New geometries and new perspectives in string theory and M- theory

String theory is the leading candidate for a physical theory capable of a unified explanation of all physical phenomena. Although we do not know precisely how the full structure of the theory hinges together, it is a remarkably rich framework with which to investigate and understand different areas of physics, and the pieces of the picture we can see have led to many insights and new ideas.

One clue towards a more comprehensive understanding of string theory is the fact that different corners of string theory are often related by "duality": two quite dissimilar seeming physical regimes turn out in fact to be equivalent, or "dual". Duality is ubiquitous in string theory, and may be thought of as a consequence of the fact that a fundamental string has a length and can wrap or wind. This
means that a string sees the world in a fundamentally different way to a particle, demonstrating that a theory of fundamental strings may ultimately display striking differences to our naive expectations.

In this project, I will study new applications of an approach to string theory based on a geometry that captures the effects of dualities. I will use this new geometry to describe string theory scenarios applicable to the physics of our observable universe; develop the fundamental description of the elementary objects of the theory in a unifying language; and understand intriguing connections to a spectrum of seemingly unrelated aspects of physics.