String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Introduction

Book Description

String theory is one of the most exciting and challenging areas of modern theoretical physics. This book guides the reader from the basics of string theory to recent developments. It introduces the basics of perturbative string theory, world-sheet supersymmetry, space-time supersymmetry, conformal field theory and the heterotic string, before describing modern developments, including D-branes, string dualities and M-theory. It then covers string geometry and flux compactifications, applications to cosmology and particle physics, black holes in string theory and M-theory, and the microscopic origin of black-hole entropy. It concludes with Matrix theory, the AdS/CFT duality and its generalizations. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers in modern string theory, and will make an excellent textbook for a one-year course on string theory. It contains over 120 exercises with solutions, and over 200 homework problems with solutions available on a password protected website for lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521860697.

Customer Reviews:

A good general introduction.......2007-04-22

String theory has been criticized since it was first invented but not to the degree that it has now, this criticism mostly focusing on its failure to connect with observation. The criticism has increased dramatically in recent years however, and some of this has been too vituperative to be useful to those curious about string theory as a viable physical theory. But criticism, however harsh, can be healthy, since it motivates the proponents of a theory to more carefully elucidate its foundations and content. This is usually not the case when a theory is popular, as researchers are in a competitive spirit and are hesitant to share the knowledge to possible competitors. At this stage in the game however, string theorists it seems are now on the defensive, and have thus taken the time to discuss in-depth what this reviewer still believes is the most complex and beautiful theory ever constructed in mathematical physics. String theory still has a long way to go before it gains status as being a physical theory, but hopefully by the end of the next few decades one will see the appearance of charts, graphs, and numerical calculations in books on string theory, much like one finds in the most successful of all physical theories to date: relativistic quantum field theory.
Some highlights in the book that are particularly insightful include:
1. The observation that Dirichlet boundary conditions (for the open string) break Poincare invariance, but that this leads to the introduction of Dp-branes as positions of the endpoints of the open string. Poincare invariance is recovered as long as Dp-brane is space filling, i.e. has a dimension one less than the background spacetime.
2. The view that the BRST quantization of the path integral is really a conformal field theory. This is interesting in that BRST analysis is typically thought of as a procedure for quantizing constrained systems (gauge theories being predominant examples).
3. The `Myers effect'. Sometimes referred to as the `D-brane dielectric effect', it is part of an attempt to understand the physics of non-Abelian D-branes for strong fields. One of the challenges in this understanding involves the validity of the Dirac-Born-Infeld action in these kinds of circumstances, which as the authors remark is designed for situations where the background fields and world-volume gauge fields do not vary appreciably over the distances on the order of the string scale.
4. The origin of the (classical) Virasoro algebra as the freedom of choice of gauge in the reparametrization symmetry. And along these same lines, the quantization of the Virasoro algebra is defined to the normal ordering of the Virasoro generators, and their commutators give an expression consisting of the ordinary classical term plus a "quantum" correction, the famous central extension. Thus the quantum Virasoro algebra can be viewed as a "quantum deformation" of the classical Virasoro algebra, with the central parameter as being the deformation parameter. This philosophy of deformation has found generalization in what are now called `quantum groups' (even though strictly speaking they are much more complicated objects than ordinary groups).
5. The connection of the dilaton to the Euler characteristic.
6. The role of the GSO projection in insuring consistency in the state spectrum.
7. The use of (vector bundle) K-theory to classify D-brane charges. This use arises when it is realized that the conserved R-R charges cannot be identified with cohomology classes of gauge field configurations. Instead, the D-branes are classified by K-theory classes.
8. The discussion on `primitive cohomology' and its relation to de Rham cohomology and Hodge theory.
9. The role of the Born-Infeld structure in ensuring Lorentz invariance of the T-dual description. The Born-Infeld action was once viewed as a mere historical curiosity, namely as a nonlinear generalization of the Maxwell theory, with no experimental backing. That it finds such a natural place in string theory is very interesting (but still of course lacking in experimental support).
10. The derivation of a lower bound for Newton's constant from heterotic M-theory, which is close to the observed value.
11. The argument, beautifully elucidated in this book, that type IIA supergravity may be obtained from 11-dimensional supergravity by dimensional reduction.
12. The discussion on warped space-times and the gauge hierarchy. The authors cleverly motivate this subject by asking why Newtonian gravity follows an inverse-square law rather than an inverse-cube law.
13. An entire chapter is devoted to "stringy" geometry, which is a fascinating subject given that it touches so many areas of modern mathematics.
14. The discussion of the `hidden sector' and its conjectured relation to dark matter and supersymmetry breaking.
15. The author's treatment of the AdS/CFT conjecture is superb and is by far the most interesting part of the book. The dualities shown to exists between gauge theory and string theory are a possible route to a full understanding of nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics, which to this date has defied resolution.

