Week 01.06.2009 – 07.06.2009

I will explain two algorithms that compute numerically the Weil-Petersson metric on the moduli space of polarized Calabi-Yau manifolds. I will show some explicit examples. Finally, I will outline some applications of these techniques in the physics of Calabi-Yau compactifications of string theory.

We discuss quasi-classical quantization of AdS4 x CP3 superstring using the algebraic curve techinque. We exemplify this procedure on some configurations so called giant magnons. It turns out that there are two types of configurations and they are quantizied in slightly different ways. Also we discuss testing AdS/CFT correspondence in this case.

In this talk, we will review recent work which asks the question, what, if any effects stringy modifications to geometry might have on the predictions of inflation? We couch our discussion within two well motivated frameworks-- non-commutative geometry (likely to be present during brane inflation), and modifications to mode propagation coming from a field theory representation of the stringy uncertainty principle. In the former case, we find that UV/IR mode mixing can imprint potentially observable signatures onto the CMB independent of the scale of inflation. In the latter case, we analytically compute corrections, and comment on the possibility of observing these in the fortunate circumstance that we happen to find ourselves in a weakly coupled corner of moduli space.