Corfu 05 lectures - part I: Strings on curved backgrounds

TL;DR

This paper provides an introductory overview of perturbative string theory, focusing on strings in curved backgrounds, and discusses solutions related to brane configurations, serving as foundational material for further studies in string model building.

Contribution

It summarizes key techniques and solutions in perturbative string theory on curved backgrounds, including brane configurations, serving as foundational educational material.

Findings

Summarizes techniques for string propagation in curved backgrounds.

Describes solutions corresponding to NS and D branes.

Prepares groundwork for string model building applications.

Abstract

In these introductory lectures we summarize some basic facts and techniques about perturbative string theory (sections 1 to 6). These are further developed (sections 7 and 8) for describing string propagation in the presence of gravitational or gauge fields. We also remind some solutions of the string equations of motion, which correspond to remarkable (NS or D) brane configurations. A part II by Emilian Dudas will be devoted to orientifold constructions and applications to string model building.