of the Virasoro algebra.3. An abbreviation for left (moving modes).4. Lepton number5. Short for leptonL3 L3 experiment at LEP.Lagrangian Main article: Lagrangian

A function on the jet space of a ber bundle.landscape Main article: String theory landscape

The (conjectural) moduli space of all (vacuums of) string theories.LEP The Large ElectronPositron Collider at CERN.lepton Main article: lepton

A elementary particle of spin 1/2 that is unaected by the strong force.LH Left-handedLHC The large hadron collider at CERN.little string theory Main article: Little string theory

LL Double logarithmicLO Leading order (term)LQG Loop quantum gravityLQC Loop quantum cosmologyLSP Abbreviation for lightest supersymmetric particle.LSS Large scale structure (of the universe).

13

16 Mm A mass of a fermion. For example, mt is the mass of the top quark t.M The mass of a boson; for example, MZ is the mass of the Z-boson.Majorana fermionMajorana spinor Main articles: Majorana fermion and Majorana spinor

A fermion or spinor with a reality condition, in spacetimes of dimension 2, 3, 4 mod 8.MajoranaWeyl fermionMajoranaWeyl spinor Main articles: MajoranaWeyl fermion and MajoranaWeyl spinor

A half-spinor with a reality condition, in spacetimes of dimension 2 mod 8.Mandelstam variable Main article: Mandelstam variables

A sum or dierence of two of the four incoming or outgoing momenta of a 2-particle interaction.matrix theoryM(atrix) theory Main article: Matrix string theory

One of several non-perturbative formulations of string theory or M-theory using innite matrices.M-branemembrane Main article: Membrane (M-theory)

A higher dimensional analogue of a string.MC Monte Carlo integrationMCG Main article: Mapping class group

minimal model Certain solvable conformal eld theories.Mirror symmetry (string theory) Main article: Mirror symmetry (string theory)

A partly conjectural relation between a type IIA superstring theory compactied on a CalabiYau manifoldand a type IIB superstring theory compactied on a dierent mirror CalabiYau manifold.

MLLA Modied leading logarithm approximation.MNS MakiNakagawaSakata matrix for neutrino mixingmonopole Main articles: Magnetic monopole, Dirac monopole, WuYang monopole, 't HooftPolyakov monopole,

Seiberg-Witten monopole and Monopole (mathematics)A hypothetical particle similar to a magnet with only one pole.

MontonenOlive duality Main article: MontonenOlive dualityAn early case of S-duality.

MS minimal subtraction (a renormalization scheme). MS is the modied minimal subtraction scheme.MSM Abbreviation for minimal standard model.MSSM Abbreviation for minimal supersymmetric standard model.mSUGRA Minimal model of supergravity.M-theory Main article: M-theory

An 11-dimensional theory introduced in the second string theory revolution to unify the 5 known superstringtheories. The letter M has been said to stand for membrane, matrix, magic, mystery, monster, and so on.

MSW MikheyevSmirnovWolfenstein eect concerning neutrino oscillations in matter.multiplet A linear representation of a Lie algebra or group.A collection of elementary particles corresponding to a basis of a representation.

14 17 N

17 NN 1. The number of times each irreducible real spinor representation appears in the fermionic part of a supersymmetry

algebra or super Minkowski space. It is often used in the description of an extended supersymmetry algebra,as in N=2 superconformal algebra and so on.

2. A nucleon, a baryon with 3 light quarks and isospin 1/2 (such as a proton or neutron).

3. The number of some type of particle.

NambuGoto action Main article: NambuGoto actionAn action for strings, proportional to the area of the worldsheet.

NC Neutral current (weak interaction).

Neumann Neumann boundary conditions on an open string say that the momentum normal to the boundary of theworld-sheet is zero.

neutralino Main article: NeutralinoA hypothetical supersymmetric partner of a gauge boson with zero charge.

Neveu Named for Andr Neveu.

