DeCAF Seminar Series:

Abstract: String theory provides a consistent microscopic framework for gravity and the other fundamental interactions. However, the string-derived models that we understand best differ from our universe in a key aspect: they are spacetime supersymmetric. In this talk, I will introduce supersymmetry and discuss the role it plays in string theory, highlighting the challenges that arise when supersymmetry is broken—both from formal and phenomenological perspectives. I will then comment on a hallmark of the absence of supersymmetry, the stability of the vacuum, and review recent progress toward understanding strings without supersymmetry.

Speaker Bio: Salvatore Raucci obtained his PhD at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (2020–2024) under the supervision of Augusto Sagnotti. Since 2024, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT-UAM/CSIC) in Madrid, in the group of Irene Valenzuela. His research focuses on the gravitational interaction within the framework of string theory. In particular, his interests include string compactifications, supersymmetry breaking in string theory, and the Swampland program.