| Strong Interactions, Confinement and Strings |
| Igor Klebanov, Princeton University |
| Event Type: Physics Dept Colloquium |
|
| Time: 4:00 PM - |
|
| Location: 726 Broadway, 940, CCPP Seminar |
|
| Abstract: In the 1950s and 60s many strongly interacting particles (mesons and baryons) were discovered. String theory was originally invented to describe them, but 50 years ago Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) emerged as the precise theory of the strong nuclear force. A quarter century later it was understood that string theory and certain gauge theories akin to QCD are different descriptions of the same physics. I will review the relations between gauge theories and strings. The formation of QCD strings is a manifestation of the confinement of colored quarks and gluons. The confinement is observed numerically using Lattice Gauge Theory, and I will review evidence that large N QCD provides a good approximation to the masses of hadrons. The gauge/gravity duality has shed new light on confinement, but its analytic understanding remains a deep unsolved problem in theoretical physics. I will conclude by discussing some surprises in 2D models. |