NeveuSchwarz algebra Main article: NeveuSchwarz algebraA supersymmetric extension of the Virasoro algebra, similar to the Ramond algebra.

NG 1. Short for NambuGoto, as in NambuGoto action.

2. Short for NambuGoldstone, as in NambuGoldstone boson.

NLL Next to leading logarithmic (term).

NLO Next to leading order (term).

NLSP next-to-lightest sypersymmetric particle

NMSSM Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model.

NNLL Next to next to leading logarithmic (term).

NNLO Next to next to leading order (term).

NNNLL Next to next to next to leading logarithmic (term).

no-ghost theorem Main article: No-ghost theoremA theorem stating that some hermitian form is positive semidenite, in other words has no ghosts (negativenorm vectors). The name is a word-play on no-go theorem.

NR Non-relativistic

NRQCD Non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics

NS NeveuSchwarz, especially the NeveuSchwarz algebra

NSNS A sector with NeveuSchwarz conditions on left and right moving modes.

NSR A sector with NeveuSchwarz conditions on left moving modes and Ramond conditions on right movingmodes.

NUT The initials of E. Newman, L. Tamburino, and T. Unti, mainly used in TaubNUT vacuum, a solution toEinsteins equations.

15

18 OO An orthogonal groupOCQ Short for old covariant quantizationOPAL The OPAL detector at LEP.open An open string is one with two ends.OPEoperator product expansion Main article: Operator product expansion

A description of short-distance singularities of elds.orbifold Main article: orbifold

Something that looks locally like a manifold quotiented by the action of a nite group.OSp A Lie superalgebra.

19 Pp A momentumP 1. Parity, especially the parity symmetry.2. Short for periodic, a boundary condition on strings (as opposed to A for antiperiodic).3. Pseudoscalar (current)4. Momentum5. One of the bosonic elements of a supersymmetry algebra.

p-brane A p+1 dimensional membrane, where p is a non-negative integer. The dimension of membranes is oftengiven by their space dimension, which is 1 less than their full spacetime dimension.

PCAC partially conserved axial vector currentPDF Parton distribution function.PDG Particle Data Group.photino Main article: photino

A hypothetical supersymmetric partner of the photon.photon Main article: photon

The neutral spin 1 gauge boson of the electromagnetic eld.PMNS PontecorvoMakiNakagawaSakata matrix for neutrino mixingPolyakov action Main article: Polyakov action

A modication of the NambuGoto action for strings that eliminates the square root.PQ PecceiQuinn, as in PecceiQuinn theory.pQCDPQCD Perturbative quantum chromodynamics.prepotential A function used to construct the vector supereld in supersymmetric gauge theory and SeibergWitten

theory.primary eld A eld killed by the positive weight operators of the Virasoro algebra (or similar algebra); in other

words, a lowest weight vector.Princeton string quartet DavidGross, JereyHarvey, EmilMartinec, andRyanRohm, who introduced the heterotic

string in 1985.PSL Projective special linear group.

16 21 R

20 Qq A quark.Q 1. The BRST operator.2. A charge3. One of the fermionic generators of a supersymmetry algebra.quark Main article: quark

A strongly interacting elementary particle of spin 1/2.QCD Main article: Quantum chromodynamics

QED Main article: Quantum electrodynamics

21 RR 1. Short for Ramond, as in Ramond sector.2. A curvature tensor

Main articles: Scalar curvature, Ricci curvature and Riemann curvature

3. An abbreviation for right (moving modes).4. A radius5. R-symmetry is a symmetry of extended supersymmetry algebras.Ramond Named for Pierre Ramond.Ramond algebra Main article: Ramond algebra

A supersymmetric extension of the Virasoro algebra, similar to the NeveuSchwarz algebra.RaritaSchwinger Main articles: RaritaSchwinger equation and RaritaSchwinger eld

Refers to spin 3/2 fermions.Regge 1. Physicist Tullio Regge.2. Regge trajectory: the squared mass of a hadronic resonance is roughly linear in the spin, with the constant of

proportionality called the Regge slope.revolution Any new idea in string theory. In particular the rst superstring revolution refers to the discoveries in

the mid 1980s such as the cancellation of gravitational anomalies and the heterotic string, and the secondsuperstring revolution refers to the discoveries in the mid 1990s, such as D-branes, M-theory, and matrixtheory and the AdS/CFT correspondence.

