Prospects in Theoretical Physics and Strings 2014

PRESS CONTACT: Alexandra Altman, (609) 951-4406

The Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University will cohost Strings 2014 on June 23-27, which convenes international experts and researchers to discuss string theory. Preceding the conference, the Institute and Princeton will also host the thirteenth annual Prospects in Theoretical Physics (PiTP) summer program from June 16-20 for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars interested in string theory, who this year will also take part in Strings 2014. A total of 600 attendees are expected during Strings 2014, which would make it one of the largest Strings conferences since their inception in 1995.

The Strings conferences are focal points in the field, with scientists from around the world presenting new work and reviewing the most recent developments. Strings 2014 will follow in this tradition, aiming for a unified presentation of the many strands of modern string theory and stimulating scientific exchanges among the researchers in the field. The conference program includes plenary talks and vision talks, which will be held at Princeton University, and parallel sessions, which will take place on the Institute campus.

“We are very excited to cohost the 2014 Strings Conference with Princeton University,” stated Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director of the Institute and Leon Levy Professor. “Given the high concentration of string theorists here in Princeton, it is very fitting that we host one of the most important gatherings in the field.”

Igor Klebanov, Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Princeton University, added, “After many months of planning, we are putting the final touches on the organizational details of the conference. We know that Strings 2014 is eagerly anticipated around the globe because of the special status of Princeton in the world of string theory. Our conference will set a new attendance record of the Strings series with over 600 registered participants.”

In addition to Dijkgraaf and Klebanov, the local organizing committee includes many Faculty from both the Institute and Princeton University, including Nima Arkani-Hamed, Curtis Callan, Simone Giombi, Peter Goddard, Steven Gubser, Juan Maldacena, Chiara Nappi, Alexander Polyakov, Silviu Pufu, Nathan Seiberg, Paul Steinhardt, Herman Verlinde, Edward Witten, and Matias Zaldarriaga.

For more information, visit http://physics.princeton.edu/strings2014/Home.shtml

About Princeton University Department of Physics

Physics at Princeton has a long and distinguished history which began with Joseph Henry, a watchmaker's apprentice who became a legendary teacher and one of the most acclaimed research pioneers of the 19th century. He arrived on campus in 1832, conducted courses in natural philosophy and engineering, and performed a series of experiments in electromagnetic induction that put him at the forefront of the first golden age of science in America.

The auspicious legacy was extended by renowned physicist Cyrus Fogg Brackett who, along with fellow physicist William Magie '1879 and mathematician Henry B. Fine '1880, laid a solid academic foundation from which would rise one of the world's great centers of theoretical physics. In the 20th century, Princeton's prominence in relativity theory influenced Albert Einstein's choice of refuge and residence and led to his long friendship with the University.

Over the last several decades, the Department of Physics has expanded into the fields of high energy; condensed matter; mathematical, biological and nuclear physics; and astrophysics. More than a dozen Nobel Prizes have been awarded to faculty and students of the Department, indicating the groundbreaking significance of their work. Like Henry and Brackett before them, physicists at Princeton today are as devoted to teaching as they are to exploring the farthest scientific frontiers. String Theory is a very active area of research in Princeton. The activity in string theory is aimed at developing a quantum theory that incorporates the physics of gravity and is valid down to the smallest length scales, where conventional quantum field theory can no longer be applied. String Theory in recent years has seen much progress, in part due to work of Princeton faculty and students, and it continues to be a fertile source of exciting breakthroughs.


About the Institute for Advanced Study

The Institute for Advanced Study is one of the world’s leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. The Institute exists to encourage and support curiosity-driven research in the sciences and humanities—the original, often speculative thinking that produces advances in knowledge that change the way we understand the world. Work at the Institute takes place in four Schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Social Science. It provides for the mentoring of scholars by a permanent Faculty of approximately 30, and it ensures the freedom to undertake research that will make significant contributions in any of the broad range of fields in the sciences and humanities studied at the Institute.

The Institute, founded in 1930, is a private, independent academic institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. Its more than 6,000 former Members hold positions of intellectual and scientific leadership throughout the academic world. Thirty-three Nobel Laureates and 40 out of 56 Fields Medalists, as well as many winners of the Wolf and MacArthur prizes, have been affiliated with the Institute.