Some major omissions or discussions that need more elaboration include:
1. The difficulties that are actually involved in quantizing the Nambu-Goto action. The authors remark that this is due to the presence of the square root, but it would have been interesting if they would have indicated just where the trouble rises explicitly when a quantization procedure is attempted with the Nambu-Goto action. In ordinary quantum field theory, the presence of the square root is interpreted as a "nonlocal" problem, but even there this issue is not usually dealt with in a manner that is very transparent.
2. A more detailed treatment of string field theory for those readers who want to compare it to what is done in second quantization in ordinary quantum field theory.
3. The role of the Beltrami differentials in the attaining of a measure for moduli space that is invariant under reparametrizations of the moduli space.
4. No in-depth discussion of characteristic classes over and above the algebra involved in their manipulation (i.e. the wedge products). An understanding of characteristic classes is crucial to understanding superstring and brane theory, but the pages of this book mislead the unsuspecting reader that there is nothing to characteristic classes except algebraic manipulation of the differential forms. But characteristic classes have a deep geometrical meaning, and obtaining insight into this meaning has been proven to be difficult for students of string theory. This book does not provide any of this insight, nor do any of the other books currently in print on string theory.
5. Is supersymmetry absolutely necessary for the incorporation of fermions into string theory? The authors seem to argue that it is, but an explicit proof is lacking.
6. The proof that `threshold bound states' are stable is omitted, disappointing the more mathematically sophisticated reader. As the authors remark, the proof involves a special type of index theory involving non-Fredholm operators, and where one must deal with a continuous spectrum. The usual index theory breaks down since one is only dealing with elliptic operators, and contributions to the index from bosons and fermions do not necessarily have to be integers.
7. The authors should have included more discussion on mirror symmetry, beautiful subject that it is.
8. Dp-branes are asserted to be useful in incorporating non-Abelian gauge symmetries in string theory, in that they appear "naturally" as confined to world volumes of multiply-coincident Dp-branes. But is this the best way to introduce these symmetries? Is there a method, other than this one and `compactification', that is just as "natural" and does not have the contrived element that the introduction of Dp-branes sometimes has?
9. The authors need to elaborate in more detail on the definition of "stable" and "unstable" D-brane.
10. The omitting of the proof that string theories are ultraviolet finite theories of quantum gravity. This is by far the most serious omission in the book. This reviewer does not know of a reference that proves this assertion, and many in the physics community have pointed to this omission as being a sign that the string theory research community has been misled by false assertions of proof.

Excellent Book.......2007-03-11

I think this is a great book that provides not only a great introduction to string theory (there is no assumed prior knowledge of string theory), but also provides coverage of many more advanced topics as well. I think it's likely that the vast majority of students specializing in string theory will want to read it at some point in their studies.

The coverage of topics in the first few chapters is in some ways fairly standard. The first two chapters consists of a high level overview of string theory, bosonic string, the Nambu-Goto action the Polyakov action, the Virasoro algebra, the critical dimension, light code gauge and the spectra of open/closed strings. After this there is a chapter on conformal field theory, naturally emphasizing the parts relevant to string theory (including a bit of string field theory). This is followed by discussions of worldsheet supersymmetry, spacetime supersymmetry, anomalies, T-duality and heterotic strings. The writing is very clear and considering the nature of the material, fairly straight forward. There are two things that I considered exceptional strengths. One is that the discussions incorporate D-branes, M-theory and the (unexpected) symmetries of string theory early on. The other is that there are numerous worked examples, as there are throughout the book.

At a very high level the rest of the book contains more extensive discussions of M-theory, compactification (including a substantial amount besides the standard approach of the compact dimensions being a Calabi-Yau space), mirror symmetry, S-duality, possible cosmological consequences of string theory, black holes and other solutions with horizons, matrix theory, AdS/CFT correspondence (a proposed equivalence between closed string solutions on the product of a sphere and anti-deSitter space and Yang-Mills theories) and the holographic principle (or as some would say conjecture).

The things I appreciated the most about this material was that is was a very interesting mix of topics. The discussion of black holes and cosmology was fairly extensive (for cosmology it was the most extensive I've seen in a text book). As was the coverage of the AdS/CFT correspondence. There were also some topics that I don't recall seeing in other string theory books, such as warped geometries in compactification and S-branes (these are like D-branes but they satisfy Dirichlet boundary conditions in timelike directions).

Needless to say it's a fairly advanced book. There is some coverage of things like complex spaces, topology, general relativity and cosmology. However this material is more along the lines of a review, not something intended to teach from first principles (some of the other string theory books cover this kind material in more detail).

All-in-all I believe this book not only provides a great introduction, it also provides an excellent treatment of some of the more advanced topics in string theory.

Best of All Worlds.......2007-03-09

This new textbook on string theory might be considered a modern pimped up version of Zwiebach's introductory course. The book is - as an introduction - better than the 2-volume set by Schwarz (Green, Schwarz, Witten), which is partly outdated, and on the same footing as Polchinski's version, but certainly not as thorough and elaborate. There is some overlap between all books (e.g. the CFT bits from Polchinski are quite similar to those in this new text, the introduction of the bosonic string via the relativistic point particle looks like the ones by Polchinski and Zwiebach, but Becker & Schwarz immediately generalise the concept to p-branes, SCFTs are discussed in a similar manner as in Polchinski, and so on), but there are additional features that really add to the value of the book: all exercises within the text have solutions directly under them, so one can either try to solve them or read them through, and some parts are explained more clearly. The concepts of "(gauge) symmetries" are discussed slightly better than by Polchsinki or GSW, but for those who want mathematical proofs instead of hand-waving arguments, and more background material on supersymmetry, I can only say that I have found no books on string theory that really do that. Both are subjects of study on their own and would go "beyond the scope" of these books... Nevertheless, a very good introduction and most of all: up to date!

