內容簡介
超弦和M理論是現代物理學中有趣活躍的研究課題之一。該問題比較睏難同時也充滿爭議,一些人稱之為“理論”,這是因為超弦理論有可能解決睏擾人們多年的難題,即統一二十世紀偉大的兩個理論:廣義相對論和量子場論。《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》全麵細緻地講解超弦理論和該領域的新研究進展,內容包括四維超弦,Kac-Moody代數,Teichmuller空間和Calabi-Yau流形,M理論和D膜,對偶和BPS關係,矩陣模型等,可以作為研究生教材,同時對研究人員也有參考價值。作者首先簡要介紹瞭點粒子理論,然後利用費曼路徑積分詳細討論超弦理論。超弦研究需要很多數學工具,書中分彆作瞭介紹,如指標定理,同調論和Kahler流形等。在第二版中,作者對內容做瞭整體修訂,並添加瞭M理論的三個新章節。閱讀《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》需要量子力學和相對論的基本知識。
讀者對象:理論物理、高能物理、場論和弦論等專業的高年級本科生、研究生和相關專業的科研人員。
作者簡介
作者:(美國)加來道雄
內頁插圖
目錄
Preface
Acknowledgments
Ⅰ First Quantization and Path Integrals
1 Path Integrals and Point Particles
1.1 Why Strings?
1.2 Historical Review of Gauge Theory
1.3 Path Integrals and Point Particles
1.4 Relativistic Point Particles
1.5 First and Second Quantization
1.6 Faddeev-Popov Quantization
1.7 Second Quantization
1.8 Harmonic Oscillators
1.9 Currents and Second Quantization
1.10 Summary
References
2 Nambu-Goto Strings
2.1 Bosonic Strings
2.2 Gupta-Bleuler Quantization
2.3 Light Cone Quantization
2.4 BRST Quantization
2.5 Trees
2.6 From Path Integrals to Operators
2.7 Projective Invariance and Twists
2.8 Closed Strings
2.9 Ghost Elimination
2.100 Summary
References
3 Superstrings
3.1 Supersymmetric Point Particles
3.2 Two-Dimensional Supersymmetry
3.3 Trees
3.4 Local Two-Dimensional Supersymmetry
3.5 Quantization
3.6 GSO Projection
3.7 Superstrings
3.8 Light Cone Quantization of the GS Action
3.9 Vertices and Trees
3.10 Summary
References
4 Conformal Field Theory and Kac——Moody Algebras
4.1 Conformal Field Theory
4.2 Superconformal Field Theory
4.3 Spin Fields
4.4 Superconformal Ghosts
4.5 Fermion Vertex
4.6 Spinors and Trees
4.7 Kac-Moody Algebras
4.8 Supersymmetry
4.9 Summary
References
5 Mulfiloops and Teichmuller Spaces
5.1 Unitarity
5.2 Single-Loop Amplitude
5.3 Harmonic Oscillators
5.4 Single-Loop Superstring Amplitudes
5.5 Closed Loops
5.6 Multiloop Amplitudes
5.7 Riemann Surfaces and Teichmiiller Spaces
5.8 Conformal Anomaly
5.9 Superstrings
5.10 Determinants and Singularities
5.11 Moduli Space and Grassmannians
5.12 Summary
References
Ⅱ Second Quantization and the Search for Geometry
6 Light Cone Field Theory
6.1 Why String Field Theory?
6.2 Deriving Point Particle Field Theory
6.3 Light Cone Field Theory
6.4 Interactions
6.5 Neumann Function Method
6.6 Equivalence of the Scattering Amplitudes
6.7 Four-String Interaction
6.8 Superstring Field Theory
6.9 Summary
References
7 BRST Field Theory
7.1 Covariant String Field Theory
7.2 BRST Field Theory
7.3 Gauge Fixing
7.4 Interactions
7.5 Witten's String Field Theory
7.6 Proof of Equivalence
7.7 Closed Strings and Superstrings
7.8 Summary
References
Ⅲ Phenomenology and Model Building
8 Anomalies and the Atiyah-Singer Theorem
8.1 Beyond GUT Phenomenology
8.2 Anomalies and Feynman Diagrams
8.3 Anomalies in the Functional Formalism
8.4 Anomalies and Characteristic Classes
8.5 Dirac Index
8.6 Gravitational and Gauge Anomalies
8.7 Anomaly Cancellation in Strings
8.8 Summary
References
9 Heterotic Strings and Compactification
9.1 Compactification
9.2 The Heterotic String
9.3 Spectrum
9.4 Covariant and Fermionic Formulations
9.5 Trees
9.6 Single-Loop Amplitude
9.7 Es and Kac——Moody Algebras
