8.821 | Fall 2014 | Graduate

String Theory and Holographic Duality

Course Description

This string theory course focuses on holographic duality (also known as gauge / gravity duality or AdS / CFT) as a novel method of approaching and connecting a range of diverse subjects, including quantum gravity / black holes, QCD at extreme conditions, exotic condensed matter systems, and quantum information.
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Videos
Problem Sets with Solutions
Lecture Notes
Instructor Insights
Illustration of how cows at different distances in the bulk correspond to cows of different sizes at a boundary with illustrative text
In holographic duality, a quantum gravity system in a (d+1)-dimensional spacetime is equivalent to a many-body system defined on its d-dimensional boundary. The boundary system is referred to as a “hologram” of the bulk system. For more information about this image, see the syllabus section. (Image by Prof. Liu.)