Short description: Aspect of theoretical physics
Twistor string theory is an equivalence between N = 4 supersymmetric Yang–Mills theory and the perturbative topological B model string theory in twistor space.[1]
It was initially proposed by Edward Witten in 2003.
Twistor theory was introduced by Roger Penrose from the 1960s as a new approach to the unification of quantum theory with gravity. Twistor space is a three-dimensional complex projective space in which physical quantities appear as certain structural deformations. Spacetime and the familiar physical fields emerge as consequences of this description. But twistor space is chiral (handed) with left- and right-handed objects treated differently. For example, the graviton for gravity and the gluon for the strong force are both right-handed.[2]
During this period, Edward Witten was a leading developer of string theory. In 2003 he produced a paper showing how string theory may be introduced into twistor space to provide a full physical model incorporating both left- and right-handed fields together with their full interactions.[2]
The most important contribution of twistor string theory has been in the calculation of particle-particle collision scattering amplitudes, which determine the probabilities of the possible scattering processes. Witten showed that they have a remarkably simple structure in twistor space; in particular amplitudes are supported on algebraic curves. This has allowed both better understanding of experimental observations in particle colliders and deep insights into the natures of different quantum field theories. These insights have in turn led to new insights in pure mathematics. Such topics include Grassmannian residue formulae, the amplituhedron and holomorphic linking.[2]
See also
- BCFW recursion
- MHV amplitudes
References
- ↑ Witten, Edward (2004). "Perturbative Gauge Theory As A String Theory In Twistor Space". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 1 252 (1): 189–258. doi:10.1007/s00220-004-1187-3. Bibcode: 2004CMaPh.252..189W.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Twistor theory and Scattering Amplitudes, University of Oxford Mathematical Group. (retrieved 2 December 2015)
Topics of twistor theory |
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| Objectives | | Principles | |
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| Final objective |
- Quantum gravity
- Theory of everything
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| Mathematical concepts | | Twistors |
- Penrose transform
- Twistor space
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| Physical concepts |
- Twistor string theory
- Twistor correspondence
- Twistor theory
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Theories of gravitation |
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| Standard | | Newtonian gravity (NG) |
- Newton's law of universal gravitation
- Gauss's law for gravity
- Poisson's equation for gravity
- History of gravitational theory
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| General relativity (GR) |
- Introduction
- History
- Mathematics
- Exact solutions
- Resources
- Tests
- Post-Newtonian formalism
- Linearized gravity
- ADM formalism
- Gibbons–Hawking–York boundary term
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Alternatives to general relativity | | Paradigms |
- Classical theories of gravitation
- Quantum gravity
- Theory of everything
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| Classical |
- Einstein–Cartan
- Bimetric theories
- Gauge theory gravity
- Teleparallelism
- Composite gravity
- f(R) gravity
- Infinite derivative gravity
- Massive gravity
- Modified Newtonian dynamics, MOND
- AQUAL
- Tensor–vector–scalar
- Nonsymmetric gravitation
- Scalar–tensor theories
- Scalar–tensor–vector
- Conformal gravity
- Scalar theories
- Whitehead
- Geometrodynamics
- Induced gravity
- Chameleon
- Pressuron
- Degenerate Higher-Order Scalar-Tensor theories
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| Quantum-mechanical |
- Euclidean quantum gravity
- Canonical quantum gravity
- Wheeler–DeWitt equation
- Loop quantum gravity
- Spin foam
- Causal dynamical triangulation
- Asymptotic safety in quantum gravity
- Causal sets
- DGP model
- Rainbow gravity theory
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| Unified-field-theoric |
- Kaluza–Klein theory
- Supergravity
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Unified-field-theoric and quantum-mechanical |
- Noncommutative geometry
- Semiclassical gravity
- Superfluid vacuum theory
- String theory
- M-theory
- F-theory
- Heterotic string theory
- Type I string theory
- Type 0 string theory
- Bosonic string theory
- Type II string theory
- Little string theory
- Twistor theory
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Generalisations / extensions of GR |
- Scale relativity
- Liouville gravity
- Lovelock theory
- (2+1)-dimensional topological gravity
- Gauss–Bonnet gravity
- Jackiw–Teitelboim gravity
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Pre-Newtonian theories and toy models |
- Aristotelian physics
- CGHS model
- RST model
- Mechanical explanations
- Fatio–Le Sage
- Entropic gravity
- Gravitational interaction of antimatter
- Physics in the medieval Islamic world
- Theory of impetus
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| Related topics | |
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 | Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twistor string theory. Read more |