This dissertation splits into two distinct halves. The first half is devoted to the study of the holography of higher spin gauge theory in AdS$_3$. We present a conjecture that the holographic dual of $W_N$ minimal model in a 't Hooft-like large $N$ limit is an unusual ``semi-local" higher spin gauge theory on AdS$_3\times $S$^1$. At each point on the S$^1$ lives a copy of three-dimensional Vasiliev theory, that contains an infinite tower of higher spin gauge fields coupled to a single massive complex scalar propagating in AdS$_3$. The Vasiliev theories at different points on the S$^1$ are correlated only through the AdS$_3$ boundary conditions on the massive scalars. All but one single tower of higher spin symmetries are broken by the boundary conditions. This conjecture is checked by comparing tree-level two- and three-point functions, and also one-loop partition functions on both side of the duality. The second half focuses on the holography of higher spin gauge theory in AdS$_4$. We demonstrate that a supersymmetric and parity violating version of Vasiliev's higher spin gauge theory in AdS$_4$ admits boundary conditions that preserve ${\cal N}=0,1,2,3,4$ or $6$ supersymmetries. In particular, we argue that the Vasiliev theory with $U(M)$ Chan-Paton and ${\cal N}=6$ boundary condition is holographically dual to the 2+1 dimensional $U(N)_k\times U(M)_{-k}$ ABJ theory in the limit of large $N,k$ and finite $M$. In this system all bulk higher spin fields transform in the adjoint of the $U(M)$ gauge group, whose bulk t'Hooft coupling is $\frac{M}{N}$. Our picture suggests that the supersymmetric Vasiliev theory can be obtained as a limit of type IIA string theory in AdS$_4\times \mathbb{CP}^3$, and that the non-Abelian Vasiliev theory at strong bulk 't Hooft coupling smoothly turn into a string field theory. The fundamental string is a singlet bound state of Vasiliev's higher spin particles held together by $U(M)$ gauge interactions. / Physics

<p>For the first time in the history of physics we stand in front of a theory that might actually serve as a unification of it all - string theory. It provides a self-consistent framework for gravity and quantum mechanics, which naturally incorporates matter and gauge interactions of the type seen in the standard model. Unfortunately, at the moment we do not know of any principle that selects the vacuum of the theory, so predictions about our four-dimensional world are still absent. However, the introduction of extended objects opens up an intricate new arena of physics, which is non-trivial and challenging to map out, even at a basic level.</p><p>A key concept of quantum gravity is holography; this is realised in string theory by the AdS/CFT correspondence, which relates string theory to a field theory living in a lower dimensional space. In this thesis we discuss two limits of the correspondence, namely the BMN limit, giving rise to a plane wave geometry, and the tensionless limit, exhibiting massless higher spin interactions. We also study a limit of string theory in a background electric field, where the theory is described by open strings and positively wound closed strings only.</p><p>We begin with a brief review of the theory, focusing on an intuitive understanding of the basic aspects and serving as an introduction to the papers. In the first paper we calculate, from two different points of view, scattering amplitudes in the non-commutative open string limit. In the second paper we obtain the quadratic scalar field contributions to the stress-energy tensor in the minimal bosonic higher spin gauge theory in four dimensions. In the last paper we propose a way to avoid fermion doubling when discretizing the string in the BMN limit.</p>

<p>String theory has proved to be a valuable theoretical laboratory for probing gravity and gauge theory in a unified framework. In this thesis some of the exciting spin-offs of string theory such as branes and higher spin are studied. After a review of the basics of string theory the four papers of the thesis are discussed. In the first paper we support the equivalence between two descriptions of non-commutative open strings by calculating scattering amplitudes in both approaches. The second paper gives a physical interpretation of the fact that Ramond-Ramond charge in string theory on SU(2) is only defined modulo an integer. In the third paper we calculate contributions to the stress-energy tensor of higher-spin theory in four dimensional AdS space, and in the last paper of the thesis we compare the free energy of the two dimesional type 0A extremal blackhole and find agreement with the corresponding quantity in a deformed matrix model.</p>

