Strings is a series of international conferences on the topic of string theory and quantum gravity, held annually since 1988. It is a key event for the string theory community. In 2004, it gathered about 400 participants, with several more online. Important topics in string theory have been introduced for the first time during these conferences.
History
The first conference, Strings '88 was held from May 24 to 28, 1988 at the University of Maryland, College Park. It was inspired by the International Workshop on Strings, Composite Structures and Cosmology held in the same venue a year before.
The conferences were not that promising at first and some scientists suggested to stop the annual meetings, however it gained popularity in the 1990s. During Strings '95. Edward Witten discussed the concept of M-theory, sparking the second superstring revolution. In Strings '96, Tom Banks, Willy Fischler, Stephen Shenker, and Leonard Susskind introduced matrix theory; and during Strings '98, Jeffrey A. Harvey composed a song to celebrate Juan Maldacena recent discovery of AdS/CFT correspondence.
Physics Problems for the Next Millenium
During the Strings 2000, participants proposed and selected a "Top Ten Problems in Fundamental Physics for the Next Millenium", similar to the Millennium Prize Problems in mathematics. The problems are:
List of conferences
Here is a list of Strings conferences:
References
