An Introduction to the Bosonic String
The two volumes that comprise String Theory provide an up-to-date, comprehensive, and pedagogic introduction to string theory.
Volume I, An Introduction to the Bosonic String, provides a thorough introduction to the bosonic string, based on the Polyakov path integral and conformal field theory. 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 the finiteness and unitarity, and various nonperturbative ideas. An appendix giving a short course on path integral methods is also included.
Volume II, Superstring Theory and Beyond, begins with an introduction to supersymmetric string theories and goes on to a broad presentation of the important advances of recent years. The first three chapters introduce the type I, type II, and heterotic superstring theories and their interactions. The next two chapters present important recent discoveries about strongly coupled strings, beginning with a detailed treatment of D-branes and their dynamics, and covering string duality, M-theory, and black hole entropy. A following chapter collects many classic results in conformal field theory. The final four chapters are concerned with four-dimensional string theories, and have two goals: to show how some of the simplest string models connect with previous ideas for unifying the Standard Model; and to collect many important and beautiful general results on world-sheet and spacetime symmetries. An appendix summarizes the necessary background on fermions and supersymmetry.
Both volumes contain an annotated reference section, emphasizing references that will be useful to the student, as well as a detailed glossary of important terms and concepts. Many exercises are included which are intended to reinforce the main points of the text and to bring in additional ideas.
An essential text and reference for graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics, particle physics, and relativity with an interest in modern superstring theory.
Joseph Polchinski received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1980. After postdoctoral fellowships at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Harvard, he joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, moving to his present position of Professor of Physics at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and Permanent Member of the Institute for Theoretical Physics, in 1992.
Professor Polchinski is not only a clear and pedagogical expositor, but is also a leading string theorist. His discovery of the importance of D-branes in 1995 is one of the most important recent contributions in this field, and he has also made significant contributions to many areas of quantum field theory and to supersymmetric models of particle physics.