I will revisit the problem of defining an invariant notion of brane tension, analogous to the ADM mass, in a theory of gravity. I will propose two natural definitions, a gravitational and an inertial tension, in terms of asymptotic data akin to that of a Defect CFT. I will illustrate these definitions with various examples, and present the evidence why for supersymmetric branes the two tensions must be equal.

TBA

http://strings.ph.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/phd-courses

The phenomena of capillarity and (partial) wetting have been studied for two centuries, yet they continue to be of great current interest. After a brief historical review, I will discuss some recent results on the associated minimal-surface problem. In conclusion, I will draw some analogies with problems facing present-day string theory.

Using the example of WZW D-branes, I will explain how loop operators, corresponding to bulk conformal defects, generate new consistent D-branes from old ones. I will comment on possible extensions to more general geometries.