Quantum Fields and Strings: A Course for Mathematicians

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The discussion centers on the mathematical prerequisites for reading "Quantum Fields and Strings: A Course for Mathematicians" volumes 1 and 2. The original poster has a background in physics and some exposure to differential geometry and Lie groups but is uncertain if this is sufficient. The introduction of the book suggests it is aimed at mathematicians, assuming familiarity with standard mathematical concepts while also explaining basic physics. Key prerequisites include a solid understanding of quantum mechanics, special relativity, and classical electromagnetism. The content appears to be more suited for advanced graduate students or PhD-level readers, as indicated by the early introduction of complex topics like category theory. The poster concludes that they may need to postpone reading the book due to these challenges.
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Has anyone here read Quantum Fields and Strings: A Course for Mathematicians vol 1 and/or vol 2? I was thinking about trying to tackle them but I'm unsure of what the mathematical prerequisites for doing so are.

My background is in physics, but I have taken courses on differential geometry and Lie groups and Lie algebras from a maths department, so I have some (but not much) familiarity with pure maths.

If anyone has some advice about what the prereqs are for reading these books it would be much appreciated thanks.
 
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I've never read it, but there's a copy in our library, and the introduction says: "For the most part this is physics written by mathematicians for mathematicians (read: the blind leading the blind). For that reason, throughout these volumes we have assumed without reference standard mathematical facts which are covered in textbooks and other literature. On the other hand, some very basic concepts in physics are explained. Certainly we did not attempt to explain everything, and the reader is well-advised to learn/review standard topics like special relativity, classical electromagnetism, etc. One basic prerequisite is a familiarity with at least the general framework of quantum mechanics."

And thumbing through it, I suspect that when they say it is for mathematicians, they mean PhD's, or at least advanced graduate students. It looks like it is a record of a series of graduate seminars, rather than a textbook.
 
Thanks brocks, I was afraid that would be the case when they jumped straight into category theory in the first chapter. I think I'll have to put this book on the back burner for now. Thanks again for you reply.
 
This thread only works as a summary from the original source: List of STEM Masterworks in Physics, Mechanics, Electrodynamics... The original thread got very long and somewhat hard to read so I have compiled the recommendations from that thread in an online (Google Drive) spreadsheet. SUMMARY Permits are granted so you can make comments on the spreadsheet but I'll initially be the only one capable of edition. This is to avoid the possibility of someone deleting everything either by mistake...
By looking around, it seems like Dr. Hassani's books are great for studying "mathematical methods for the physicist/engineer." One is for the beginner physicist [Mathematical Methods: For Students of Physics and Related Fields] and the other is [Mathematical Physics: A Modern Introduction to Its Foundations] for the advanced undergraduate / grad student. I'm a sophomore undergrad and I have taken up the standard calculus sequence (~3sems) and ODEs. I want to self study ahead in mathematics...

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