Ideas and Methods of Supersymmetry and Supergravity: Or a Walk Through Superspace, Revised Edition (Series in High Energy Physics, Cosmology and Gravitation)

Book Description

Ideas and Methods of Supersymmetry and Supergravity: Or a Walk Through Superspace provides a comprehensive, detailed, and self-contained account of four dimensional simple supersymmetry and supergravity. Throughout the book, the authors cultivate their material in detail with calculations and full discussions of the fundamental ideas and motivations. They develop the subject in its superfield formulations but where appropriate for illustration, analogy, and comparison with conventional field theory, they use the component formulation. The book discusses many subjects that, until now, can only be found in the research literature. In addition, it presents a plethora of new results. Combining classical and quantum field theory with group theory, differential geometry, and algebra, the book begins with a solid mathematical background that is used in the rest of the book. The next chapter covers algebraic aspects of supersymmetry and the concepts of superspace and superfield. In the following chapters, the book presents classical and quantum superfield theory and the superfield formulation of supergravity. A synthesis of results and methods developed in the book, the final chapter concludes with the theory of effective action in curved superspaces. After studying this book, readers should be well prepared to pursue independent research in any area of supersymmetry and supergravity. It will be an indispensable source of reference for advanced graduate students, postdoctoral faculty, and researchers involved in quantum field theory, high energy physics, gravity theory, mathematical physics, and applied mathematics.

Membranes and Other Extendons: (P-Branes) (World Scientific Lecture Notes in Physics)

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Membranes and Other Extendons: (P-Branes) (World Scientific Lecture Notes in Physics)
Yuval Neeman , Elena Elzenberg , Yuval Ne'Eman , and Elena Eizenberg
Manufacturer: World Scientific Pub Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The interest in membranes and higher dimensional extended geometrical objects was inspired by the great successes of the string and superstring, first in 1968-73 as a theory of hadrons and then since 1984 as a "theory of everything" - a unified theory of all interactions, including quantum gravity. In particular, membranes, "supermembranes" and "spinning membranes" have been studied since 1985; an unexpected connection with supergravity opened in 1988 some new prospects for a quantized theory. General theorems about higher dimensional "p-branes" or "extendons" were also derived. The subject is very promising, whether as a more comprehensive fundamental unification or as a description of composite hadrons.

Book Description

Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg continues his masterly exposition of quantum field theory. This third volume of The Quantum Theory of Fields presents a self-contained, up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to supersymmetry, a highly active area of theoretical physics that is likely to be at the center of future progress in the physics of elementary particles and gravitation. The text introduces and explains a broad range of topics, including supersymmetric algebras, supersymmetric field theories, extended supersymmetry, supergraphs, nonperturbative results, theories of supersymmetry in higher dimensions, and supergravity. A thorough review is given of the phenomenological implications of supersymmetry, including theories of both gauge and gravitationally-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Also provided is an introduction to mathematical techniques, based on holomorphy and duality, that have proved so fruitful in recent developments. This book contains much material not found in other books on supersymmetry, some of it published here for the first time. Problems are included.

Customer Reviews:

Defective Hard Cover.......2007-01-04

The whole current production run of this book has a defect. A glue is bleeding through on the inside of the hard cover fold, front and back. This does not seem to affect the structural quality of the book and is not visible from the outside. If you need this book and get it with this defect, don't bother trying to exchange it.

Once again, great book.......2005-03-26

Finding good introductions to supersymmetry can be difficult. Most introductions concentrate on N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions, and there the superfield forumlation can be useful. However, when you go to N=2 supersymmetry (e.g. when considering theories in five or more dimensions), component fields can be better. Many times it's a matter of taste. For those cases, you have to go to review articles. Anyway, Weinberg concentrates on N=1 4D supersymmetry and supergravity using the superfield formalism. However, he ventures into the N=2 strong-weak coupling results of Seiberg and Witten, which are now a fundamental part of (supersymmetric) field theory. The text is, as the previous volumes are, a fantastic resource for learning the subject, and as a reference (for things like gravity- and gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking, as well as the minimal supersymmetric standard model, which are open areas of reserach). As for all modern areas of research, the body of knowledge is stacked higher every year; but the topics covered here stand as solid fundamentals of supersymmetry. For more advanced topics, one is forced to go to the recent literature.

A self-contained treatment of the subject.......2000-04-20

If the two first volumes of "The Quantum Theory of Fields" were considered masterpieces in a modern and original presentation of the basics of quantum field theory and its penetration in the recent development of particle physics, with the machinery of spontaneously broken gauge theories, the new volume embraces the wide subject of supersymmetry in Weinberg's typical style, which always means a self-contained treatment of the subject, from its foundations and motivations, to its most recent application as a possible scenario for new physics beyond the Standard Model.