For the first time in the history of physics we stand in front of a theory that might actually serve as a unification of it all - string theory. It provides a self-consistent framework for gravity and quantum mechanics, which naturally incorporates matter and gauge interactions of the type seen in the standard model. Unfortunately, at the moment we do not know of any principle that selects the vacuum of the theory, so predictions about our four-dimensional world are still absent. However, the introduction of extended objects opens up an intricate new arena of physics, which is non-trivial and challenging to map out, even at a basic level. A key concept of quantum gravity is holography; this is realised in string theory by the AdS/CFT correspondence, which relates string theory to a field theory living in a lower dimensional space. In this thesis we discuss two limits of the correspondence, namely the BMN limit, giving rise to a plane wave geometry, and the tensionless limit, exhibiting massless higher spin interactions. We also study a limit of string theory in a background electric field, where the theory is described by open strings and positively wound closed strings only. We begin with a brief review of the theory, focusing on an intuitive understanding of the basic aspects and serving as an introduction to the papers. In the first paper we calculate, from two different points of view, scattering amplitudes in the non-commutative open string limit. In the second paper we obtain the quadratic scalar field contributions to the stress-energy tensor in the minimal bosonic higher spin gauge theory in four dimensions. In the last paper we propose a way to avoid fermion doubling when discretizing the string in the BMN limit.

String theory has proved to be a valuable theoretical laboratory for probing gravity and gauge theory in a unified framework. In this thesis some of the exciting spin-offs of string theory such as branes and higher spin are studied. After a review of the basics of string theory the four papers of the thesis are discussed. In the first paper we support the equivalence between two descriptions of non-commutative open strings by calculating scattering amplitudes in both approaches. The second paper gives a physical interpretation of the fact that Ramond-Ramond charge in string theory on SU(2) is only defined modulo an integer. In the third paper we calculate contributions to the stress-energy tensor of higher-spin theory in four dimensional AdS space, and in the last paper of the thesis we compare the free energy of the two dimesional type 0A extremal blackhole and find agreement with the corresponding quantity in a deformed matrix model.

The thesis treats aspects of string/M-theory in anti-de Sitter spacetimes and their supersymmetric completions. By applying the AdS/CFT correspondence, as well as models of spin chains and singletons, we try to attain a better understanding of the underlying symmetries and the unbroken phases of string/M-theory. Tensionless string/M-theory in anti-de Sitter spacetime is argued to imply a higher spin gauge symmetry enhancement and to be described by gauged sigma models of multi-singletons as well as by closed singleton strings. Vasiliev's weakly projected equations of symmetric massless higher spin gauge fields in the vector oscillator formulation is shown to follow from a deformation of the singleton model. Various four dimensional minimal as well as non-minimal supersymmetric higher spin gauge theories in the spinor formulation are examined. The minimal higher spin gauge theory based on the symmetry algebra hs(1|4) is elaborated on in an N=1 superspace, illustrating the remarkable fact that the choice of base manifold is not fixed in unfolded dynamics. The importance of the representations saturating the unitarity bounds in anti-de Sitter spacetime is stressed throughout the thesis, with particular emphasis on the singleton and the massless representations. Singletons, and hence massless states, are shown to appear as bound states on the string or p-brane and are localized at cusps. Furthermore, we examine semiclassical string solutions in Type IIB String Theory in AdS(5) x S(5) and their boundary duals in N=4 Super Yang-Mills Theory in d=4 which are constituted out of thermodynamic composite operators. By using integrable spin chain techniques and Bäcklund transformations in the field theory and in the string theory, respectively, the one-loop anomalous dimensions as well as the tower of conserved charges of the composite operators are shown to be in agreement with the energies and the tower of conserved charges associated with the dual string states.