Superstring Theory, Volume 1: Introduction

In recent years, superstring theory has emerged as a promising approach to reconciling general relativity with quantum mechanics and unifying the fundamental interactions. Problems that have seemed insuperable in previous approaches take on a totally new character in the context of superstring theory, and some of them have been overcome. Interest in the subject has greatly increased following a succession of exciting recent developments. This two-volume book attempts to meet the need for a systematic exposition of superstring theory and its applications accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

A systematic analysis of superstring theory and its applications is written for a wide audience's accessibility. Volume 1 provides a self contained introduction, beginning with an elementary treatment of the bosonic string. Volume 2 delves more deeply into topics of current interest and presents many topics from recent research papers.