Fourteenth Chris Engelbrecht Summer School in Theoretical Physics

23 January to 1 February 2002

Devon Valley Hotel, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The Fourteenth Chris Engelbrecht Summer School in Theoretical Physics is sponsored by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) and by Stanford University .  It is supported by the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) and the Organisation of Theoretical Physicists (OTP).

THANKS TO ALL LECTURERS AND PARTICIPANTS FOR MAKING THIS SUMMER SCHOOL AND WORKSHOP A GREAT SUCCESS.

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The Summer School will be followed by a 3 week workshop (4-22 February 2002) on school related topics, especially string theory and its relation to and impact on other fields in theoretical physics. Participants will also focus on the status, role and promotion of theoretical physics in Southern Africa and the African continent, especially during the final week of the workshop.

The workshop is being run under the auspices of the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study as a jointly sponsored venture with  Stanford University and the Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of the Witwatersrand.

The workshop format anticipates that up to 16 people will be participating at any given time during the 3 weeks.  Further information about the workshop and participation may be obtained from:
Hendrik Geyer ( hbg@sun.ac.za ),
Joao Rodrigues ( joao@physnet.phys.wits.ac.za ) or 
Leonard Susskind ( susskind@hbar.stanford.edu ).
Details will also be posted here as they become available.  Some funds are available to cover the local expenses of workshop participants.

Time and Venue

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The school will take place from Wednesday, 23 January to Friday, 
1 February 2002 at the Devon Valley Protea Hotel situated 6 km outside Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa. 

Theme

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QUANTUM GRAVITY, STRING THEORY AND COSMOLOGY 

Course Lecturers and Topics

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Jonathan Dorfan, Director, SLAC, Stanford, USA
Background of experiments performed at SLAC; basic theory and implications for the standard model.

Sylvester James (Jim) Gates, University of Maryland, USA
Introduction to Supersymmetry; state of the art in supergravity and M theory.

Brian Greene, Columbia University, USA
Calabi-Yau manifolds and topology change in spacetime.

David Gross, ITP Santa Barbara, USA
Introduction to String Theory; the Bosonic Open String Field Theory.

Antal Jevicki, Brown University, USA
Introduction to the AdS/CFT (Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory) correspondence; Non-commutative Gravity / Stringy exclusion principle.

Clifford Johnson, University of Durham, UK
Enhancon mechanism.

Ashoke Sen, Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, India
Introduction to D-branes; Tachyon Condensation.

Leonard Susskind, Stanford University, USA
Introduction to Back Holes, the Information Loss Paradox; the Holographic Principle; Infra-red/Ultra-violet correspondence; Wilson loops as precursors.

Neil Turok, Cambridge University, UK
Introduction to Cosmology: problems and challenges for our current understanding of cosmology; the Ekpyrotic Universe.

Format

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About 40 one-hour lectures will be presented in English. 

Participation

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The course is a graduate school aimed primarily at theoretical physicists and postgraduate students interested in broadening their knowledge of the field.  Interested parties with other backgrounds are welcome to register, but we do expect all participants to have a suitable background in the natural sciences or engineering, typically at least an honours degree and a basic knowledge of quantum field theory.  If there is sufficient demand, the organizers will consider arranging pre-school lectures to cover basic introductory material, the duration and scheduling of which will be determined in consultation with those interested.

Students

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Students are normally expected to find support from their home institution and/or thesis advisor to participate in the school.  Funds are, however, available to support a number of bona fide, full-time local students.  It is envisaged that the successful candidates will be subsidized up to 60% of their total accommodation costs.  Interested students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.  Applications for a subsidy should provide a summary of personal details and include a letter of recommendation from the Head of Department or thesis advisor.  Complete applications should be sent to Prof. HB Geyer at the secretariat address below. Only in cases of particular need will increased support be considered for well motivated and meritful applications.  It is unfortunately not possible to subsidize any travelling costs.

Applicants will be informed by 15 November 2001 if they had been successful.  After that date all applications will be subject to available funding.

