Physics Colloquium, April 15, 2008
String Theory and Particle Physics Herman Verlinde

Princeton University

The standard model of particle physics, while highly successful in explaining current data, is incomplete. Its limits of validity will soon be tested by the upcoming LHC experiment, which we hope will reveal direct clues for how to extend it. Theoretical guidance can come via the study of how the standard model may fit into a more complete framework, such as string theory.
In this colloquium, I will describe how the challenge of string phenomenology can be approached via a bottom-up strategy, that aims to derive (the right) string theory from what we already know and will soon learn about particle physics, rather than the other way around.

Dr. Verlinde's Web Site

4:00 p.m., Physics Research Building (PRB), Room 1080

Reception at 3:45 p.m., Atrium, PRB