Quantum Gravity/String/M-theory/ as we approach the 3rd Millennium

This article provides some historical background and then reviews developments in string theory over the last twenty-five years or so. Both perturbative and non-perturbative approaches to string theory are surveyed and their impact on how we view quantum gravity is analysed.

The purpose of this short review is to present progresses in string theory in the recent past. There have been very important developments in our understanding of string dynamics, especially in the nonperturbative aspects. In this context, dualities play a cardinal role. The string theory provides a deeper understanding of the physics of special class of black holes from a microscopical point of view and has resolved several important questions. It is also recognized that M-t...

The status of string theory is reviewed, and major recent developments - especially those in going beyond perturbation theory in the string theory and quantum field theory frameworks - are discussed. This analysis helps better understand the role and place of string theory in the modern picture of the physical world. Even though quantum field theory describes a wide range of experimental phenomena, it is emphasized that there are some insurmountable problems inherent in it - ...

The present status of superstring phenomenology is briefly discussed.

This contribution, aimed mostly at experimental particle physicists, reviews some of the main ideas and results of String Theory in a non-technical language. It originates from the talks presented by the authors at the Electro-Weak session of the 2002 Moriond Meeting, here merged in an attempt to provide a more complete and concise view of the subject.

This is the written version of a short talk given at the University of Leipzig in December 1998. It reviews some general aspects of string theory from the viewpoint of the search for an unifying theory. Here, special emphasis lies on the motivation to consider string theory not only as the leading candidate for the unification of gravity and the other fundamental forces of nature, but also as a possible step towards a new understanding of nature and its description within the...

I worked on String Theory over a period of five years during the First String Era, the most intellectually satisfying years of my scientific life. One of the early prospectors in the String Theory Mine, I was fortunate enough to contribute to the birth of this subject, which retains after these many years, its magical hold on our imaginations and expectations.

This is an introduction to some recent developments in string theory and M theory. We try to concentrate on the main physical aspects, and often leave more technical details to the original literature.

I describe our understanding of physics near the Planck length, in particular the great progress in the last four years in string theory. These are lectures presented at the 1998 SLAC Summer Institute.

We briefly review superstring theories, highlighting the important concepts, developments, and open problems of the subject.