Accommodation

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The Devon Valley Protea Hotel is a three star hotel, surrounded by  8 hectares of its own vineyards, situated  6 km outside the historic town of Stellenbosch.  Situated within a 20 minute drive to Cape Town International Airport and 35 minutes to central Cape Town and the Waterfront, it offers a beautiful view over the Cape Winelands and the Helderberg Mountains.  The hotel has a swimming pool and  jacuzzi and offers the opportunity to play Petanque (the ancient French game played with metal balls) as well as golf at the nearby Devon Vale Golf Course.  Futhermore, wine tasting and musical performances can be arranged.  There are also several hiking trials in the Stellenbosch environment.  Rooms have private bathrooms, telephones, radios and satellite TV.

A provisional booking of single and double rooms has been made and rooms will be allocated on 'a first paid, first served' basis.  Should the need arise, the hotel management has undertaken to arrange additional comparable accommodation at the school rates in nearby guest houses in the Devon Valley, to and from which the hotel will provide a shuttle service.  Participants will be informed about the accommodation status at first registration, with confirmation at receipt of a deposit.

Students who are unable to obtain the financial support (including subsidy from the school) to stay at the hotel, may be accommodated elsewhere if the organizing committee is notified well in advance, although we would like to limit this option to the minimum for logistical reasons.  Other participants who prefer not to stay at the hotel, are requested to make their own reservations.  Unfortunately the secretariat of the school cannot accept responsibility for individual reservations at other guesthouses or hotels.  More information on Stellenbosch, the surroundings, and a list of some guesthouses and hotels can be found by following the link below: http://www.stellenboschvillage.com.   
For a greater variety of options the tourist information office can be contacted at:

E-mail facilities will be available. 

Transport

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Transport from Cape Town International airport to the school venue has been organized for all lecturers according to the travel information they provided.

Transport for all other participants who have completed their arrival details online has been organized.

School representatives, carrying name boards, will meet lecturers and participants in the respective Arrival Halls. 

Devon Valley Hotel offers a daily shuttle service to Stellenbosch at a minimal cost.

For any last minute changes or in those cases where travel info had not previously been made available, please contact Wanda Botha urgently or complete FORM 2 (travel arrangements) or FORM 3 (any changes to info already submitted), online.

Costs

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Registration fee

All course documentation is included in the registration fee.

Accommodation
A special school package is offered to participants at the following rates:

Accommodation includes three meals per day at the Devon Valley Hotel, as well as refreshments during tea-breaks and use of the conference facilities.  Rooms are available from the afternoon of Tuesday 22 Jan and must be evacuated by Friday morning, 1 Feb.  The package does not include lunch and dinner on Sat 26 and Sun 27 Jan, as many participants prefer to explore Stellenbosch and the Cape Peninsula over the weekend.  Dinner on Tue 22 Jan is included, as well as breakfast and lunch on Fri 1 Feb.

Daily Conference Rates
The following daily rate is payable by participants who prefer to arrange their own accommodation. This rate includes use of the conference facilities, refreshments during tea-breaks and lunch at the hotel.

Deposit for accommodation 

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The following deposits are required to secure accommodation at the hotel:

The closing date for registration and payment of an accommodation deposit is 12 December 2001. The balance of accommodation costs is payable by Friday 25 January 2002.

( Registration closed)

Payment details

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Participants resident in South Africa can pay by personal cheque.   Foreign participants can pay by bank draft or bank transfer (in US dollars).  All cheques and bank drafts should be made payable to 'Theoretical Physics Summer School'.  For bank transfers refer to the following information:

If payment is made by bank transfer, a copy of the transfer instruction should be faxed to the secretariat at (+27-21-8083385).

Please ensure that you add your REFERENCE NUMBER on the Bank Deposit Slip / other documentation, which is submitted to the secretariat as proof of payment. 

Organizing
Committee

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Contact info

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( Registration closed)

Please return regularly to check this page for the most up to date information and any possible program changes, including the preliminary program.

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