A complete review is published in CERN Courier, May 2000

Weinberg Keeps the level!.......2000-04-07

Great book, contains a lot of material, will be useful to many as a reference on supersymmetry for years to come. Highly Recommended!

Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics: From Angular Momentum to Supersymmetry (PBK) (Graduate Students Series in Physics)

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Excellent introduction to Angular Momentum in QM

Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics: From Angular Momentum to Supersymmetry (PBK) (Graduate Students Series in Physics)
M Chaichian , and R Hagedorn
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0750304081

Book Description

Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics: From Angular Momentum to Supersymmetry (PBK) provides a thorough, didactic exposition of the role of symmetry, particularly rotational symmetry, in quantum mechanics. The bulk of the book covers the description of rotations (geometrically and group-theoretically) and their representations, and the quantum theory of angular momentum. Later chapters introduce more advanced topics such as relativistic theory, supersymmetry, anyons, fractional spin, and statistics. With clear, in-depth explanations, the book is ideal for use as a course text for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students in physics and those specializing in theoretical physics. It is also useful for researchers looking for an accessible introduction to this important area of quantum theory.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent introduction to Angular Momentum in QM.......2000-03-29

I found this book to be very helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of the role of angular momentum in quantum mechanics. It was also a good introduction to Lie groups and Lie algebras for someone whos background is in physics and not math. I've found the book to be an invaluable reference!

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Supersymmetry in Quantum Mechanics
Fred Cooper , Avinash Khare , and Uday Sukhatme
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9810246129

Book Description

This invaluable book provides an elementary description of supersymmetric quantum mechanics which complements the traditional coverage found in the existing quantum mechanics textbooks. It gives physicists a fresh outlook and new ways of handling quantum-mechanical problems, and also leads to improved approximation techniques for dealing with potentials of interest in all branches of physics. The algebraic approach to obtaining eigenstates is elegant and important, and all physicists should become familiar with this.

Book Description

The book is the first full-size Encyclopedia which simultaneously covers such well-established and modern subjects as quantum field theory, supersymmetry, supergravity, M-theory, black holes and quantum gravity, noncommutative geometry, representation theory, categories and quantum groups, and their generalizations. The extraordinary historical part "the SUSY story," more than 700 authored articles from more than 250 high-level experts (including Nobel Prize Winner Gerard 't Hooft), a detailed (50 pages) Subject/Article three level index and an Author index, make the SUSY Encyclopedia an outstanding and indispensable book on the desk of researchers, experts, Ph.D. students, specialists and professionals in modern methods of theoretical and mathematical physics.

Supersymmetry In Quantum and Classical Mechanics

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Supersymmetry In Quantum and Classical Mechanics
Bijan Kumar Bagchi
Manufacturer: Chapman & Hall/CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1584881976

Book Description

Following Witten's remarkable discovery of the quantum mechanical scheme in which all the salient features of supersymmetry are embedded, SCQM (supersymmetric classical and quantum mechanics) has become a separate area of research . In recent years, progress in this field has been dramatic and the literature continues to grow. Until now, no book has offered an overview of the subject with enough detail to allow readers to become rapidly familiar with its key ideas and methods. Supersymmetry in Classical and Quantum Mechanics offers that overview and summarizes the major developments of the last 15 years. It provides both an up-to-date review of the literature and a detailed exposition of the underlying SCQM principles. For those just beginning in the field, the author presents step-by-step details of most of the computations. For more experienced readers, the treatment includes systematic analyses of more advanced topics, such as quasi- and conditional solvability and the role of supersymmetry in nonlinear systems.

Factorization Method in Quantum Mechanics (Fundamental Theories of Physics)

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Factorization Method in Quantum Mechanics (Fundamental Theories of Physics)
Shi-Hai Dong
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This work introduces the factorization method in quantum mechanics at an advanced level with an aim to put mathematical and physical concepts and techniques like the factorization method, Lie algebras, matrix elements and quantum control at the reader’s disposal. For this purpose a comprehensive description is provided of the factorization method and its wide applications in quantum mechanics which complements the traditional coverage found in the existing quantum mechanics textbooks. Related to this classic method are the supersymmetric quantum mechanics, shape invariant potentials and group theoretical approaches. It is no exaggeration to say that this method has become the milestone of these approaches. In fact the author’s driving force has been his desire to provide a comprehensive review volume that includes some new and significant results about the factorization method in quantum mechanics since the literature is inundated with scattered articles in this field, and to pave the reader’s way into this territory as rapidly as possible. The result: clear and understandable derivations with the necessary mathematical steps included so that the intelligent reader should be able to follow the text with relative ease, in particular when mathematically difficult material is presented.

