Electric/magnetic duality and its stringy origins

TL;DR

This paper reviews electric/magnetic duality in supersymmetric gauge theories and explains its origins from string theory, connecting concepts like black holes, eleven dimensions, and supermembranes to the duality framework.

Contribution

It demonstrates how electric/magnetic duality in supersymmetric theories arises from string/string duality, integrating higher-dimensional objects and black hole physics.

Findings

Duality relates strong and weak coupling regimes.

String theory provides a fundamental origin for gauge duality.

Connections to black holes and higher-dimensional objects are established.

Abstract

We review electric/magnetic duality in $N=4$ (and certain $N=2$) globally supersymmetric gauge theories and show how this duality, which relates strong to weak coupling, follows as a consequence of a string/string duality. Black holes, eleven dimensions and supermembranes also have a part to play in the big picture.