Joanna Karczmarek

Research Groups: Particle and Nuclear Physics; Theoretical Physics. Research Area: Particle & Nuclear Physics. Research Field: String theory. Research Topics: Matrix models, emergent spacetime, noncommutative geometry, time dependence. Abstract: Most recently, I have been working with noncommutative geometry as well as various matrix models and their appliacations to black hole entropy, AdS/CFT correspondence and other topics. A lot of my research is motivated by an interest in emergence of spacetime, geometry and spacetime dynamics (gravity). Noncommutative and nonabelian structures (such as matrix models) arise very naturally in String Theory, and offer us important hints towards the necessary structure of the theory of quantum gravity. I am also interested in time-dependent string theory. This is an important topic, as a deeper understanding of the role of time in string theory is necessary for the study of cosmology and other time-dependent processes (black hole formation, tachyon decay, D-brane decay...) in quantum gravity. A lot of my work has been focused on two-dimensional string theory and its exact solution: the matrix model. This is a fun toy model, where a lot of complex physics can be studied exactly. In the past, I have also worked on S-branes and the dynamics of tachyon condensation, as well as String Field Theory.