RG Renormalization group.RGE Renormalization group equation.RH Right-handedRNS A sector with Ramond conditions on left moving modes and NeveuSchwarz conditions on right moving

modes.RNS RamondNeveuSchwarz, as in RNS formalism, a way of incorporating supersymmetry into string theory that

is supersymmetric on the world sheet.R-parity Main article: R-parity

A Z2 symmetry of supersymmetric models.R-R Short for RamondRamond sector

17

22 Ss 1. A strange quark.2. A Mandelstam variableS 1. An action2. A scattering matrix.3. The transformation 1/ of the upper half plane4. Scalar (current)5. Short for super or supersymmetricS-brane A brane similar to a D-brane, with Dirichlet boundary conditions in the time direction.S-duality Main article: S-duality

Strongweak duality, a string duality relating theories with a large coupling constant to theories with a smallcoupling constant

SBB Standard Big Bang model of the universeSCFT Superconformal eld theory, a supersymmetric extension of conformal eld theorySchwarz Named for John Henry SchwarzSeiberg duality Main article: Seiberg duality

SGA Abbreviation for Spectrum-generating algebrashort supermultiplet A supermultiplet (representation) related to BPS statessigma model Main articles: Sigma model and Non-linear sigma model

A classical or quantum model based on the maps from a base manifold to a target manifold.SL Special linear groupSLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator CenterSLC Stanford Linear Colliderslepton Main article: slepton

Hypothetical supersymmetric partner of a leptonSM Main article: Standard Model

sneutrino Main article: sneutrinoHypothetical supersymmetric partner of a neutrino

SO Special orthogonal groupSp Symplectic groupsphaleron Main article: Sphaleron

Static solution to the electroweak eld equationssquark Main article: squark

Supersymmetric partner of a quark.SSB Spontaneous symmetry breakingSSM Standard solar modelstressenergy tensor Alternative name for the #energymomentum tensor.

18 23 T

string eld theory Main article: string eld theory

SU Special unitary groupSUGRA Short for supergravitysuperconformal algebra Main articles: NeveuSchwarz algebra and Ramond algebra

A supersymmetric analogue of the Virasoro algebra of conformal symmetries in 2 dimensionssupereld Main article: Supereld

A supersymmetric analogue of a quantum or classical eldsupergravity Main article: supergravity

A supersymmetric extension of general relativitysupermultiplet Main article: Supermultiplet

A representation of a supersymmetry algebrasuperpotential Main article: Superpotential

A function of chiral supereld not depending on their superderivatives or spacetime derivatives, used to forma Lagrangian.

superspace Main article: superspaceA supersymmetric analogue of spacetime

superstring Main article: superstringA supersymmetric analogue of a string

supersymmetry Main articles: supersymmetry and supersymmetry algebraA generalization of a Lie superalgebra, where the Lie bracket [a,b] is sometimes given by ab+ba rather thanabba.

SUSY An abbreviation for supersymmetry.SYM Supersymmetric YangMills

23 Tt 1. A top quark.2. A Mandelstam variable.3. Time.T 1. The energymomentum tensor.2. Time, especially the time symmetry.3. The transformation +1 of the upper half plane.4. A torus.5. The string tension.6. Temperature.7. Tensor (current)T-duality Main article: T-duality

A string duality relating theories on a large spacetime to theories on a small spacetime. In particular it exchangestype IIA and IIB superstring theory.

tachyon Main article: TachyonA particle of imaginary mass moving faster than light.

