Learn Bosonic String Theory Before New Year's Eve!

[moriheru]

Greetings,
I am intending on learning bosonic string theory in self study before new years eve and I nead a ruff and short introduction on the basics and the idea of gauge theory. The introducton is preferably in PDF form, yet books are fine to.

 

[Dixanadu]

To get an introduction to string theory, your best bet is to get the book by Barton Zwiebach: A First Course in String Theory. Chapters 1 - 7 will really get you up to speed with bosonic strings. Also there is some stuff about gauge transformations in this book, but if you want more about gauge theory then there's probably more specific books out there.

How fast you get through the chapters depends on your background knowledge of course. But you should do fine, it starts off pretty straight-forward, plus you got pleeeeeeenty of time before new year's eve.

Take my advice: get through chapters 1-7 of that book, then take a look at other texts. Anyone would recommend this book. No others like it :)

Hope that helps!

 

[vanhees71]

One of the best intros to gauge theories ever written is the review by Ben Lee and Abers:

Abers, E. S., Lee, B. W.: Gauge Theories, Phys. Rept. 9, 1–141, 1973
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0370-1573(73)90027-6

 

[moriheru]

To get an introduction to string theory, your best bet is to get the book by Barton Zwiebach: A First Course in String Theory. Chapters 1 - 7 will really get you up to speed with bosonic strings. Also there is some stuff about gauge transformations in this book, but if you want more about gauge theory then there's probably more specific books out there.

How fast you get through the chapters depends on your background knowledge of course. But you should do fine, it starts off pretty straight-forward, plus you got pleeeeeeenty of time before new year's eve.

Take my advice: get through chapters 1-7 of that book, then take a look at other texts. Anyone would recommend this book. No others like it :)

Hope that helps!

Thanks Dixanadu. That is lots of help! A like is yours. Can you recommend any online lectures to?

One of the best intros to gauge theories ever written is the review by Ben Lee and Abers:

Abers, E. S., Lee, B. W.: Gauge Theories, Phys. Rept. 9, 1–141, 1973
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0370-1573(73)90027-6

Thanks vanhees71! A like is yours. Can you recommend any lectures? Anyway thanks lots this has helped me.

 

[vanhees71]

A very good textbook is

Taylor, J. C.: Gauge Theories of Weak Interactions, Cambridge University Press, 1976

and of course Weinberg's books on the "Quantum Theory of Fields", here particularly Vol. II.

 

[moriheru]

Do you know any books on conformal field theory?