The publication of the first edition of “Introduction to Supersymmetry and Supergravity” was a remarkable success. This second edition contains a substantial amount of new material especially on two-dimensional supersymmetry algebras, their irreducible representations as well as rigid and local (i.e. supergravity) theories of 2-dimensional supersymmetry both in x-space and superspace. These theories include the actions for the superstring and the heterotic string. In addition, a chapter is devoted to a discussion on superconformal algebras in two dimensions and contains an account of super operator product expansion.
To the 1st edition of this monograph (addressed to advanced graduate students and researchers ) the author, responding to developments within superstring theory, has added 51/2 chapters dealing with two- dimensional supersymmetry. Authoritative, as lucid as the subject matter allows (yet demanding nonetheless!), attractively produced and priced. (NW) Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Ideas and Methods of Supersymmetry and Supergravity: Or a Walk Through Superspace provides a comprehensive, detailed, and self-contained account of four dimensional simple supersymmetry and supergravity. Throughout the book, the authors cultivate their material in detail with calculations and full discussions of the fundamental ideas and motivations. They develop the subject in its superfield formulations but where appropriate for illustration, analogy, and comparison with conventional field theory, they use the component formulation. The book discusses many subjects that, until now, can only be found in the research literature. In addition, it presents a plethora of new results. Combining classical and quantum field theory with group theory, differential geometry, and algebra, the book begins with a solid mathematical background that is used in the rest of the book. The next chapter covers algebraic aspects of supersymmetry and the concepts of superspace and superfield. In the following chapters, the book presents classical and quantum superfield theory and the superfield formulation of supergravity. A synthesis of results and methods developed in the book, the final chapter concludes with the theory of effective action in curved superspaces. After studying this book, readers should be well prepared to pursue independent research in any area of supersymmetry and supergravity. It will be an indispensable source of reference for advanced graduate students, postdoctoral faculty, and researchers involved in quantum field theory, high energy physics, gravity theory, mathematical physics, and applied mathematics.
Adopting an elegant geometrical approach, this advanced pedagogical text describes deep and intuitive methods for understanding the subtle logic of supersymmetry while avoiding lengthy computations. The book describes how complex results and formulae obtained using other approaches can be significantly simplified when translated to a geometric setting. Introductory chapters describe geometric structures in field theory in the general case, while detailed later chapters address specific structures such as parallel tensor fields, G-structures, and isometry groups. The relationship between structures in supergravity and periodic maps of algebraic manifolds, Kodaira–Spencer theory, modularity, and the arithmetic properties of supergravity are also addressed. Relevant geometric concepts are introduced and described in detail, providing a self-contained toolkit of useful techniques, formulae and constructions. Covering all the material necessary for the application of supersymmetric field theories to fundamental physical questions, this is an outstanding resource for graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics.
This volume is a compilation of lectures delivered at the TASI 2016 summer school, 'Anticipating the Next Discoveries in Particle Physics', held at the University of Colorado at Boulder in June 2016. The school focused on topics in theoretical particle physics, phenomenology, dark matter, and cosmology of interest to contemporary researchers in these fields. The lectures are accessible to graduate students in the initial stages of their research careers.
In June 1997, fifty-seven of the world's best students gathered at TASI '97 in Boulder, Colorado, USA, to attend an intensive series of lectures on the theory and phenomenology of supersymmetry, supergravity and supercolliders. This book contains the proceedings of that school. It is aimed at advanced graduate students as well as postdoctoral and other researchers. It provides a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in an active area of high energy particle theory, and may perhaps serve as a preview of physics to be discovered in the next decade.
This is the first systematic introduction to electromagnetic duality and its generalisations. The authors are the leading figures in this exciting new area of mathematical physics, and their lectures have been organised not only to link with each other but also to describe the fundamental ideas, the latest developments, and some earlier work whose significance has only recently become apparent. This will be essential reading for all those working in mathematical physics.
This widely acclaimed introduction to N = 1 supersymmetry and supergravity is aimed at readers familiar with relativistic quantum field theory who wish to learn about the supersymmetry algebra. In this new volume Supersymmetry and Supergravity has been greatly expanded to include a detailed derivation of the most general coupling of super-symmetric gauge theory to supergravity. The final result is the starting point for phenomenological studies of supersymmetric theories. The book is distinguished by its pedagogical approach to supersymmetry. It develops several topics in advanced field theory as the need arises. It emphasizes the logical coherence of the subject and should appeal to physicists whose interests range from the mathematical to the phenomenological. In praise of the first edition: "A beautiful exposition of the original ideas of Wess and Zumino in formulating N = 1 supersymmetry and supergravity theories, couched in the language of superfields introduced by Strathdee and the reviewer.... [All] serious students of particle physics would do well to acquire a copy."--Abdus Salam, Nature "An excellent introduction to this exciting area of theoretical physics."--C. J. Isham, Physics Bulletin
The authors present a rigorous treatment of the first principles of the algebraic and analytic core of quantum field theory. Their aim is to correlate modern mathematical theory with the explanation of the observed process of particle production and of particle-wave duality that heuristic quantum field theory provides. Many topics are treated here in book form for the first time, from the origins of complex structures to the quantization of tachyons and domains of dependence for quantized wave equations. This work begins with a comprehensive analysis, in a universal format, of the structure and characterization of free fields, which is illustrated by applications to specific fields. Nonlinear local functions of both free fields (or Wick products) and interacting fields are established mathematically in a way that is consistent with the basic physical constraints and practice. Among other topics discussed are functional integration, Fourier transforms in Hilbert space, and implementability of canonical transformations. The authors address readers interested in fundamental mathematical physics and who have at least the training of an entering graduate student. A series of lexicons connects the mathematical development with the underlying physical motivation or interpretation. The examples and problems illustrate the theory and relate it to the scientific literature. Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
