Strings, Conformal Fields, and Topology: An Introduction

✍ Scribed by Michio Kaku (auth.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 543
• Series: Graduate Texts in Contemporary Physics
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Following on the foundations laid in his earlier book "Introduction to Superstrings", Professor Kaku discusses such topics as the classification of conformal string theories, the non-polynomial closed string field theory, matrix models, and topological field theory. The presentation of the material is self-contained, and several chapters review material expounded in the earlier book. This book provides students with an understanding of the main areas of current progress in string theory, placing the reader at the forefront of current research.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xiv
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Introduction to Superstrings....Pages 3-37
BPZ Bootstrap and Minimal Models....Pages 38-69
WZW Model, Cosets, and Rational Conformal Field Theory....Pages 70-97
Modular Invariance and the A—D—E Classification....Pages 98-134
N=2 SUSY and Parafermions....Pages 135-171
Yang—Baxter Relation....Pages 172-202
Towards a Classification of Conformal Field Theories....Pages 203-238
Knot Theory and Quantum Groups....Pages 239-281
Front Matter....Pages 283-283
Beyond the Planck Length....Pages 285-314
String Field Theory....Pages 315-353
Nonpolynomial String Field Theory....Pages 354-388
Geometric String Field Theory....Pages 389-427
2D Gravity and Matrix Models....Pages 428-468
Topological Field Theory....Pages 469-513
Back Matter....Pages 514-535

✦ Subjects

Elementary Particles, Quantum Field Theory;Theoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics