The Birth of String Theory
The Birth of String Theory
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String theory is currently the best candidate for a unified theory of all forces and all forms of matter in nature. As such, it has become a focal point for physical and philosophical discussions. This unique book explores the history of the theory's early stages of development, as told by its main protagonists. The book journeys from the first version of the theory (the so-called dual resonance model) in the late sixties, as an attempt to describe the physics of strong interactions outside the framework of quantum field theory, to its reinterpretation around the mid-seventies as a quantum theory of gravity unified with the other forces, and its successive developments up to the superstring revolution in 1984. Providing important background information to current debates on the theory, this book is essential reading for students and researchers in physics, as well as historians and philosophers of science.
- Written by the leading experts in the field, it gives a unique insight into the early stages in the development of the theory
- Enables a better understanding of this important and influential theory
- Gives background information relevant to current debates on the status of the theory
Reviews & endorsements
"These writings capture the excitement of the field and the rigor of the physical and mathematical constructs needed to capture a portion of the universe... this book remains uniquely valuable to students preparing to study string theory and those who study the history and philosophy of science. Highly recommended."
J.R. Burciaga, Choice Magazine
Product details
- Published: May 2012
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9780521197908
- Length: 664 pages
- Dimensions: 244 × 170 × 37 mm
- Weight: 1.25kg
- Contains: 63 b/w illus.
- Availability: Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. Overview:
- 1. Introduction and synopsis
- 2. Rise and fall of the hadronic string G. Veneziano
- 3. Gravity, unification, and the superstring J. H. Schwarz
- 4. Early string theory as a challenging case study for philosophers E. Castellani
- Part II. The Prehistory: The Analytic S-Matrix:
- 5. Introduction to Part II
- 6. Particle theory in the sixties: from current algebra to the Veneziano amplitude M. Ademollo
- 7. The path to the Veneziano model H. R. Rubinstein
- 8. Two-component duality and strings P. G. O. Freund
- 9. Note on the prehistory of string theory M. Gell-Mann
- Part III. The Dual Resonance Model:
- 10. Introduction to Part III
- 11. From the S-matrix to string theory P. Di Vecchia
- 12. Reminiscence on the birth of string theory J. A. Shapiro
- 13. Personal recollections D. Amati
- 14. Early string theory at Fermilab and Rutgers L. Clavelli
- 15. Dual amplitudes in higher dimensions: a personal view C. Lovelace
- 16. Personal recollections on dual models R. Musto
- 17. Remembering the 'supergroup' collaboration F. Nicodemi
- 18. The '3-Reggeon vertex' S. Sciuto
- Part IV. The String:
- 19. Introduction to Part IV
- 20. From dual models to relativistic strings P. Goddard
- 21. The first string theory: personal recollections L. Susskind
- 22. The string picture of the Veneziano model H. B. Nielsen
- 23. From the S-matrix to string theory Y. Nambu
- 24. The analogue model for string amplitudes D. B. Fairlie
- 25. Factorization in dual models and functional integration in string theory S. Mandelstam
- 26. The hadronic origins of string theory R. C. Brower
- Part V. Beyond the Bosonic String:
- 27. Introduction to Part V
- 28. From dual fermion to superstring D. I. Olive
- 29. Dual models with fermions: memoirs of an early string theorist P. Ramond
- 30. Personal recollections A. Neveu
- 31. Aspects of fermionic dual models E. Corrigan
- 32. The dual quark models K. Bardakci and M. B. Halpern
- 33. Remembering the dawn of relativistic strings J.-L. Gervais
- 34. Early string theory in Cambridge: personal recollections C. Montonen
- Part VI. The Superstring:
- 35. Introduction to Part VI
- 36. Supersymmetry in string theory F. Gliozzi
- 37. Gravity from strings: personal reminiscences of early developments T. Yoneya
- 38. From the Nambu–Goto to the σ-model action L. Brink
- 39. Locally supersymmetric action for superstring P. Di Vecchia
- 40. Personal recollections E. Cremmer
- 41. The scientific contributions of Joël Scherk J. H. Schwarz
- Part VII. Preparing the String Renaissance:
- 42. Introduction to Part VII
- 43. From strings to superstrings: a personal perspective M. B. Green
- 44. Quarks, strings and beyond A. M. Polyakov
- 45. The rise of the superstring theory A. Cappelli and F. Colomo
- Appendices
- Index.
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