For mid-undergraduates, I think, the perfect sequence for string theory would be (provided one acquires knowledge of QFT and Lie algebras for the more advanced texts):

Zwiebach>Becker/Schwarz>Polchinski (supplemented by GSW's first volume)

But if you want to learn string theory more quickly or if you don't have problems with the very basics, then leave out Zwiebach and go for this one immediately. For graduates, Polchinski should be the start, but one can take Backer/Schwarz always as a references and supplement on some topics (connection to black holes and gauge theories).

A Modern Fairytale.......2007-01-30

This is a fabulous excursion into a world inhabited by all sorts of mythical creatures: Calabi-Yau 3-folds, D-branes, orbifolds, ten and eleven-dimensional backgrounds, supersymmetric partners, covariant fermionic vertex operators and many others that only the wildest imaginations can conceive of. The wizards and magicians who have conjured these beasts have also cast a powerful spell on their easily-beguiled followers who see streets of gold and emerald trees as they walk through the morass of E8*E8 gauge fields, compactifications and dualities. This tome will be a welcome addition to your bookshelf right between Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland. I gladly recommend each of you to take a brief stroll into this enchanted land to be followed by the volumes of Landau and Lifchitz, so that you will be able to find your way back to reality again. Some have called strings "a theory of anything". Indeed, it is a wonderful place where you can make all your wishes come true. But do not stay too long in the kingdom of string theory lest you end up like so many others who are lost, searching endlessly for the legendary realms of M-theory or wandering aimlessly in the infinite labyrinth of the Landscape, wasting the remaining years of their life on naught but a fable.

Most up-to-date string theory tome published this year........2007-01-24

This volume was authored by one of the most respected researchers in the field, as well as the Becker sisters. It is beautifully illustrated, and is well timed for upcomming experimental tests of superstring theory at the Large Hadron collider. I did not give if five starts because it only devoted four pages to the Landscape, which professor Susskind, the father of string theory, has declared the most significant advance in physics in the past century.

Quantum Computation and Quantum Information

Average customer rating:

Still the Best Overview on Quantum Computing
Complete, but sloppy
Complete and didactical
Good book
An essential text

Quantum Computation and Quantum Information
Michael A. Nielsen , and Isaac L. Chuang
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

In this first comprehensive introduction to the main ideas and techniques of quantum computation and information, Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang ask the question: What are the ultimate physical limits to computation and communication? They detail such remarkable effects as fast quantum algorithms, quantum teleportation, quantum cryptography and quantum error correction. A wealth of accompanying figures and exercises illustrate and develop the material in more depth. They describe what a quantum computer is, how it can be used to solve problems faster than familiar "classical" computers, and the real-world implementation of quantum computers. Their book concludes with an explanation of how quantum states can be used to perform remarkable feats of communication, and of how it is possible to protect quantum states against the effects of noise.

Customer Reviews:

Still the Best Overview on Quantum Computing.......2007-03-02

This is an excellent book about a topic which becomes more important
with each passing month. It is written at a graduate level, such that
you really need to have had a college-level quantum mechanics course,
or equivalent. Most of the book uses bracket notation.

Complete, but sloppy.......2007-02-08

This is absolutely the standard introductory text to quantum information and quantum computation. Nielsen and Chuang certainly covered all the basis, and tried to give a self contained book including many reviews of related topics in the appendices. The main complain about the book is that some times it is sloppy, making hard to grasp the concepts. In some parts of the book there are even grammatical errors. My advice, get it, read it, but be very careful.

Complete and didactical.......2007-01-03

It is a book for specialists. In order to fully appreciate the contents you should have a physics, maths or computation science diploma. It contains a good introduction on Quantum mechanics, but for people that have already assited an introductory course on the field. Concerning the main subject: quantum computation, this book is the most complete review of the field and also suitable for a course on QC.

Good book.......2006-03-25

The book is good and gives you a general view of quantum information and computation. However, the size of the book disencourages beginners to read it.

An essential text.......2005-06-17

Despite its age, I keep coming back to this text for the careful prose and knowledgeable authors; so much so that I am ordering the hardback edition, having worn out the binding of the paperback edition. It is both a book to learn from and one to refer to later. It will eventually be outdated, but I don't see this as having happened yet. Although a large book, it is not bulked out like some, containing a lot of useful and relevant material. Perhaps not the text for those setting out from a 'cold start', but then a great follow up to 'The Quest for Quantum Computing" by Julian Brown. Not overtly rigorous, which is to its credit, as the concepts remain clear as a result. Certainly an essential text, where the prose does not get in the way. A very readable book about a very exciting subject, that is sure to deliver to the determined reader.

An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics)

Average customer rating:

Perfect.
Wow, does this suck . . . get a different book!
This book is a very very very bad book which you never buy.
Don't make the same fault I did!
It is sad that we don't have a better book out there...

An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics)
Michael E. Peskin , and Dan V. Schroeder
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

Perfect........2007-08-10

I received the book as it should be: knew. And it cames before the estimated time.

Wow, does this suck . . . get a different book!.......2007-06-13

Ok--I just need to help lower the overall rating for this book. I think the people who love it are professors and students who already are familiar with QFT--because it glosses over everything, does pertinent examples, etc. But that's just it, it GLOSSES over everything. Note that nearly all the higher reviews say things like: "oh, you wouldn't want to start with this book." or "Everyone knows that you're going to need more books than this one to understand it . . ." I couldn't even figure out how to create a Feynmann diagram from this book, let alone what one MEANT. FYI, my favorite QFT book so far is Weinberg's Quantum Theory of Fields.