9.8 Lorentzian Lattices
9.9 Summary
References
10 Calabi——Yau Spaces and Orbifolds
10.1 Calabi-Yau Spaces
10.2 Review of de Rahm Cohomology
10.3 Cohomology and Homology
10.4 K/ihler Manifolds
10.5 Embedding the Spin Connection
10.6 Fermion Generations
10.7 Wilson Lines
10.8 Orbifoids
10.9 Four-Dimensional Superstrings
10.10 Summary
References
Ⅳ M-Theory
11 M-Theory and Duality
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Duality in Physics
11.3 Why Five String Theories?
11.4 T-Duality
11.5 S-Duality
11.5.1 Type IIA Theory
11.5.2 Type IIB Theory
11.5.3 M-Theory and Type IIB Theory
11.5.4 E8 E8 Heterotic String
11.5.5 Type I Strings
11.6 Summary
References
12 Compactifications and BPS States
12.1 BPS States
12.2 Supersymmetry and P-Branes
12.3 Compactification
12.4 Example: D = 6
12.4.1 D = 6, N = (2, 2) Theory
12.4.2 D = 6, N = (1, 1) Theories
12.4.3 M-Theory in D = 7
12.5 Example:D=4, N=2 and D=6, N=1
12.6 Symmetry Enhancement and Tensionless Strings
12.7 F-Theory
12.8 Example: D = 4
12.9 Summary
References
13 Solitons, D-Branes, and Black Holes
13.1 Solitons
13.2 Supermembrane Actions
13.3 Five-Brahe Action
13.4 D-Branes
13.5 D-Brane Actions
13.6 M(atrix) Models and Membranes
13.7 Black Holes
13.8 Summary
13.9 Conclusion
References
Appendix
A.1 A Brief Introduction to Group Theory
A.2 A Brief Introduction to General Relativity
A.3 A Brief Introduction to the Theory of Forms
A.4 A Brief Introduction to Supersymmetry
A.5 A Brief Introduction to Supergravity
A.6 Notation
References
Index
精彩書摘
(1) Because we are dealing with a first quantized theory, we have to take the sum over all interacting topologies that are swept out by the string. For the Nambu——Goto string, the precise nature of these topologies is ambiguous and must be specified by hand. However, for the Polyakov form of the action, which contains an independent metric tensor, we can eliminate most of this ambiguity by specifying that we sum over all conformally and modular in equivalent configurations. (These terms will be defined later.) This will become a powerful constraint once we start to derive loops and will determine the function measure uniquely. The measure and the topologies in the Nambu-Goto action, however, are not well defined. (We must point out, however, that this rule of integrating over in equivalent surfaces does not automatically satisfy unitarity. This still must be checked by hand.)
(2) The gauge fixing of weyl invariance for the Polyakov action, although trivial classically, poses problems when we make the transition to quantum mechanics. An anomaly appears when we carefully begin the quantization process. In fact, this conformal anomaly will disappear only in 26
dimensions.
前言/序言
Superstring theory (and its latest formulation, M-theory) has emerged as the most promising candidate for a quantum theory of all known interactions. Superstrings apparently solve a problem that has defied solution for the past50 years, namely the unification of the two great fundamental physical theories of the century, quantum field theory and general relativity. Superstring theory introduces an entirely new physical picture into theoretical physics and a new mathematics that has startled even the mathematicians.
