Sample interview questions: Can you explain the concept of AdS/CFT correspondence and its significance in string theory?
Sample answer:
AdS/CFT Correspondence
AdS/CFT correspondence, also known as Maldacena’s conjecture or gauge/gravity duality, postulates a remarkable equivalence between a strongly coupled conformal field theory (CFT) living on a flat background and a weakly coupled gravitational theory defined on a spacetime with Anti-de Sitter (AdS) geometry.
Key Concepts:
- Conformal Field Theory (CFT): A theory that is invariant under conformal transformations, preserving angles and scale invariance.
- Anti-de Sitter (AdS) Geometry: A spacetime that is hyperbolic in shape and contains a negative cosmological constant.
- Holographic Principle: The idea that the bulk dynamics of spacetime can be encoded on a lower-dimensional boundary.
Correspondence:
According to AdS/CFT correspondence, a CFT living on the boundary of an AdS spacetime is dual to a gravitational theory in the bulk of the AdS. The boundary CFT describes the dynamics of the gauge fields, while the bulk gravitational theory captures the gravitational effects that arise from the strong interactions in the CFT.
Significance:
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