This book is a very very very bad book which you never buy........2007-01-20

Absolutely no logic.
Perfectly nonclear.
No subject.
Mathematically poor.(very poor.)
Nonneccessary words.
No depth.
Not for self-study.
Just arrangement.
No physical insight.
No process.
No thinking.

This is indeed not a book.
This is a stuff for a vanity.
I wonder whether Peskin and Schroeder are genuine physicists.

Don't make the same fault I did!.......2006-12-16

Hi there!

The important information first: I'm a graduate student, mainly interested in theoretical physics. At the moment, I'm trying to get a deeper understanding of QFT.

Peskin's QFT book is NOT the one you should buy if you want to UNDERSTAND renormalization.

I learned the basics of QFT (\phi^4 and QED up to a first contact with renormalization - "trivial" subtraction of infinities) in a lecture and I finally felt like: "What does renormalization mean? What is it good for? Is there a deeper truth in it?" Well, the answer to the last question is definitely yes. It's about the Beta function. This function tells you how the coupling constants of a QFT behave at different momenta. E.g., we can learn from it why perturbation theory works for QED at low energies and for QCD at high energies (I think, this is amazing).

What I just said I learned from Huang's book. Peskin "deals" with it in chapters 10 to 12. In the middle of chapter 12 I finally said to myself: "Hey, don't feel stupid. This book is just completely incomprehensible here."

In my opinion, if you want to see behind renormalization (and therefore behind any QFT(!!)), don't buy Peskin's book. Any other book is better regarding this issue.

It is sad that we don't have a better book out there..........2006-05-28

The main problem of this book: what exactly is it supposed to be?

If it is an introduction, then the opening chapters are written at a level too sophisticated that an average first-time student can't handle.

If it aims to be a "bible" of the subject, then the later chapters are far too technical, loaded with only Feynman diagram calculations for standard model. Not being a phenomenologist, I personally have very little interest in all the technical detail, and apparently several other reviewers share my view here.

Now let me gives some examples to support my claim.

First, C, P and T symmetries are introduced very early on (right after Dirac spinor), and in a very formal way. Yes, they logically belong there, but in an "introduction" of the subject you don't throw out an isolated topic like this which you don't make use of in the following few hundred pages.

The part on cannonical quantization is written at a very fast pace. A complex scalar field is probably the first model you can construct with charged particles. And guess what kind of treatment it receives in this book? Not a single word in the main text. The problem 2 of that chapter essentially asks you to work out the content of this model with few hints given. If you have troble working it out, which is not uncommon for a first-timer, then you won't see the logic behind the decomposition of a complex Dirac field either. This is done in the following chapter, with no explaination.

Like the charged scalar field example, some important pieces of knowledge are hidden only in the exercises. So if you treat these high-power opening chapters as your bible-type reference, you will often end up in the frustrating situation that the book tells you to work out by yourself what you are seeking in the first place.

Now get to the later parts of the book. As I mentioned above, the second half of the book is almost conceptually too simple, overloaded with technical details.

This downfall begins around the renormalization group. On the back of this book, this Prof. Micheal Dine is qouted: "it is the only field theory text with a thoroughly modern, Wilsonian treatment of renormalization". The connection between the Wilsonian idea and dimensional regularization/renormalization scale is shaky at best. You read the text, and are left puzzled at the magic: how does a cut-off scale become some (much lower) arbitrary momentum scale? No explaination. The Wilsonian theory is completely isolated and have little connection with the rest of the renormalization section.

Furthermore, the book does not do a very good job on Lie algebra and non-abilien Lie groups. I mean, come on, if this is an "introduction" type of book, make it more readable. If this is a "bible" type of book, make it more comprehensive.

Having voiced all my bad opinions, I have to admit that the book has its merit. Bottom line is, this is a book written by phenomenologists for phenomenologists. If you view it from such an angle, it is not too badly written after all, and does cover most of the important topics a phnomenologist would want to know. But you may want to start from a more accessible text such as Ryder.

If you are a theorist, but not a phenomenologist, then, well, let's say the ability of getting through the first part perfectly is the minimum requirement for your research.

If you are an experimentalist, don't bother.

Average customer rating:

A true chemical engineering classic
Reintroducing an old friend in a new suit
Good book, but need solid background to understand
Good boock for class
A classic text in a new edition.

Transport Phenomena
R. Byron Bird , Warren E. Stewart , and Edwin N. Lightfoot
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Careful attention is paid to the presentation of the basic theory.
* Enhanced sections throughout text provide much firmer foundation than the first edition.
* Literature citations are given throughout for reference to additional material.

Customer Reviews:

A true chemical engineering classic.......2007-08-28

Transport Phenomenon by Bird, Stewart and Lightfoot is one of the most useful chemical engineering textbook ever written. For nearly five decades now, many chemical engineers have lived by what they learned first through this book. The revised edition makes the book current, though 1960 edition is great introduction to the mass, heat and energy and/or momentum transfer problems.

The basis idea of the book is simple: list the equations useful for a system of problems, say in mass transfer; provide set of assumptions used to arrive at those; suggest possible solutions to the differential equations for practical industry conditions; use correlations derived by researchers where real time data is unavailable and lastly, learn how to adapt solutions for different set of conditions. The book attempts to make problem solving into a set of instructions to be followed, and by sticking to the fundamental assumptions and equations allows one to attack a range of problems relevant to fields as diverse as diffusion transport, biochemical processes, condensation problems for atmospheric physics, chemical kinetics, heat conduction, petroleum extraction and flow of fluids relevant to many processing industries.

