M-Theory and Quantum Geometry: 556 (Nato Science Series C:, 556) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0792364740 ISBN 13: 9780792364740

Publisher: Springer, 2000

Synopsis

The fundamental structure of matter and spacetime at the shortest length scales remains an exciting frontier of basic research in theoretical physics. A unifying theme in this area is the quantization of geometrical objects. The majority of lectures at the Advanced Study Institute on Quantum Ge­ ometry in Akureyri was on recent advances in superstring theory, which is the leading candidate for a unified description of all known elementary par­ ticles and interactions. The geometric concept of one-dimensional extended objects, or strings, has always been at the core of superstring theory but in recent years the focus has shifted to include also higher-dimensional ob­ jects, so called D-branes, which play a key role in the non-perturbative dynamics of the theory. A related development has seen the strong coupling regime of a given string theory identified with the weak coupling regime of what was previ­ ously believed to be a different theory, and a web of such" dualities" that interrelates all known superstring theories has emerged. The resulting uni­ fied theoretical framework, termed M-theory, has evolved at a rapid pace in recent years.

About this title

Synopsis

The fundamental structure of matter and spacetime at the shortest length scales remains an exciting frontier of basic research in theoretical physics. A unifying theme in this area is the quantisation of geometrical objects. The majority of contributions to this volume cover recent advances in superstring theory, which is the leading candidate for a unified description of all known elementary particles and interactions. The geometrical concept of one-dimensional extended objects (strings) has always been at the core of superstring theory, but recently the focus has shifted to include higher-dimensional objects (D-branes), which play a key role in non-perturbative dynamics of the theory. Related developments are also described in M-theory, our understanding of quantum effects in black-hole physics, gauge theory of the strong interaction, and the dynamic triangulation construction of the quantum geometry of spacetime.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0792364740
• ISBN 13: 9780792364740
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 472
• Editor: Thorlacius Lárus, Jonsson Thordur