M Theory (The Theory Formerly Known as Strings)

May, 1996
19 pages
Published in:
  • Int.J.Mod.Phys.A 11 (1996) 5623-5642
  • Published: Apr 21, 2014
    and
  • Published: 1997
e-Print:
Report number:
  • CTP-TAMU-33-96

Citations per year

199620032010201720240102030405060
Abstract: (CRC Press)
Superunification underwent a major paradigm shift in 1984 when eleven-dimensional supergravity was knocked off its pedestal by ten-dimensional superstrings. This last year has witnessed a new shift of equal proportions: perturbative ten-dimensional superstrings have in their turn been superseded by a new nonperturbative theory called M theory, which describes supermembranes and superfivebranes, which subsumes all five consistent string theories and whose low energy limit is, ironically, eleven-dimensional supergravity. In particular, six-dimensional string/string duality follows from membrane/fivebrane duality by compactifying M theory on S1/Z2 × K3 (heterotic/heterotic duality) or S1 × K3 (Type IIA/heterotic duality) or S1 /Z2 × T4 (heterotic/Type IIA duality) or S1 × T4 (Type IIA/Type IIA duality).
Note:
  • Version to appear in I.J.M.P.A. References added; typographical errors corrected; 25 pages Latex
  • talk: Warwick 1996/03
  • talk: College Park 1996/05/29
  • talk: Erice 1996/07/03
  • talk: Geneva 1996/06/17
  • string model
  • supersymmetry
  • field theory: M-theory
  • membrane model: p-brane
  • compactification
  • duality