Contents:Black Hole Evaporation and Quantum Gravity (K Schoutens et al.)A String Project in Multicolor QCD (V Kazakov)Matrix Models and String Theory (K Demeterfi & I Klebanov)Developments in 2D String Theory (A Jevicki)Exact Results for Two-Dimensional N = 2 Supersymmetric Theories — An Introduction to the tt∗ Equations (S Cecotti)Perturbative Topological Field Theory (R Dijkgraaf)Barriers in Quantum Gravity (J Ambjørn)Two-Dimensional Black Hole and Nonperturbative String Theory (A Dhar)U(N) Gauge Theory and Lattice Strings (I K Kostov)Quantization of Mirror Symmetry (H Ooguri)W-Strings 93 (C N Pope)Applications of O(d,d) Transformations to Generate New Geometries (S P Khastgir & J Maharana) Readership: High energy physicists. keywords:

Now in paperback, this text provides a self-contained introduction to applications of loop representations and knot theory in particle physics and quantum gravity. Loop representations (and the related topic of knot theory) are of considerable current interest because they provide a unified arena for the study of the gauge invariant quantization of Yang-Mills theories and gravity, and suggest a promising approach to the eventual unification of the four fundamental forces. This text begins with a detailed review of loop representation theory. It then goes on to describe loop representations in Maxwell theory, Yang-Mills theories as well as lattice techniques. Applications in quantum gravity are then discussed in detail. Following chapters move on to consider knot theories, braid theories and extended loop representations in quantum gravity. A final chapter assesses the current status of the theory and points out possible directions for future research.

This volume contains the proceedings of a meeting held at Imperial College which is devoted to recent developments in string theory, supersymmetry and quantum gravity. The volume comprises two different sections. The first consists of five pedagogical reviews by prominent physicists, covering the currently important subjects of supermembranes, duality, D-branes, new non-perturbative methods and string phenomenology. The second section consists of research reports in these areas and also on other currently important topics such as supersymmetric gauge theories, two-dimensional quantum gravity and black holes.

This is a Festschrift compiled in honor of Professor Peter Suranyi, Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati. In a long career spanning almost 60 years, Professor Suranyi has made valuable contributions in many areas of theoretical physics, especially in the fields of strong interaction physics, quantum field theory, particle physics, statistical mechanics, lattice field theory, condensed matter physics, and particle cosmology. His important contributions range from analysis of Regge poles in quantum field theory, work on Reggeon field theory, developing improved perturbation theory methods and numerical simulation techniques, analyzing rigidity percolation and molecular clustering in network glasses, to his recent work on Bose condensate dark matter. This volume is our way of paying tribute to his scientific achievements, mentoring prowess, and his rigorous outlook on theoretical physics.

The Cargese Workshop "Quantum Field Theory and String Theory" was held from May 10 to May 21, 1993. The broad spectrum of the work presented at the Workshop was the reflec tion of a time of intensive search for new ways of solving some of the most fun damental problems in string theory, quantum gravity and non-perturbative field theory. A number of talks indicated the emergence of new promising domains of investigation. It is this very diversity of topics which, in our opinion, represents one of the most attractive features of the present volume which we hope will provide a good orientation in the abundant flow of ideas and publications in modern quantum field theory. Many contributions to the present proceedings are concerned with two di mensional quantum field theory. The continuous advances in the domain of two dimensional integrable theories on the lattice as well as in the continuum, including conformal field theories, Liouville field theory and matrix models of two dimensional quantum gravity are very well represented. Other papers address physically realistic (and therefore very complicated) problems like de veloped turbulence, the Hofstadter problem, higher dimensional gravity and phenomenological strings. A new elegant class of topological field theories is presented. New ideas in the string representation of multicolor quantum chromo dynamics were widely discussed at the Workshop, more particularly the example of the exactly solvable two dimensional case.

The contributions to this volume of the famous summer school in Les Houches cover the recent developments in supersymmetric string theory, the gauge theory/string theory correspondence and string duality. The book is a comprehensive introduction to the recent developments in string/M-theory and quantum gravity.

Contents:Ising Model and N = 2 Supersymmetric Theories (S Cecotti & C Vafa)The Dark Side of String Theory: Black Holes and Black Strings (G T Horowitz)Some Recent Developments in Closed String Field Theory (A Sen) Quantum Aspects of Black Holes (J A Harvey & A Strominger)The One Dimensional Matrix Model and String Theory (S R Das)Gravity and Gauge Theory at High Energies (H Verlinde)Notes on N = 2 σ-Models (J Distler)The W Geometry of Chiral Surfaces in Complex Projective Spaces (J-L Gervals)On Physical States in 2d (Topological) Gravity (P Bouwknegt et al)Dynamics of the Conformal Factor in 4D Gravity (I Antoniadis)Non-Relativistic Fermions, Coadjoint Orbits of W8 and String Field Theory at c = 1 (A Dhar et al)Simplicial Quantum Gravity (J Ambjørn et al)Gravitational Scattering at Planckian Energies: The Eikonal and Beyond (D Amati)A Proposal for D > 1 Strings? (L Alvarez-Gaumé & J L F Barbón)Differential Equations in Special Kähler Geometry (J Louis)N = 2 First Order Systems: Landau-Ginzburg Potentials and Topological Twist (P Fre & P Soriani) Readership: High energy physicists. keywords:

This book takes a pedagogical approach to explaining quantum gravity, supersymmetry and string theory in a coherent way. It is aimed at graduate students and researchers in quantum field theory and high-energy physics. The first part of the book introduces quantum gravity, without requiring previous knowledge of general relativity (GR). The necessary geometrical aspects are derived afresh leading to explicit general Lagrangians for gravity, including that of general relativity. The quantum aspect of gravitation, as described by the graviton, is introduced and perturbative quantum GR is discussed. The Schwinger-DeWitt formalism is developed to compute the one-loop contribution to the theory and renormalizability aspects of the perturbative theory are also discussed. This follows by introducing only the very basics of a non-perturbative, background-independent, formulation of quantum gravity, referred to as “loop quantum gravity”, which gives rise to a quantization of space. In the second part the author introduces supersymmetry and its consequences. The generation of superfields is represented in detail. Supersymmetric generalizations of Maxwell’s Theory as well as of Yang-Mills field theory, and of the standard model are worked out. Spontaneous symmetry breaking, improvement of the divergence problem in supersymmetric field theory, and its role in the hierarchy problem are covered. The unification of the fundamental constants in a supersymmetric version of the standard model are then studied. Geometrical aspects necessary to study supergravity are developed culminating in the derivation of its full action. The third part introduces string theory and the analysis of the spectra of the mass (squared) operator associated with the oscillating strings. The properties of the underlying fields, associated with massless particles, encountered in string theory are studied in some detail. Elements of compactification, duality and D-branes are given, as well of the generation of vertices and interactions of strings. In the final sections, the author shows how to recover GR and the Yang-Mills field Theory from string theory.

The 2002 Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute School on Quantum Gravity was held at the Centro de Estudios Cientificos (CECS),Valdivia, Chile, January 4-14, 2002. The school featured lectures by ten speakers, and was attended by nearly 70 students from over 14 countries. A primary goal was to foster interaction and communication between participants from different cultures, both in the layman’s sense of the term and in terms of approaches to quantum gravity. We hope that the links formed by students and the school will persist throughout their professional lives, continuing to promote interaction and the essential exchange of ideas that drives research forward. This volume contains improved and updated versions of the lectures given at the School. It has been prepared both as a reminder for the participants, and so that these pedagogical introductions can be made available to others who were unable to attend. We expect them to serve students of all ages well.