We often hailed it as the Bible of Chemical Engineering. Every now and then, (nearly a decade after we first read it) I still hear people say: this problem, or something like it, was in BSL, (the acronym awarded to the book after its authors). Be it Transport texts by Deen or Middleman typically used for graduate school courses, or Incompressible Flow by Patton, the recourse to understanding problems first hand through BSL is always rewarding.

The book comes with a number of solved and unsolved problems. There is no short-cut to becoming a good chemical engineer, except by mastering the art and science of attacking problems. By going through the book meticulously right in your first course, (for in most cases, this is the first chemical engineering text encountered), you can ensure that you will do well in your whole education as chemical engineer.

Recommended reference for all chemical engineers.

Reintroducing an old friend in a new suit.......2007-07-22

Most chemical engineers grew up with BSL. For myself, I found out what the graduate students were using. The old red-back version was intimidating. It was hard to use. The calculus was, and is, generally over my head. But... after reading through a few problems, the mathematics seemed familiar, the approach seemed to explain all my questions and the solution was, if not directly applicable, one that I could borrow for a difficult problem.

I remember once working on a product development for Andrew Jergens. My goal was to estimate the production capacity of a stepwise batch process. Others would ultimately use my numbers to estimate the price of the product. I had to get it right! One step involved melting this wax, a synthetic whale wax, over an electric heater. I knew the BTU output but there were several physical constraints. After a few sleepless nights and pawing through the University of Cincinnati library I was stumped. Then, I started looking through BSL.Oui la! There is a problem on de-frosting turkeys ¯ a real life practical application of heat transfer; supposedly, this is how Birdseye came up with the table you see on the outside of turkey wrappings on Thanksgiving.

It did not take me long to see the application. I spent a morning doing lab experiments for my physical properties and the afternoon fitting the measurements to their procedure. The method worked.

The second edition has much better graphics and a good index. The index and table of contents in the first edition made the book unwieldy.

I recently became interested in calculating the heat-up time in a hydrolysis bed. One of the crucial problems was calculating h', the volumetric heat transfer coefficient (BTU/hr-cubic feet-F: h X l). There is an excellent method developed by Shumann in another great book: Kern's "Process Heat Transfer." BSL presents a method for estimating h that can be transformed into h' by:
h' = h X Ac/V, where Ac=cross area; V=volume of bed. With the old version, finding this section of the book was very time consuming. The second edition made it easy.

There is one downside of the 2nd edition. To make it easier to read, the publisher increased its length and width. Unfortunately, as experience has born out, this tends to make a book more prone to shearing along its binding. I intent to wrap this book in heavy plastic to add some reinforcement. I suggest you do likewise.

I will keep you posted as I continue to use this book. I may give my old red-back to some younger engineer ---to knaw on the edges before they ask me for the answer.

Good book, but need solid background to understand.......2006-11-10

Overall this is a good book for learning transport phenomena, however, if you are lacking in some of the fundamentals (fluids, heat, etc) some of the steps in the examples don't make sense. Once you have a grasp on the fundamentals, the book is very useful in breaking down transport problems.

Good boock for class.......2006-11-06

All what we need.
The info is great for university grade solarcship
A must have in ingenering (chemical or biological)

A classic text in a new edition........2006-03-07

Having worn out my original copy, purchased almost 40 year ago,
the new edition includes much new material presented in a clear
and understandable format as well as numerous well chosen problems and examples. An essential reference to all those
interested in transport phenomena.

Average customer rating:

Great book for learning quantum field theory
Perhaps the best book on QFT
QFT ; This is the way to teach to it
Excellent textbook
Classroom Tested, Student Approved

Quantum Field Theory
Mark Srednicki
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Quantum field theory is the basic mathematical framework that is used to describe elementary particles. This textbook provides a complete and essential introduction to the subject. Assuming only an undergraduate knowledge of quantum mechanics and special relativity, this book is ideal for graduate students beginning the study of elementary particles. The step-by-step presentation begins with basic concepts illustrated by simple examples, and proceeds through historically important results to thorough treatments of modern topics such as the renormalization group, spinor-helicity methods for quark and gluon scattering, magnetic monopoles, instantons, supersymmetry, and the unification of forces. The book is written in a modular format, with each chapter as self-contained as possible, and with the necessary prerequisite material clearly identified. It is based on a year-long course given by the author and contains extensive problems, with password protected solutions available to lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521864497.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for learning quantum field theory.......2007-09-10

This book is a great resource for learning quantum field theory. People that have already taken QFT courses may also enjoy reading it. The emphasis is on learning the concepts of QFT and the techniques for doing calculations. A very nice feature of this book is that these concepts are often developed using simple examples. While many of these do not describe realistic field theories, they improve the leaning process by isolating specific ideas to be learned and removing many complicating details. The problems at the end of the chapters are instructive and doable. This is a matter of taste, but I liked the fact that most of the chapters were fairly short.

The book starts by considering scalar fields. This material includes: relativistic quantum mechanics, why relativistic quantum mechanics is inconsistent as a single particle theory and how this leads to QFT, Feynman diagrams, cross sections/decay rates, renormalization and spontaneous symmetry breaking. I think covering these topics without the complications of spin makes it much easier to learn them. It also helps that many of the calculations are done in great detail.

