Harmonic Superspace
Harmonic Superspace
E. A. Ivanov, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia
V. I. Ogievetsky
E. S. Sokatchev, Laboratoire d'Annecy-le-Vieux de Physique Théorique, France
Here is the first pedagogical introduction to harmonic superspace in extended supersymmetry by the scientists who developed the method. Inspired by developments in superstring theory, it provides a systematic treatment of the quantum field theories with N=2 and N=3 supersymmetry in Harmonic Superspace. The authors present the harmonic superspace approach as a means of providing an off-shell description of the N=2 supersymmetric theories, both at the classical and quantum levels. Furthermore, they show how it offers a unique way to construct an off-shell formulation of a theory with higher supersymmetry, namely, the N=3 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. Harmonic Superspace makes manifest many remarkable geometric properties of the N=2 theories, for example, the one-to-one correspondence between N=2 supersymmetric matter, and hyper-Kähler and quaternionic manifolds.
- Written by world experts in the field and the inventors of the harmonic superspace technique
- Comprehensive and pedagogical in its approach
- Complements other key texts on superstring theory in the same series
Reviews & endorsements
"...this book, written by the group which invented the method, contains a great deal of useful information and is a welcome survey of the early results starting from the pioneering paper of Galperin et al." Mathematical Reviews
"...the first discussion, outside of the confines of the research literature, to present pedagogically the intricacies of its topic. This is a unique book, a readable narrative that clearly explains the applications and achievements of the approach. The proseois clear, with a minimum of jargon. It succeeds in its goals" Physics Today
Product details
October 2001Hardback
9780521801645
322 pages
244 × 170 × 19 mm
0.71kg
20 b/w illus. 3 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Introductory overview
- 2. Elements of supersymmetry
- 3. Superspace
- 4. Harmonic analysis
- 5. N=2 matter with infinite sets of auxiliary fields
- 6. N=2 matter multiplets with a finite number of auxiliary fields. N=2 duality transformations
- 7. Supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories
- 8. Harmonic supergraphs
- 9. Conformal invariance in N=2 harmonic superspace
- 10. Supergravity
- 11. Hyper-Kähler geometry in harmonic space
- 12. N=3 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory
- 13. Conclusions
- Appendix. Notations, conventions and useful formulas
- References
- Index.
