String Theory: Volume 1, An Introduction to the Bosonic String

Joseph Polchinski

ISBN 10: 0521672279 / ISBN 13: 9780521672276

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2005

About this Item

2005. Paperback. This is a comprehensive 1998 account of supersymmetric strings, for graduate students and researchers. Series Editor(s): Landshoff, P. V.; Nelson, David R.; Weinberg, S. Series: Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics. Num Pages: 424 pages, 51 b/w illus. 103 exercises. BIC Classification: PHQ. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 244 x 171 x 23. Weight in Grams: 724. Introduction to the Bosonic String. Series: Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics. 424 pages, 51 b/w illus. 103 exercises. This is a comprehensive 1998 account of supersymmetric strings, for graduate students and researchers. Cateogry: (P) Professional & Vocational. BIC Classification: PHQ. Dimension: 244 x 171 x 23. Weight: 672. Series Editor(s) :Landshoff, P.V.; Nelson, D. R.; Weinberg, S. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780521672276

Bibliographic Details

• Title: String Theory: Volume 1, An Introduction to the Bosonic String
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521672279
• ISBN 13: 9780521672276
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The two volumes that comprise String Theory provide an up-to-date, comprehensive account of string theory. Volume 1 provides a thorough introduction to the bosonic string, based on the Polyakov path integral and conformal field theory. The first four chapters introduce the central ideas of string theory, the tools of conformal field theory, the Polyakov path integral, and the covariant quantization of the string. The book then treats string interactions: the general formalism, and detailed treatments of the tree level and one loop amplitudes. Toroidal compactification and many important aspects of string physics, such as T-duality and D-branes are also covered, as are higher-order amplitudes, including an analysis of their finiteness and unitarity, and various nonperturbative ideas. The volume closes with an appendix giving a short course on path integral methods, followed by annotated references, and a detailed glossary.

Book Description

String theory has advanced rapidly over the last 15 years and is increasingly seen as the best, and perhaps only, route to the complete unification of the four fundamental forces--the so-called "theory of everything". This text provides, in two volumes, a thoroughly modern and comprehensive introduction to strings and superstrings, and brings the reader up to date on the latest developments in string duality, M-theory, D-branes, and the application of string theory to black hole quantum mechanics. The author is one of the world's top string theorists, and is also known as a clear and cogent writer. The two volumes are written at a level appropriate to graduate students in physics. This is the first major textbook on strings since the two volume work of Green, Schwartz and Witten 10 years ago (which sold extraordinarily well, reprinting within a month of publication). The main market for the book is theoretical physicists, particle physicists, astrophysicists, cosmologists and applied mathematicians. However, this is an accessible book on one of the most fundamental questions in physics by a top researcher. It has all the ingredients to be a best seller.