Things get more complicated in the next two parts as spin is added. First spin one-half theories are covered and then spin one is covered. As in the first part, the quality of the presentation is excellent. All the topics one would expect are covered such as anomalies, chiral symmetry breaking, Wilson loops and BRST symmetry.

There is also a fair amount of more advanced material. This includes the strong CP problem and various aspects of the standard model. Some of the other more advanced topics are supersymmetry, grand unified field theories, lattice theory and matrix models. I would have liked these sections to been bigger.

In short, this is a great introduction geared towards teaching and it also has a fair amount of coverage of some advanced topics.

Perhaps the best book on QFT.......2007-08-04

This book clarifies a lot of mysteries on QFT for me. The concept is explained so clearly. It may not give you a lot of experimental results. But the methodology of QFT is explained much more clearly than other QFT books in the market. Basically, every one of the chapter in this book is written very well. The calculations involved in different topics are displayed line by line without jumping steps. Reading it is just like attending a tutorial. But you may need some experience on QFT before you can appreciate this book.
If you want to buy one book on QFT, buy this.

QFT ; This is the way to teach to it.......2007-04-13

Aimed towards graduate students, the text is presented with pedagogical brilliance. This is the way one teaches QFT to students who intend to actually use it in their research endeavors. I highly recommend this textbook to any student of high energy particle physics.
DF - Northeastern Univ. Boston MA.

Excellent textbook.......2007-02-17

Srednicki's book provides a brilliantly organized exposition of the fundamental concepts and calculational tools of quantum field theory. The book is self-contained, and divided into many short chapters which makes it convenient to read. The writing style is very pedagogical, essentially avoiding the "black magic" and mystery that seem to be a necessary ingredient in many other QFT textbooks. The material is presented in a logical way, and the author makes sure to address all the necessary details. I won't be surprised if this new book soon becomes the leading book on the subject.

Classroom Tested, Student Approved.......2007-02-07

I have been taught field theory from this text (actually, while it was in the process of being written), and then been a teaching assistant for the course in which it was used a second time.

In my experience, this is the best single text to use to learn field theory that one can buy today. It is completely modern in its presentation, and covers all of the fundamentals of field theory from scalars to spinors to gauge theory, and even has a significant amount of coverage of the standard model, specifically the Electro-weak theory. Additionally, the book is broken up into very short chapters of 4-10 pages each, and clearly cross referenced so you know what chapters are prerequisite knowledge.

There are a very large number of exercises which range in difficulty from very straightforward to very difficult. The problems manage to be educational and help deepen the understanding of what's presented in the text while still being a challenge.

This is an extremely well-rounded text. It is easily readable, and provides good intuition about the theory, but also goes far more in depth then the other "easier-to-read" field theory texts out there. It also generally sticks to the most commonly used notation and in situations where new notation is needed, the ones that are used are clear and well thought out. A solid graduate quantum mechanics background is necessary to get the most out of this test, but much of the more advanced math is covered as the book needs it (or reviewed in the exercises).

One down side to being so thorough on the theoretical framework is the lack of any reference to experiment or historical development of field theory. If your goal is to learn field theory only from the experimental side, there are better books out there. But for a solid grounding in the fundamentals of field theory there is no better place to start then this.

Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics

Average customer rating:

Thoughts from an ME Undergraduate
I had to teach myself from this...
THE Best Engineering Text
Thermodynamics Text
GOOD BUT....

Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics
Michael J. Moran , and Howard N. Shapiro
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics
Mechanics of Materials
Mechanics of Materials (6th Edition)
Mechanics of Materials (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)
Introduction to Fluid Mechanics

ASIN: 0471317136

Book Description

The fourth edition retains the basic objectives of the first three editions which is to present a comprehensive and rigorous treatment of engineering thermodynamics from the classical viewpoint. It includes thorough development of the second law, featuring the entropy production concept, and energy analysis. Known for its emphasis on design, the authors have updated design applications to include economic considerations. Environmental topics and applications have been expanded and updated.

Customer Reviews:

Thoughts from an ME Undergraduate.......2007-04-04

I'm currently using this book for my undergraduate thermo course and this is my first class (and first book) on thermodynamics. That said, I must I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I'll agree that there's plenty of examples which are helpful and there's plenty of rigor in explaining many concepts.

On the other hand, I will also say that I was completely lost several times when reading the book. I definitely agree with the other review that complained about this book's wordiness. In an introductory text such as this, I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't string together long, run-on sentences with nothing but definition terms (where you have to lookup virtually each word in the sentence from other chapters). I've also noticed that many intro texts *fail to succinctly and clearly explain completely new terms and concepts in easy-to-understand words and real-world examples*, and this is no exception!

Central summary pages including main formulas (and page numbers for alternative forms of the main formulas) would be helpful for students instead of constantly flipping through the chapters looking for something specific formula.

Also, the back of the book solutions severely lack any sort of real form (most books give either all odd or even solutions) and the problems themselves often require complex assumptions that first-year thermo students such as myself aren't going to think of right off-the-bat. Starting point hints would be a BIG help.

All that said, I'd say that while this is a pretty good, detailed book, good luck if you're an engineering undergrad taking a thermo class for the first time with this book. You'll probably benefit from lectures more than from this book.

I had to teach myself from this..........2007-03-18

Great book, my professor for this class lacked a Ph.D and the ability to teach, so I was on my own for the most part. I nearly pulled an A in the course. On a technical note, they aren't so clear on/or make a few minor errors, be careful with the P-h diagrams.

