String Theory

Demystified

David McMahon

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 CONTENTS

Preface XI

CHAPTER 1 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

CHAPTER 2 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
 VI String TheqrjLDemystified

Open Strings with Fixed Endpoints 47

Poisson Brackets 49

Quiz 49

CHAPTER 3 The Classical String II: Symmetries and

Worldsheet Currents 51
The Energy-Momentum Tensor 52

Symmetries of the Polyakov Action 53

Transforming to a Flat Worldsheet Metric 59

Conserved Currents from Poincare Invariance 63

The Hamiltonian 67

Summary 67

Quiz 67

CHAPTER 4 String Quantization 69

Covariant Quantization 70

Light-Cone Quantization 85

Summary 87

Quiz 87

CHAPTER 5 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

CHAPTER 6 BRST Quantization 115

BRST Operators and Introductory Remarks 116
BRST-Invariant States 118
Contents vn

BRST in String Theory-CFT 120

BRST Transformations 121

No-Ghost Theorem 125

Summary 125

Quiz 126

CHAPTER 7 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

CHAPTER 8 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

CHAPTER 9 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

vm String Theory Demystified

Light-Cone Gauge 181

Canonical Quantization 184

Summary 185

Quiz 186

CHAPTER 10 A Summary of Superstring Theory 187

A Summary of Superstring Theory 187

Superstring Theory 190

Dualities 192

Quiz 193

CHAPTER 11 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

CHAPTER 12 Heterotic String Theory 207

The Action for 50(32) Theory 208
Quantization of 50(32) Theory 209
The Spectrum 214

Compactification and Quantized Momentum 216

Summary 219
Quiz 219

CHAPTER 13 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
Contents IX
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CHAPTER 14 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

CHAPTER 15 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

CHAPTER 16 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