Supersymmetry for Mathematicians: An Introduction (Courant Lecture Notes)

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Supersymmetry for Mathematicians: An Introduction (Courant Lecture Notes)
V. S. Varadarajan
Manufacturer: American Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Introduction to Symplectic Topology (Oxford Mathematical Monographs)

ASIN: 0821835742

Book Description

Supersymmetry has been studied by theoretical physicists since the early 1970s. Nowadays, because of its novelty and significance--in both mathematics and physics--the issues it raises attract the interest of mathematicians.

Written by the well-known mathematician, V. S. Varadarajan, this book presents a cogent and self-contained exposition of the foundations of supersymmetry for the mathematically-minded reader. It begins with a brief introduction to the physical foundations of the theory, in particular, to the classification of relativistic particles and their wave equations, such as those of Dirac and Weyl. It then continues with the development of the theory of supermanifolds, stressing the analogy with the Grothendieck theory of schemes. Here, Varadarajan develops all the super linear algebra needed for the book and establishes the basic theorems: differential and integral calculus in supermanifolds, Frobenius theorem, foundations of the theory of super Lie groups, and so on. A special feature is the in-depth treatment of the theory of spinors in all dimensions and signatures, which is the basis of all supergeometry developments in both physics and mathematics, especially in quantum field theory and supergravity.

The material is suitable for graduate students and mathematicians interested in the mathematical theory of supersymmetry. The book is recommended for independent study.

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Martin's Writing Encapsulates Comedic Compassion

Sublime

Not Martin's Best

The Pleasure of My Company

I feel like a traitor...

The Pleasure of My Company: A Novel
Steve Martin
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Shopgirl

Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Other Plays

SHOPGIRL: A NOVELLA

UNDERPANTS, THE

A Wild and Crazy Guy

ASIN: 0786869216

Amazon.com

Daniel Pecan Cambridge is the narrator and central consciousness of the novel (actually a novella). Daniel, an ex-Hewlett-Packard communiqué encoder, is a savant whose closely proscribed world is bounded on every side by neuroses and obsessions. He cannot cross the street except at driveways symmetrically opposed to each, and he cannot sleep unless the wattage of the active light bulbs in his apartment sums to 1,125. Daniel's starved social life is punctuated by twice-weekly visits from a young therapist in training, Clarissa; by his prescription pick-ups from a Rite Aid pharmacist, Zandy; and by his "casual" meetings with the bleach-blond real estate agent, Elizabeth, who is struggling to sell apartments across the street. But Daniel's dysfunctional routines are shattered one day when he becomes entangled in the chaos of Clarissa's life as a single mother. Taking care of Clarissa's tiny son, Teddy, Daniel begins to emerge from the safety of logic, magic squares, and obsessive counting.

Martin's craftsmanship is remarkable. The tightly packed novella paints rich portraits with restraint and balance, including nothing extraneous to Daniel's world. The book does not try for pyrotechnics but is contented with a Zen-like simplicity in both prose and plot. Avoiding the crushing bleakness of much contemporary fiction, Martin insists through Daniel--a man haunted by horrors of his own making--that there is possibility for compassion, that broken lives can actually be healed. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

Readers expecting something zany, something crudely humorous from Steve Martin's second novel, The Pleasure of My Company, will discover much greater riches. While the book has a sense of humor, Martin moves everywhere with a gentler, lighter touch in this elegant little fiction that verges on the profound and poetic. Daniel Pecan Cambridge is the narrator and central consciousness of the novel (actually a novella). Daniel, an ex-Hewlett-Packard communiqu+ encoder, is a savant whose closely proscribed world is bounded on every side by neuroses and obsessions. He cannot cross the street except at driveways symmetrically opposed to each, and he cannot sleep unless the wattage of the active light bulbs in his apartment sums to 1,125. Daniel's starved social life is punctuated by twice-weekly visits from a young therapist in training, Clarissa; by his prescription pick-ups from a Rite Aid pharmacist, Zandy; and by his "casual" meetings with the bleach-blond real estate agent, Elizabeth, who is struggling to sell apartments across the street. But Daniel's dysfunctional routines are shattered one day when he becomes entangled in the chaos of Clarissa's life as a single mother. Taking care of Clarissa's tiny son, Teddy, Daniel begins to emerge from the safety of logic, magic squares, and obsessive counting. Martin's craftsmanship is remarkable. The tightly packed novella paints rich portraits with restraint and balance, including nothing extraneous to Daniel's world. The book does not try for pyrotechnics but is contented with a Zen-like simplicity in both prose and plot. Avoiding the crushing bleakness of much contemporary fiction, Martin insists through Daniel--a man haunted by horrors of his own making--that there is possibility for compassion, that broken lives can actually be healed. --Patrick O'Kelley