THE Best Engineering Text.......2007-03-15

This is the best textbook in Engineering or Mathematics I have ever read. Its structure is just so good, that words are hard to find. It would be easier to describe a more mediocre textbook than this, since I cannot emphasize enough just how well written this text is compared to the seventy or so other engineering and mathematics books I own.

Work patiently through the first six chapters, and the rest is a true pleasure. The perfect structure both of the examples and of the text itself renders only one requiste on the reader's part: study the chapters in their entirety -- never will the time you spend on a book pay better dividens than this time around.

Disregard the negative reviews for this text; these are the result of lacking academic maturity among a portion of the amazon.com reviewers. Also, I meant to give it 5 stars, but the site does not enable such a correction.

Thermodynamics Text.......2007-03-02

Difficult to find information in the text, though it does have alot of useful stuff. The tables at the back are great.

GOOD BUT...........2006-06-22

ITS GOOD BUT IT JUMP TO MUCH STEPS. I RECOMMEND "THERMODYNAMICS AN ENGINEERING APPROACH" FORM CENGEL AND BOLES. ITS MORE FRIENDLY USER. I HAVE BOTH

Quantum Field Theory: From Operators to Path Integrals

Average customer rating:

Extremely solid for self-teaching
A good introduction to the physics behind renormalization

Quantum Field Theory: From Operators to Path Integrals
Kerson Huang
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Quantum Field Theory, Rev.Ed.
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics)
Quantum Theory of Many-Particle Systems
A First Book of Quantum Field Theory, Second Edition
Quarks, Leptons and Gauge Fields

ASIN: 0471141208

Book Description

A unique approach to quantum field theory, with emphasis on the principles of renormalization Quantum field theory is frequently approached from the perspective of particle physics. This book adopts a more general point of view and includes applications of condensed matter physics. Written by a highly respected writer and researcher, it first develops traditional concepts, including Feynman graphs, before moving on to key topics such as functional integrals, statistical mechanics, and Wilson's renormalization group. The connection between the latter and conventional perturbative renormalization is explained.

Quantum Field Theory is an exceptional textbook for graduate students familiar with advanced quantum mechanics as well as physicists with an interest in theoretical physics. It features:
* Coverage of quantum electrodynamics with practical calculations and a discussion of perturbative renormalization
* A discussion of the Feynman path integrals and a host of current subjects, including the physical approach to renormalization, spontaneous symmetry breaking and superfluidity, and topological excitations
* Nineteen self-contained chapters with exercises, supplemented with graphs and charts

Customer Reviews:

Extremely solid for self-teaching.......2006-04-06

This book is an ideal introduction to quantum field theory for a graduate student. Assuming a strong background in basic quantum mechanics and classical mechanics, Huang develops quantum field in a methodical fashion. In contrast to other popular quantum field theory books (such as Peskin) Huang doesn't leave out important details, especially with regard to the mathematics behind spinor fields. Plus the book is very readable.

A good introduction to the physics behind renormalization.......1999-05-16

A very good introduction to QFT. It starts with a rather classical account of QED, then develops renormalization and applies it mainly to statistical physics. So the text does not cover non-abelian gauge theories, and is not sufficient for readers who learn QFT for particle physics applications. But the exposition of renormalization is really excellent and complete. I liked the exceptional clarity and lucidity of most calculations, and the excellent set of problems. Solving them all extends the book's scope far beyond the table of contents.

Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Smith & Van Hess preferable!
Clearly written , Very good book
Good solution thermo, but don't get rid of Smith & Van Ness
Errata
Simple and interesting...

Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-Phase Equilibria (3rd Edition)
John M. Prausnitz , Rudiger N. Lichtenthaler , and Edmundo Gomes de Azevedo
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Transport Phenomena
Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering (4th Edition) (Prentice Hall International Series in the Physical and Chemical Engineering Sciences)
Chemical, Biochemical, and Engineering Thermodynamics
The Properties of Gases and Liquids
Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design (Wiley Series in Chemical Engineering)

ASIN: 0139777458

Customer Reviews:

Smith & Van Hess preferable!.......2004-01-12

This book is used as graduate text for GTech, ChBE course, and suffices in context of summarizing a large amount of material on fugacities in mixtures, empirical methods used for prediction and analysis of phase euilibria problems. With no previous exposure to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, I found Smith and Van Hess to be greatly helpful in explaining basic concepts, and providing a lucid, logical development of the subject. While Prausnitz dwells at length on the behavior of mixtures, the development of the subject leaves one wanting for a lot more, and hence this book will always need atleat one complementary text like Smith's book to be a useful text. The topics explained really well in the text include fugacities in gas and liquid mixtures, and calculation of solubilities of solids or gases in liquids. Other areas of thermodynamics are either ignored or coverage is sketchy (for examples treatment of polymers, electrolytes, use of statistical mechanics, etc).

Clearly written , Very good book.......2001-07-21

The book explains clearly the subjects making easy to understand the topics. I would suggest chem. eng to use it as a tool for understanding any specific subject in phase equilibria. It points out clearly the principles. Any book written by Dr. Prausnitz has high quality.

Good solution thermo, but don't get rid of Smith & Van Ness.......2000-11-23

This is the text that is used for graduate ChE thermo at Georgia Tech. I found many of the chapters to be very useful and complete. For example, the chapters on estimating fugacities and solubilities in gases and liquids were very well written. However, I found the treatment of some topics, such as equations of state and supercritical fluids to be somewhat superficial and not developed very well in general. Smith & Van Ness and The Properties of Gases and Liquids were useful supplements.

