nLab
worldvolume

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Idea

In a sigma-model quantum field theory a field configuration is a morphism ϕ:Σ→X for Σ an n-dimensional manifold or similar. One is to think of this as being the trajectory of an (n−1)-brane propagating in the target space X.

For the case n=1 (for instance the relativistic particle, a 0-brane) the term worldline for Σ has a long tradition. Accordingly one calls Σ the worldvolume of the given (n−1)-brane when n>1. For the case n=2 (the case of relevance in string theory) one also says worldsheet.

Revised on October 11, 2012 02:09:09 by Urs Schreiber (194.78.185.20)
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