Non-supersymmetric strings, density of states and the finiteness of their free energy

by Carlo Angelantonj (University of Turin)

Monday 28 Apr 2008, 15:30 → 16:30 Europe/Stockholm

CoPS group room (A5:1041)

Non-supersymmetric string constructions are a domain of String Theory that is poorly understood, although they are expected to play a crucial role in phenomenological applications. In most of the known examples, the absence of supersymmetry implies the existence of tachyonic excitations in the string spectrum, thus suggesting the emergence of Hagedorn-like phase transitions. In this talk, I shall analyse non-supersymmetric models and study under what conditions they are stable, in the sense that the free energy is finite and no first-order phase transitions occur.