Experimental Signatures of Strings and Branes

Type I string theory provides a D-brane world description of our universe and leads to two new scenaria for physics beyond the Standard Model: low string scale and plit supersymmetry. Lowering the string scale in the TeV region provides a heoretical framework for solving the mass hierarchy problem and unifymg all interactions. The apparent weakn'ess of gravity can then be accounted by the existence of large internal dimensions, in the submillimeter region, and transverse to a braneworld where we must be confined. I review the main properties of this scenario and its implications for observations at both particle cofiders, and in non-accelerator gravity experiments. I also review the main properties of split supersymmetry and present a concrete string realization which guarantees gauge coupling unification at the conventional scale $M_{GUT}\approx2$ x $10^{16}$GeV.