Download Description

Daniel Pecan Cambridge, 30, 35, 38 or 27, depending on how he feels that day, is a young man whose life is rich and full, provided he never leaves his Santa Monica apartment. After all, outside there are 8 inch high curbs and there's always the horrible chance he might see a gas station attendant wearing a blue hat. So, except for the occasional trip to the Rite Aid to admire the California girl Zandy and to buy ear plugs because they're on sale, he stays home a lot. And a good thing too, or he would have never been falsely implicated in a murder, never almost seduced Philipa, never done the impossible task of jogging around the block with Brian, never ironed his pillows, and might never have won the Most Average American contest

Customer Reviews:

Martin's Writing Encapsulates Comedic Compassion.......2007-09-13

We all know Steve Martin as a funny, witty actor and comedian, but I am afraid too few people know what a talented writer he is. Martin has a wonderful writing style, in which he transfers his comedic voice to the written page. This wonderful novella tops "Shopgirl" (another example of his brilliant writing talent) in its originality and compassion. It's funny and fresh and enchanting, and those are not qualities easily achieved in a novel.

"The Pleasure of My Company" centers on Daniel Cambridge, a man who is afraid to leave his house, except for his angst-ridden outings to the local drugstore, which he does carefully, one hilarious step at a time. Just crossing the street can be a challenge for our hero Cambridge; his life is full of obsessions and neuroses. Despite its humor, this is a tender tale, a portrait of loneliness, and one man's attempt to engage to world around him despite his psychological limitations (by babysitting, by winning an essay contest, and by attempting to get the girl of his dreams). His quest is compelling and sincere, even when you are laughing out loud.

The book is so good you will find yourself slowing down to make the story last, and when you finish, you will find yourself wishing for more. I only hope that Martin commits this novella to film in the way he did with "Shopgirl." Martin is a wonderful writer, whose talent and insight into the humor and humanity of life are unparalleled. This is a wonderful book, but oh too short. Let's hope Martin continues to write many more.

Sublime.......2007-06-16

Once again our know-nothing publishers in the UK, terrified that no one will buy a book unless it's got "laugh-out-loud funny" plastered on the cover, have done us a tremendous disservice. They did it last year with George Hagen's masterpiece 'The Laments' and now they've done it to Steve Martin's sublime and touching novel.

Martin's mastery of his craft sends him without doubt into the top league of American novelists. 'Shopgirl' was good and brave but this trancsends even that wonderful book. The sure-footedness and tenderness that Martin displays towards Daniel, the novel's main protagonist, is doubled and then squared (how Daniel would love that) when each of the other characters are brought so deftly into his life.

Coming to the end of this book, in which the author summons up every ounce of grace and poignancy to his writing, I was reminded of 'The Time Traveller's Wife'. For like that book Steve Martin's inspiring novel resonates in the mind long after the cover has been closed. Quite unashamedly I admit here to having read the last paragraph four times.

And yes, this book may be funny but in a wry and almost sad way - something much harder to pull off than a collection of gags.

Steve Martin is a deep and wonderful writer. Read this book.

Not Martin's Best.......2007-06-03

I get the feeling when reading this book that Martin was distracted. Perhaps he had to write this to fullfill some contractural obligation. Or maybe hwe was rushing tog et to anther project.

Regardless of the reason this is far from Martin's best. If you want his best read Shopgirl. Shopgirl: A Novella

If you want to see a largely unedited Steve Martin read "The Pleasure of my Company."

The Pleasure of My Company.......2007-02-10

I stumbled upon this book while browsing Barnes & Nobles. I read part of the inside jacket and decided this was the book. Daniel Pecan Cambridge just like myself finds himself living with oddities or quirks that no one would truley understand. I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder and I found comfort while reading this book. It took me to a place where my rituals were not my main concern. I think that this novel is brilliant and I am deeply sadden that I do not have it anymore to come back to now that I have finished. I am now just waiting patiently for the next novel by Steve Martin, which I hope comes along soon because I think he is a genious and has now become one of favorite authors.

Anyone out there who thinks that their life has an abundance of chaos should seriously take the time to read this book and take a relief from the chaos. While reading this you will come to notice that a smile and light heart has taken over.

I feel like a traitor..........2007-01-02

I tried to read this, but it didn't grab me. But since Steve MArtin is one of my favorite actors/comedians, I thought that maybe listening to the audio book, read by the author would do the trick. I listened to 3 our of 4 CDs, which is more than I'd read. Try as I might, I just found Daniel's neuroses and compulsive behaviors more disturbing than funny. Forgive me, Steve MArtin. May I be a fan of your theatre, and not your books?

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