Dualties in string theory and field theory

Dualities play a central role in physics. They offer a dual description of the same phenomenon, using two different variables. In this project we will examine dualities in both field theory and string theory.

We will focus, initially, on three dimensional gauge field theories (Quantum Chromodynamics in three dimensions, 3d QCD). The tools we will use are: large-N limit, holography.

More specifically, Ricardo and I started to carry out research in 3d QCD with a gauge group Sp(2N) and SO(2N). Our aim is to understand the dynamics of these gauge field theories in the large-N limit ('t Hooft limit).

We plan to use holography to address this problem. The dynamics of strings and branes in the dual gravity background will teach us about the vacuum structure of the dual field theory.