19

ToE

TOE Theory of everything

type I

type II

type IIA

type IIB Main article: Type I string theoryMain article: Type II string theoryA type of superstring or the corresponding low-energy supergravity theory. The Roman numeral I or II refers tothe number of d=10 supersymmetries, and types IIA or IIB are distinguished by whether the supersymmetriesof left and right movers have opposite or identical chiralities.

24 Uu 1. An up quark.

2. A Mandelstam variable.

U A unitary group.

U-duality Main article: U-dualityShort for unied duality. A string duality relating two dierent string theories.

UED Universal extra dimensions

UV Short for ultra-violet, often referring to short-distance singularities.

25 VV 1. A vertex operator.

2. Vector (current)

V-A Vector-Axial vector

vector supereld A type of supereld related to vector supermultiplets.

VEV Vacuum expectation value of an operator.

vielbein A frame

vierbein A frame in 4 dimensions. Sometimes used for a frame in an arbitrary number of dimension by authors whodo not care that vier means four in German.

Veneziano amplitude Main article: Veneziano amplitudeThe Euler beta function interpreted as a scattering amplitude.

vertex operator Main article: vertex operator

Virasoro algebra Main article: Virasoro algebraA central extension of the Witt algebra of polynomial vector elds on a circle.

20 28 SEE ALSO

26 Ww A complex numberW A W-bosonW-algebra Main article: W-algebra

A sort of generalization of the Virasoro algebraWeyl 1. Named after Hermann Weyl2. A Weyl transformation is a rescaling of the world-sheet metric.3. Weyl spinor, an element of a half-spin representation in even spacetime dimensions.WIMP Weakly interacting massive particlewino Main article: wino (particle)

A hypothetical supersymmetric partner of the W-boson.Witten Named for Edward Witten.WMAP Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probeworld sheet The 2-dimensional subset of spacetime swept out by a moving string.world-volume The p+1-dimensional spacetime volume swept out by a p-brane, as in world-volume action.WZNWWZW Initials of Wess, Zumino, (Novikov), andWitten, as in the WZWmodel, a -model with a group as the target

space.

27 XYZx A real numberX Used for coordinates in Minkowski space.y A real numberYBE YangBaxter equationYM YangMillsz A complex numberZ 1. A partition function2. The Z boson.An element of the center of an extended supersymmetry algebra.ZEUS Main article: ZEUS (particle detector)

zino Main article: gauginoA hypothetical supersymmetric partner of the Z-boson.

zweibein A frame in 2 dimensions

28 See also List of string theory topics

21

29 References Becker, Katrin, Becker, Melanie, and John H. Schwarz (2007) String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Intro-duction . Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-86069-5

Bintruy, Pierre (2007) Supersymmetry: Theory, Experiment, and Cosmology. Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19-850954-7.

Dine, Michael (2007) Supersymmetry and String Theory: Beyond the Standard Model. Cambridge UniversityPress. ISBN 0-521-85841-0.

Paul H. Frampton (1974). Dual Resonance Models. Frontiers in Physics. ISBN 0-8053-2581-6. Michael Green, John H. Schwarz and Edward Witten (1987) Superstring theory. Cambridge University Press.

The original textbook. Vol. 1: Introduction. ISBN 0-521-35752-7. Vol. 2: Loop amplitudes, anomalies and phenomenology. ISBN 0-521-35753-5.

Kiritsis, Elias (2007) String Theory in a Nutshell. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12230-4. Johnson, Cliord (2003). D-branes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-80912-6. Polchinski, Joseph (1998) String Theory. Cambridge University Press.

Vol. 1: An introduction to the bosonic string. ISBN 0-521-63303-6. Vol. 2: Superstring theory and beyond. ISBN 0-521-63304-4.

Szabo, Richard J. (Reprinted 2007) An Introduction to String Theory and D-brane Dynamics. Imperial CollegePress. ISBN 978-1-86094-427-7.

Zwiebach, Barton (2004) A First Course in String Theory. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-83143-1.Contact author for errata.

30 External links Particle physics glossary at interactions.org

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