String Theory in a Nutshell [Hardcover]

Elias Kiritsis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2007 | ISBN-10: 069112230X | ISBN-13: 978-0691122304

This book is the essential new introduction to modern string theory, by one of the world's authorities on the subject. Concise, clearly presented, and up-to-date, String Theory in a Nutshell brings together the best understood and most important aspects of a theory that has been evolving since the early 1980s. A core model of physics that substitutes one-dimensional extended "strings" for zero-dimensional point-like particles (as in quantum field theory), string theory has been the leading candidate for a theory that would successfully unify all fundamental forces of nature, including gravity.

Starting with the basic definitions of the theory, Elias Kiritsis guides readers through classic and modern topics. In particular, he treats perturbative string theory and its Conformal Field Theory (CFT) tools in detail while also developing nonperturbative aspects and exploring the unity of string interactions. He presents recent topics including black holes, their microscopic entropy, and the AdS/CFT correspondence. He also describes matrix model tools for string theory. In all, the book contains nearly five hundred exercises for the graduate-level student, and works as a self-contained and detailed guide to the literature.

String Theory in a Nutshell is the staple one-volume reference on the subject not only for students and researchers of theoretical high-energy physics, but also for mathematicians and physicists specializing in theoretical cosmology and QCD.

Editorial Reviews

Review

What sets this book apart from other recent and older texts on string theory is that, while providing the level of detail in the derivation of all central results that is necessary for an introductory textbook, Kiritsis maintains a brisk and steady pace, and also includes a colloquial discussion of new concepts at the beginning of every section. -- Johannes Walcher, Mathematical Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"An excellent reference for any graduate student interested in string theory. Kiritsis succinctly describes many of the recent developments that are necessary background to current research. Topics covered include black holes in string theory, holography, various dualities among string theories, and dualities connecting string theory to gauge theories. The basic frameworks for connecting string theory to four-dimensional physics are also explained."--Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study

"This very well-written book, which builds on the fundamentals and provides an excellent introduction to the state of the art in string theory, will be quite useful to students and to researchers acquainting themselves with this exciting field. It concisely lays out the successes of string theory to date and the challenges that await. I have no doubt that the topics described herein will remain at the heart of the theory even when our understanding of its dynamics and its role in describing nature improve."--David Kutasov, University of Chicago

"There is a definite need for a short speedy introduction to modern string theory. Kiritsis beautifully fill this gap--including all essential areas, but remaining relatively concise, so that a beginning student can work through the entire text."--Andrew Strominger, Harvard University

"String theory textbooks are found on the bookshelves of not only those theoretical physicists who call themselves string theorists, but also others, and this book will appeal especially to this broader category of readers. More universal in its coverage than are comparable texts, it seeks to explain virtually all the issues whose knowledge becomes more or less necessary for every researcher in the field. Indeed, it squeezes all its material into less than 600 pages of well-defined, short sentences with a clear technical content--a nearly complete discussion of the subject that will be really useful to many experts and future experts."--Lubos Motl, Harvard University

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (March 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069112230X
• ISBN-13: 978-0691122304
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Nuclear Physics > Particle Physics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Sure, February 12, 2008

By 

David McMahon - See all my reviews

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This review is from: String Theory in a Nutshell (Hardcover)

I have mixed feelings about this book. Let me start off by saying that despite the title of the book, this book is NOT written in the style of "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell", which is the masterpiece by A. Zee. I eagerly awaited the release of String Theory in a Nutshell thinking finally here is a string theory book mere mortals can understand. Unfortunatly, the presentation is quite a bit more rigorous and terse than QFT in a Nutshell, so I don't think it lives up to its name. In fact if I hadn't been reading other string theory books at the same time, I would have found this book incredibly terse and hard to get through. Results are simply stated without any how or why behind them. This is in complete contrast to Becker, Becker & Schwarz say, where they have detailed calculations laid out for you.

OK that all sounds negative. The other side of my review is that if you have had some exposure to string theory, the book is fairly well written. So what's my conclusion? If you're looking to learn string theory for the first time, which this book seems to claim to be able to do by the name of it, you're going to be really disappointed. Like I said above this ain't A. Zee's book (which is an example of what a book in this series should look like). On the other hand, if you're looking for a reference to keep on your shelf, its good to have.

19 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easy to use, April 3, 2007

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chicken head cut off "mcscientist" (Gainesville/Orsay France) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: String Theory in a Nutshell (Hardcover)

So i have to admit one thing: i was lucky enough to go to kiritsis's lectures at ENS where he handed out some prepublication versions of this book but i havent read the final version.

That said, his lectures were infinitely more clear to me than my attempts at digesting polchinski which i always found took time enough to try my patience. I found the calculations here detailed enough to follow, and i find that research papers suddenly made sense after reading his stuff. The level is similar to that of D-branes by johnson.