The M(atrix) model of M-theory

Abstract

These lecture notes give a pedagogical and (mostly) self-contained review of some basic aspects of the Matrix model of M-theory. The derivations of the model as a regularized supermembrane theory and as the discrete light-cone quantization of M-theory are presented. The construction of M-theory objects from matrices is described, and gravitational interactions between these objects are derived using Yang-Mills perturbation theory. Generalizations of the model to compact and curved space-times are discussed, and the current status of the theory is reviewed.