| One of the main features expected of a quantum theory of gravity is non-locality. Implementing non-locality in quantum field theories turns out to be already challenging both conceptually and technically and requires the use of several techniques, such as string dualities and twists in order to construct and understand the effects of non-locality. This thesis explored these concepts in the construction of quantum field theories with a particular type of non- locality, non-commutative geometry, as an opportunity to study non-locality in a broader context. Another important challenge of theoretical physics is to connect the microscopic structure of spacetime implied by string theory to the empirical fact that the cosmological constant is positive and that the universe is asymptotically de Sitter. Constructing de Sitter space from string theory has proven to be extremely difficult over the years. In this thesis, I will discuss recent work in these areas. |