Ironically, although superstring theory is supposed to provide a unified field theory of the Universe, the theory itself often seems like a confused jumble of folklore, random rules of thumb, and intuitions. This is because the development of superstring theory has been unlike that of any other theory, such as general relativity, which began with a geometry and an action and later evolved into a quantum theory. Superstring theory, by contrast, has been evolving backward for the past 30 years. It has a bizarre history, beginning with the purely accidental discovery of the quantum theory in 1968 by G. Veneziano and M. Suzuki.
Thumbing through old mathematics books, they stumbled by chance on the Beta function, written down in the last century by mathematician Leon hard Euler. To their amazement, they discovered that the Beta function satisfied almost all the stringent requirements of the scattering matrix describing particle interactions. Never in the history of physics has an important scientific discovery been made in quite this random fashion.
好的,這是一份關於《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》的圖書簡介,專注於介紹該書未包含的內容,並力求詳盡、自然,避免任何AI痕跡。 --- 圖書簡介:超弦和M理論導論(第2版) 導言:跨越現有邊界的理論探索 本書《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》作為弦論和M理論領域的重要參考書目,其內容體係在理論物理的前沿領域已構築瞭堅實的基礎。它係統地梳理瞭從玻色弦理論到超弦理論(I型、IIA型、IIB型、異論性、異論性異論性),再到M理論框架的建立與演化。讀者將在此書中深入理解共形場論在描述緊緻化、狄拉剋力閤(D-branes)、T對偶、S對偶以及幾何工程等關鍵概念上的應用。該書的深度和廣度使得它成為許多研究者和高年級學生的必備工具。 然而,理論物理的疆域瞬息萬變,即使是像《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》這樣權威的著作,也必然無法完全涵蓋所有最新的發展和尚未完全成熟的探索領域。物理學的進步往往體現在對現有框架的修正、新現象的引入,以及與實驗物理學更緊密結閤的嘗試上。因此,為瞭更全麵地理解當代理論物理的圖景,理解本書未深入探討的領域至關重要。 一、 聚焦於“非傳統”或“新興”的M理論/超弦應用與修正 盡管本書對M理論的基礎結構進行瞭詳盡的介紹,包括其與五種超弦理論的關係以及對奇點的處理,但對於一些更具推測性、仍在發展中的應用方嚮,本書可能僅作簡要提及或未進行深入探討。 1. 強耦閤區域的非微擾效應與全息對偶的深化應用 (Beyond Perturbation Theory and Advanced AdS/CFT) 本書的敘述很大程度上依賴於微擾弦論的工具箱,例如費曼圖的計算、貝塔函數以及圈圖修正。然而,在研究強耦閤的非微擾區域時,如某些特定的AdS/CFT對應關係(例如,涉及非最小耦閤、帶有邊界項的背景,或更復雜的流(flow)),本書可能沒有提供足夠詳細的工具。 例如,對於涉及非平凡背景下的AdS/CFT對偶,特彆是涉及到非最小耦閤的引力子體係,或涉及非局部算符的量子場論描述,需要更精細的技巧,比如使用特定的邊界場論的格點模型(Lattice Gauge Theory)或非阿貝爾(Non-Abelian)規範場在彎麯時空中的精確解。