General Information

Graduate Topics course; topics change every year.

Prerequisites

Topics Covered

Fall 2024: String Theory

Workload

~ 1 pset/2 weeks requiring 5-10 hrs of work each and a final report on a famous result in string theory (of your choosing). Most of the homework was based on lecture content, but occasionally required reading the corresponding sections from Polchinski. The class really should be a normal 3 credit course but for whatever reason it is listed as 1 credit. [Fall 2024]

General Advice

If you’ve taken the prerequisites (gr and qft), you should 100% take the class, even if you do not plan on doing research in string theory. Unfortunately, it is not always offered (the last time it was taught was 6 years prior to this) so you just have to be lucky that there is a critical mass of theory grad students ready/willing to take this class. [Fall 2024]

Testimonials

Extraordinarily well taught class; definitely the best physics class I’ve taken during my four years at Cornell. The professor (Prof. McAllister) brought cheese, fruit, and crackers to each lecture since it was at a very late timeslot (Wednesdays 6-8 PM) which was so nice. The semester I was taught, we focused on the foundations of the theory using the bosonic string, and we were introduced to some advanced topics like D-branes and superstring theory in the last few lectures. This ended up being most of Volume 1 of Polchinski (excluding some of the amplitudes content) and a bit of Volume 2. Rating: 5/5. [Fall 2024]

Past Offerings

Semester Professor Median Grade Syllabi
Fall 2024 Liam McAllister S (the course is 1 credit, S/U option only) PHYS7687_FA24.pdf