Errata.......2000-06-18

En la Ec. 6-122 pg. 264 el subindice del tercer termino de la derecha de la ecuacion: phi* dice 2 debe decir 1.

Por favor si tienen un Fe de Erratas comunicarlo a todos los usuarios.

El libro es excelente. gracias

Simple and interesting..........2000-04-13

I found this book easy to read about some topics that others books make to difficult to understand. I widely recommend this book...

Energy: Its Use and the Environment (with InfoTrac®)

Average customer rating:

Good, but not excellant...
solid intro to energy

Energy: Its Use and the Environment (with InfoTrac®)
Roger A. Hinrichs , and Merlin H. Kleinbach
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Out of Gas: The End of the Age Of Oil
Energy at the Crossroads: Global Perspectives and Uncertainties
An Introduction to Physical Science
Introduction to Physical Science
Energy and the Environment

ASIN: 0495010855

Book Description

What is the impact of energy issues such as lobal warming, radioactive waste, municipal solid waste, and nuclear energy production materials on the individual and society? ENERGY: ITS USE AND THE ENVIRONMENT emphasizes the physical principles behind energy and its effects on our environment, explaining the basic physical principles behind the use of energy, including the study of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, and atomic and nuclear physics. By placing energy issues within the context of everyday examples and asking you to define and support critical arguments, ENERGY: ITS USE AND THE ENVIRONMENT offers a provocative approach to this crucial issue.

Customer Reviews:

Good, but not excellant..........2007-05-07

This pertains to the 4th edition (published 2005). The material is solid and informative, but the photos are all black and white. I find this unacceptable in the twenty first century. Additionally, many of the photos are of very poor quality.

solid intro to energy.......2000-04-25

Energy provides comprehensive information on basic energy principles, electricity, fossil energy resources, nuclear power, renewable energy resources, energy conservation, and the impacts of energy use on the environment. While it contains all the requisite equations and problem sets, the concise, clear coverage of the environmental and policy issues surrounding our energy use really distinguishes this book from other energy texts.

Average customer rating:

A QFT text jewel !!!!
a very thorough introduction
Great Introduction
Detailed guide to QFT

Field Quantization
Walter Greiner , and Joachim Reinhardt
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Quantum Electrodynamics
Theoretical Physics - Text and Exercise Books: Volume 3: Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. Wave Equations (Theoretical physics)
Gauge Theory of Weak Interactions
Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction
Classical Electrodynamics (Classical Theoretical Physics)

Accessories:

Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods (Fundamental Theories of Physics)
Alice in Quantumland: An Allegory of Quantum Physics

ASIN: 3540591796

Book Description

Field Quantization is a thorough introduction to the physical ideas and techniques of this subject, starting from an elementary level. The initial chapters deal with the quantum mechanics of systems having many degrees of freedom and with classical Lagrangian field theory. Subsequently, both the traditional method of canonical quantization and the modern approach using path integrals are studied. The material is presented in considerable detail and accompanied by a large number of worked examples and exercises.

Customer Reviews:

A QFT text jewel !!!!.......2007-08-01

Thorough study of this book is a guaranteed ticket to QFT expertise !
The following excellent books are in addition highly recommended:
1. Mandl and Shaw's - Great intro to QFT
2. The Greiner Books - Exhaustively Comprehensive and Detailed
3. Dr. Zee's - QFT in a Nutshell - Most enthusiastic and didactic
4. Dr. Kaku's - vey clear and insightful. Additional bonus :Intro to Relativistic Strings - I particularly enjoy the pot shot he takes at the co-discoverer (who's name I dare not mention out loud) of the Beta Function (strong ? no, weak? no, gravitational? maybe) "tachyon" interaction formula.
5. Prof Weinberg's Magnificent Three Volume Set - The QFT Bible !

a very thorough introduction.......2005-09-21

There are so many different QFT text books, but this one is of special value:(1) It is a really thorough work, e.g., symmetry principles, path integral, QED, even scalar qed are discussed in detail here! (2) The details are all included, so you will not find something like "it easily follows from..". (3)It introduces everything in a good order. For example, it treats non-relativistic Schrodinger field first before going to the relativistic theories. It has shown that non-relativistic fields permit both boson and fermion rules. From this you can easily see how quantization rules are related to relativity. I am sure you can learn some solid QFT from this book. Of course, I recommend this book along with the standard reference by Peskin-Schroeder, and the lively book by Zee.

Great Introduction.......2001-07-12

This book starts with classical field theory and moves on to some simple, but very relevent examples of nonrelativistic field quantization. Greiner works through all important relativistic system of free particles before a spectactular introduction to Feynman rules via quantum electrodynamics as the primer. The book finishes with a nice introduction to path-integral quantization. This book covers mathematical detail of relativistic field theory in a simple way, making it an excellent introductory text.

Detailed guide to QFT.......2000-03-27

The book's focus is on carefully explaining what quantum field theory is. Starting from classical field theories, ie. the harmonic chain, Greiner goes on to discuss 2nd quantization for spin 0, 1/2, and spin 1 fields. The results are then applied to derive the perturbation expansion for interacting fields. The last sections on quantization with path integrals is also well written, and contains more details than eg. Sakurai. Throughout, many (sometimes tedious, but) instructive examples are presented that lots of other authors just assume to be understood already.

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