An introduction to the bosonic string
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
An introduction to the bosonic string
（Cambridge monographs on mathematical physics, . String theory / Joseph Polchinski ; v. 1）
Cambridge University Press, 1998
Available at 92 libraries
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 347-358) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
String Theory comprises two volumes which give a comprehensive and pedagogic account of the subject. Volume 1, first published in 1998, provides a thorough introduction to the bosonic string. The first four chapters introduce the central ideas of string theory, the tools of conformal field theory and of the Polyakov path integral, and the covariant quantization of the string. The next three chapters treat string interactions: the general formalism, and detailed treatments of the tree level and one loop amplitudes. Chapter eight covers toroidal compactification and many important aspects of string physics, such as T-duality and D-branes. Chapter nine treats higher-order amplitudes, including an analysis of their finiteness and unitarity, and various nonperturbative ideas. An appendix giving a short course on path integral methods is included. This is an essential text and reference for graduate students and researchers interested in modern superstring theory.
Table of Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Notation
- 1. A first look at strings
- 2. Conformal field theory
- 3. The Polyakov path integral
- 4. The string spectrum
- 5. The string S-matrix
- 6. Tree-level amplitudes
- 7. One-loop amplitudes
- 8. Toroidal compactification and T-duality
- 9. Higher order amplitudes
- Appendix A: a short course on path integrals
- References
- Glossary
- Index.
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