Gravity and Strings
Gravity and Strings
$104.99
USDOne appealing feature of string theory is that it provides a theory of quantum gravity. Gravity and Strings is a self-contained, pedagogical exposition of this theory, its foundations and its basic results. In Part I, the foundations are traced back to the very early special-relativistic field theories of gravity, showing how such theories lead to general relativity. Gauge theories of gravity are then discussed and used to introduce supergravity theories. In Part II, some of the most interesting solutions of general relativity and its generalizations are studied. The final Part presents and studies string theory from the effective action point of view, using the results found earlier in the book as background. This 2004 book will be useful as a reference book for graduate students and researchers, as well as a complementary textbook for courses on gravity, supergravity and string theory.
- Self-contained, with a great deal of information (in particular actions and solutions) described in uniform notation and conventions, so it is perfect as a reference book
- Includes a unique review of Special-Relativistic Theories of Gravity
- Written from a pedagogical point of view, assuming little previous knowledge of the subject
Product details
May 2006Adobe eBook Reader
9780511189241
0 pages
0kg
28 b/w illus. 13 tables
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Part I. Introduction to Gravity and Supergravity:
- 1. Differential geometry
- 2. Noether's theorems
- 3. A perturbative introduction to general relativity
- 4. Action principles for gravity
- 5. N = 1, 2, d = 4 supergravities
- 6. Conserved charges in general relativity
- Part II. Gravitating Point-Particles:
- 7. The Schwarzschild black hole
- 8. The Reissner-Nordström black hole
- 9. The Taub-NUT solution
- 10. Gravitational pp-waves
- 11. The Kaluza-Klein black hole
- 12. Dilaton and dilaton/axion black holes
- 13. Unbroken supersymmetry
- Part III. Gravitating Extended Objects of String Theory:
- 14. String theory
- 15. The string effective action and T duality
- 16. From eleven to four dimensions
- 17. The type-IIB superstring and type-II T duality
- 18. Extended objects
- 19. The extended objects of string theory
- 20. String black holes in four and five dimensions
- Appendix A. Lie groups, symmetric spaces and Yang-Mills fields
- Appendix B. Gamma matrices and spinors
- Appendix C. n-Spheres
- Appendix D. Palatini's identity
- Appendix E. Conformal rescalings
- Appendix F. Connections and curvature components
- Appendix G. The harmonic operator on R3 x S1
- References
- Index.