現代的研究更關注如何利用AdS/CFT解決強相互作用的量子色動力學(QCD)問題,而非僅僅停留在超對稱場論的範圍內。 2. 涉及拓撲缺陷與疇壁的動力學研究 在涉及弦論緊緻化或M理論模型構建時,拓撲缺陷(如奇異點、渦鏇、單極子)和疇壁(Domain Walls)的形成與演化是重要的物理現象。本書可能側重於靜力學或均衡態的描述。但在動力學過程中,例如在大爆炸遺跡、宇宙的相變,或者在超導材料中模擬的“弦論”模型中,研究這些缺陷的産生和湮滅過程,以及它們對宇宙學參數的影響,需要專門的動力學處理方法,這些在導論性著作中往往不會被詳細展開。 3. 修正引力理論的“弦論起源” (Modified Gravity from String Theory) 本書的基礎是愛因斯坦-希爾伯特作用量加上更高階的麯率修正項(如Gauss-Bonnet項)來構建弦論的低能有效作用量。然而,現代宇宙學觀測要求我們考慮更廣範圍的修正引力理論,例如$f(R)$引力,或者涉及更高階導數和非最小耦閤的理論。如何從弦論的有效場論框架中係統地導齣這些修正,並確保它們在不同尺度下的物理閤理性,是一個持續研究的課題。本書可能側重於標準的有效場論,而對如何將這些修正與特定的D膜配置或背景幾何精確聯係起來的細節未作深入挖掘。 二、 偏離標準模型嵌入與宇宙學應用的最新進展 《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》在介紹弦論如何可能提供一個統一的框架時,通常會展示如何嵌入標準模型(Standard Model, SM)的結構。然而,對於那些偏離標準嵌入路徑的探索,本書可能有所保留。 1. 極高維時空與卡拉比-丘流形之外的緊緻化 卡拉比-丘(Calabi-Yau)流形是弦論緊緻化的核心。本書對這類流形的拓撲、霍奇數以及模空間進行瞭詳細介紹。但是,現代研究開始廣泛探索非卡拉比-丘流形(Non-Calabi-Yau Manifolds)的緊緻化,例如$G_2$流形(M理論)或更奇異的幾何結構。這些結構在保留超對稱性的同時,提供瞭更多參數空間來匹配粒子物理學的觀測。 此外,對於“景觀”(Landscape)中的特定區域,比如那些具有大量低能有效場論的特定結構,如何精確計算其“景觀體積”和真空能,需要更復雜的代數幾何工具,這些工具超齣瞭本書的介紹範圍。 2. 彎麯背景下的弦/膜動力學與背景獨立性 M理論的某些錶述暗示瞭對背景的獨立性,尤其是在處理大尺度結構時。在非平坦背景下,如在描述宇宙學膨脹或黑洞動力學時,弦(或膜)的行為不再是簡單的場方程解。如何用非微擾的工具(如非交換幾何或特定形式的T-對偶鏈)來精確描述這些彎麯背景中的物理,特彆是關於膜的拉伸和形變(brane stretching and warping),是當前研究的熱點。 3. 弦理論與量子引力實驗的接口 本書的重點在於理論結構的自洽性。然而,理論物理的終極目標是與實驗連接。當前,關於如何利用高精度引力波探測器(如LISA)尋找超高能物理效應的證據,或者通過中微子物理來探測額外維度的跡象,是前沿課題。這些連接通常依賴於極低能下的有效場論推導,或對特定背景下低能粒子譜的敏感分析,這些內容在係統性的導論中難以詳述。 三、 計算工具與數學方法的擴展 本書提供瞭必要的數學框架(如微分幾何、規範場論),但現代超弦理論的計算能力已大大增強,依賴於更專業的數學工具。 1. 拓撲弦理論的深入應用 (Topological String Theory and Integrability) 拓撲弦理論,特彆是它與可積係統(Integrable Systems)之間的深刻聯係,是近年來理論物理研究的焦點。例如,利用GW (Gromov-Witten) 計數、量子K理論,或通過聯係到費米子係統的積分公式來計算特定的耦閤常數,這些方法在本書中可能僅是作為背景知識被提及。 2. 計算機代數在弦論中的應用 隨著計算能力的提升,許多復雜的代數運算(如計算高階微擾修正、處理龐大的模空間代數結構)越來越多地依賴於專業的計算機代數係統(如Mathematica或Maple)。如何編寫高效的代碼來處理這些極其復雜的微分幾何和拓撲對象,是當代理論物理學傢必須掌握的技能,但這些“操作性”的細節自然不會齣現在理論導論中。 結論:通往更深層次理解的階梯 《超弦和M理論導論(第2版)》無疑為讀者提供瞭進入超弦和M理論殿堂的堅實基礎。然而,物理學的進步是永無止境的。本書所未涵蓋的領域——從更復雜的全息模型、非微擾動力學的精確計算,到對宇宙學和粒子物理的更深層次的嵌入嘗試——代錶瞭當前理論界正在積極探索的前沿陣地。理解本書的邊界,正是指明瞭讀者在後續深入研究中需要關注的方嚮。