String Theory Demystified Book

Preface     xi
Introduction     1
A Quick Overview of General Relativity     2
A Quick Primer on Quantum Theory     3
The Standard Model     8
Quantizing the Gravitational Field     8
Some Basic Analysis in String Theory     10
Unification and Fundamental Constants     11
String Theory Overview     12
Summary     18
Quiz     18
The Classical String I: Equations of Motion     21
The Relativistic Point Particle     22
Strings in Space-Time     28
Equations of Motion for the String     32
The Polyakov Action     36
Mathematical Aside: The Euler Characteristic     36
Light-Cone Coordinates     39
Solutions of the Wave Equation     43
Open Strings with Free Endpoints     44
Closed Strings     46
Open Strings with Fixed Endpoints     47
Poisson Brackets     49
Quiz     49
The Classical String II: Symmetries and Worldsheet Currents     51
The Energy-Momentum Tensor     52
Symmetries of the Polyakov Action     53
Transforming to a Flat WorldsheetMetric     59
Conserved Currents from Poincare Invariance     63
The Hamiltonian     67
Summary     67
Quiz     67
String Quantization     69
Covariant Quantization     70
Light-Cone Quantization     85
Summary     87
Quiz     87
Conformal Field Theory Part I     89
The Role of Conformal Field Theory in String Theory     92
Wick Rotations     93
Complex Coordinates     94
Generators of Conformal Transformations     98
The Two-Dimensional Conformal Group     100
Central Extension     104
Closed String Conformal Field Theory     105
Wick Expansion     107
Operator Product Expansion     110
Summary     114
Quiz     114
BRST Quantization     115
BRST Operators and Introductory Remarks     116
BRST-Invariant States     118
BRST in String Theory-CFT     120
BRST Transformations     121
No-Ghost Theorem     125
Summary     125
Quiz     126
RNS Superstrings      127
The Superstring Action     128
Conserved Currents     133
The Energy-Momentum Tensor     136
Mode Expansions and Boundary Conditions     140
Super-Virasoro Generators     143
Canonical Quantization     144
The Super-Virasoro Algebra     145
The Open String Spectrum     147
GSO Projection     148
Critical Dimension     149
Summary     150
Quiz     150
Compactification and T-Duality     153
Compactification of the 25th Dimension     153
Modified Mass Spectrum     155
T-Duality for Closed Strings     159
Open Strings and T-Duality     162
D-Branes     164
Summary     165
Quiz     165
Superstring Theory Continued     167
Superspace and Superfields     168
Superfield for Worldsheet Supersymmetry     171
Grassman Integration     173
A Manifestly Supersymmetric Action     174
The Green-Schwarz Action     175
Space-Time Supersymmetry and Strings     180
Light-Cone Gauge     181
Canonical Quantization      184
Summary     185
Quiz     186
A Summary of Superstring Theory     187
A Summary of Superstring Theory     187
Superstring Theory     190
Dualities     192
Quiz     193
Type II String Theories     195
The R and NS Sectors     195
The Spin Field     200
Type II A String Theory     201
Type II B Theory     203
The Massless Spectrum of Different Sectors     203
Summary     204
Quiz     205
Heterotic String Theory     207
The Action for SO(32) Theory     208
Quantization of SO(32) Theory     209
The Spectrum     214
Compactification and Quantized Momentum     216
Summary     219
Quiz     219
D-Branes     221
The Space-Time Arena     223
Quantization     225
D-Branes in Superstring Theory     230
Multiple D-Branes     230
Tachyons and D-Brane Decay     235
Summary     237
Quiz     237
Black Holes     239
Black Holes in General Relativity     240
Charged Black Holes     243
The Laws of Black Hole Mechanics     246
Computing the Temperature of a Black Hole     247
Entropy Calculations for Black Holes with String Theory     249
Summary     253
Quiz     253
The Holographic Principle and AdS/CFT Correspondence     255
A Statement of the Holographic Principle     256
A Qualitative Description of AdS/CFT Correspondence     257
The Holographic Principle and M-Theory     258
More Correspondence     260
Summary     262
Quiz     262
String Theory and Cosmology     265
Einstein's Equations     266
Inflation     266
The Kasner Metric     268
The Randall-Sundrum Model     273
Brane Worlds and the Ekpyrotic Universe     275
Summary     277
Quiz     278
Final Exam     279
Quiz Solutions     285
Final Exam Solutions     291
References     297
Index     299