Wayne State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Colloquium
Thursday 24 September, 1998
The Theory Formerly Known as Strings
Michael Duff, Texas A&M University
Superunification of the fundamental interactions underwent a major
paradigm shift in 1984 when eleven-dimensional supergravity was
knocked off its pedestal by ten-dimensional superstrings. 1995
witnessed another shift of equal proportions, however, when
superstrings were themselves superseded by ``M-theory'', a
non-perturbative theory which describes extended objects with two
dimensions (supermembranes) and five dimensions (superfivebranes), which
subsumes all five consistent string theories and whose low-energy limit
is, ironically, eleven-dimensional supergravity.
Colloquium starts at 16:00 in Room 245 and lasts about 1 hour
including questions. Refreshements are served at 15:30 in room 245.