Product Description

String theory is one of the most exciting and challenging areas of modern theoretical physics. This book guides the reader from the basics of string theory to recent developments. It introduces the basics of perturbative string theory, world-sheet supersymmetry, space-time supersymmetry, conformal field theory and the heterotic string, before describing modern developments, including D-branes, string dualities and M-theory. It then covers string geometry and flux compactifications, applications to cosmology and particle physics, black holes in string theory and M-theory, and the microscopic origin of black-hole entropy. It concludes with Matrix theory, the AdS/CFT duality and its generalizations. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers in modern string theory, and will make an excellent textbook for a one-year course on string theory. It contains over 120 exercises with solutions, and over 200 homework problems with solutions available on a password protected website for lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521860697.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #297365 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 756 pages

Review
'This is the first comprehensive textbook on string theory to also offer an up-to-date picture of the most important theoretical developments of the last decade, including the AdS/CFT correspondence and flux compactifications, which have played a crucial role in modern efforts to make contact with experiment. An excellent resource for graduate students as well as researchers in high-energy physics and cosmology.' Nima Arkani-Hamed, Harvard University

'An exceptional introduction to string theory that contains a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the theory, including recent developments. The clear pedagogical style and the many excellent exercises should provide the interested student or researcher a straightforward path to the frontiers of current research.' David Gross, Director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2004

'Masterfully written by pioneers of the subject, comprehensive, up-to-date and replete with illuminating problem sets and their solutions, String Theory and M-theory: A Modern Introduction provides an ideal preparation for research on the current forefront of the fundamental laws of nature. It is destined to become the standard textbook in the subject.' Andrew Strominger, Harvard University

'This book is a magnificent resource for students and researchers alike in the rapidly evolving field of string theory. It is unique in that it is targeted for students without any knowledge of string theory and at the same time it includes the very latest developments of the field, all presented in a very fluid and simple form. The lucid description is nicely complemented by very instructive problems. I highly recommend this book to all researchers interested in the beautiful field of string theory.' Cumrun Vafa, Harvard University

'This elegantly written book will be a valuable resource for students looking for an entry-way to the vast and exciting topic of string theory. The authors have skillfully made a selection of topics aimed at helping the beginner get up to speed. I am sure it will be widely read.' Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, winner of the Fields Medal in 1990

About the Author
Katrin Becker is a Professor of Physics at Texas A & M University. She has been awarded the Radcliffe Fellowship from Harvard University in 2006 and received the Alfred Sloan Fellowship in 2003.

Melanie Becker is a Professor of Physics at Texas A & M University. In 2006 she has been awarded an Edward, Frances and Shirley B. Daniels Fellowship from the Radcliffe Fellowship for Advanced studies at Harvard University. In 2001 she received the Alfred Sloan Fellowship.

John Schwarz is Harold Brown Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He is a MacArthur Fellow and member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Customer Reviews

The next step up from Zwiebach
This book is layed out very well with exercises and worked solutions throughout the chapters . It has extended problems at the end of chapters as "Homeworks". For these reasons it is a very good book for a self taught student. It is still aimed at the later undergraduate or postgraduate and so is a more challenging and comprehensive book than "A first course in String Theory"

In my opinion, the order in which the books should be attempted and the increasing level of hardness is:

1. Zwiebach "A First Course In String Theory"
2. Becker, Becker, Schwarz. (This book)
3. Polchinski or Green, Shwarz, Witten

The book "String Theory In A Nutshell" is perhaps too ruthless in its approach for a self teach book. but is somewhere between 2/3.

A Postgrad physicist may attempt 2 or 3 without 1.

In General I think this is the best book (Becker, Becker, Schwarz) for a more physically minded newby to string theory. Polchinski might be a little too tough without some experience and

Book 1. is great for an overview and to warm some of your maths and physics skills up to the right level but is exactly what it says, "A FIRST COURSE" i.e. very first exposure to string theory and not string theory proper.

Accessible Introduction for the graduate
I have so far found this new string theory book comprehensible and clear.With a knowlege of quantum mechanics , general relativity and some standard undergraduate mathematics especially variational principles, group theory,topology etc.. this book looks like it might be the the way into strings for thousands of students like myself who like myself have wanted to get an actual understanding of the flavour of this highly exciting and controvertial theoretical framework. For self study I think its fabulous as there are many fully worked solution.
I think for a mathematician or a phyics graduate this is a better start point than Zweibach.

My favorite single-volume string theory book.
I approach the subject from a mathematical direction having been greatly interested in the fact that historically speaking, string theory has been evolving backwards and still searching for its appropriate geometry. While only a few of the prominant names in the area have undertaken the task of writing a comprehensive manuscript on string theory, the past couple of decades has seen the publication of texts by Polchinski, Kaku, Zwiebach, Kiritsis, and several others, all with their own merits, scope, and style of presentation. The present title as far as I know is the first on the topic chiefly written by female physicists (who are inevitably better at explaining things!) and eventhough as some experts have noted elsewhere, there is still room for improvements in a few places, Becker & Schwarz is one of the best current options for teaching a first-year graduate course and for reference. As the writers have noted in the Preface, the book assumes a background in quantum field theory, general relativity, and also familiarity with the mathematical concepts and constructs in group theory, differential geometry, and topology. The discussion starts out with the basics on perturbative string theory, moving into conformal field theory, supersymmetry, dualities, and finally to the more modern developments such as D-branes and M-theory. My favorite chapters are the ones on String Geometry (chapter 9) and Flux Compactifications (chapter 10), the latter being one of the more recent developments in the area not discussed in the earlier books. In a departure from the 1980's and 1990's trends, string theory has become progressively more accessible to nonspecialists (such as engineers), therefore the 120-or-so worked-out problems and the other 200 homework exercises which are included provide a good setting for those not taking an official course, to try their hand on solving various problems for better understanding the subject. In summary, Becker & Schwarz (and its possible future editions) is destined to be one of the main treatises of string theory in the coming years.