Exploring String Theory and Its Connections with Gauge Theories

This proposal requests support for a program of research in string theory and its relationship to quantum field theories and gauge theories, especially QCD. The hope is to be able to use the techniques of string theory to calculate important quantities in strongly coupled QCD via the AdS/CFT correspondence between string and field theories. Three specific categories of problems will be studied. If successful, the first category could eventually lead to the calculation of S0-Matrix amplitudes and glueball masses, that is multi-gluon states with zero colour leading to a spectrum of mesons which can be created in energetic particle collisions. The second category involves the calculation of multi-gluon processes using string twistor methods that will form a significant background to LHC collisions. The third category explores the relation between geometry, string theory and field theory; it has implications for compactifying higher dimensions down to four.