This book provides a self-contained presentation of supergravity theories from its fundamentals to its most recent union with string and superstring theories, which are also reviewed in a self-contained manner. The subject is presented consistently in a unified geometric formalism, relying on the calculus of exterior forms and the mathematics needed to develop the theory is explained in appropriate chapters.
Self-contained and comprehensive, this definitive new edition provides a complete overview of the intersection of gravity, supergravity, and superstrings.
The joint authors are Riccardo D'Auria, and Pietro Fre. Their ambitious attempt here is to present a self-contained account of the field with sufficient explication to both introduce it and give an advanced treatment. They deal with gravity and differential geometry, the algebraic basis of supersymmetry, supergravity in the rheonomy framework, the role of the scalar fields, Kaluza-Klein supergravity and heterotic superstrings and supergravity. Carefully typed throughout--but typed, with the attendant strain on the eyes (and concentration). A very impressive piece of work (deserving of better than acidic bookpaper). Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This book is about supergravity, which combines the principles of general relativity and local gauge invariance with the idea of supersymmetries between bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom. The authors give a thorough and pedagogical introduction to the subject suitable for beginning graduate or advanced undergraduate students in theoretical high energy physics or mathematical physics. Interested researchers working in these or related areas are also addressed. The level of the presentation assumes a working knowledge of general relativity and basic notions of differential geometry as well as some familiarity with global supersymmetry in relativistic field theories. Bypassing curved superspace and other more technical approaches, the book starts from the simple idea of supersymmetry as a local gauge symmetry and derives the mathematical and physical properties of supergravity in a direct and “minimalistic” way, using a combination of explicit computations and geometrical reasoning. Key topics include spinors in curved spacetime, pure supergravity with and without a cosmological constant, matter couplings in global and local supersymmetry, phenomenological and cosmological implications, extended supergravity, gauged supergravity and supergravity in higher spacetime dimensions.
Supergravity, together with string theory, is one of the most significant developments in theoretical physics. Written by two of the most respected workers in the field, this is the first-ever authoritative and systematic account of supergravity. The book starts by reviewing aspects of relativistic field theory in Minkowski spacetime. After introducing the relevant ingredients of differential geometry and gravity, some basic supergravity theories (D=4 and D=11) and the main gauge theory tools are explained. In the second half of the book, complex geometry and N=1 and N=2 supergravity theories are covered. Classical solutions and a chapter on AdS/CFT complete the book. Numerous exercises and examples make it ideal for Ph.D. students, and with applications to model building, cosmology and solutions of supergravity theories, it is also invaluable to researchers. A website hosted by the authors, featuring solutions to some exercises and additional reading material, can be found at www.cambridge.org/supergravity.
Contains selection of expository and research article by lecturers at the school. Highlights current interests of researchers working at the interface between string theory and algebraic supergravity, supersymmetry, D-branes, the McKay correspondence andFourer-Mukai transform.
A run-away bestseller from the moment it hit the market in late 1999. This impressive, thick softcover offers mathematicians and mathematical physicists the opportunity to learn about the beautiful and difficult subjects of quantum field theory and string theory. Cover features an intriguing cartoon that will bring a smile to its intended audience.
A clear, plain-English guide to this complex scientific theory String theory is the hottest topic in physics right now, with books on the subject (pro and con) flying out of the stores. String Theory For Dummies offers an accessible introduction to this highly mathematical "theory of everything," which posits ten or more dimensions in an attempt to explain the basic nature of matter and energy. Written for both students and people interested in science, this guide explains concepts, discusses the string theory's hypotheses and predictions, and presents the math in an approachable manner. It features in-depth examples and an easy-to-understand style so that readers can understand this controversial, cutting-edge theory.
We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question which divides us is whether it is crazy enough. Niels Bohr Superstring theory has emerged as the most promising candidate for a quan tum theory of all known interactions. Superstrings apparently solve a problem that has defied solution for the past 50 years, namely the unification of the two great fundamental physical theories of the century, quantum field theory and general relativity. Superstring theory introduces an entirely new physical picture into theoretical physics and a new mathematics that has startled even the mathematicians. Ironically, although superstring theory is supposed to provide a unified field theory of the universe, the theory itself often seems like a confused jumble offolklore, random rules of thumb, and intuition. This is because the develop ment of superstring theory has been unlike that of any other theory, such as general relativity, which began with a geometry and an action and later evolved into a quantum theory. Superstring theory, by contrast, has been evolving backward for the past 20 years. It has a bizarre history, beginning with the purely accidental discovery of the quantum theory in 1968 by G. Veneziano and M. Suzuki. Thumbing through old math books, they stumbled by chance on the Beta function, written down in the last century by mathematician Leonhard Euler.
