Introduction to String Theory – HS 2011
Lecturer: Prof. Niklas Beisert
Tuesday 8:45-10:30, HIT F 31.2
Assistant: Burkhard Schwab
Monday 15:45-16:30, HIT F 31.2
Download all documents (zip, 6.2 MB).
Description
String theory is an attempt to quantise gravity and unite it with the
other fundamental forces of nature. It combines many interesting topics
of (quantum) field theory in two and higher dimensions. This course
gives an introduction to the basics of string theory.
Content
- Introduction
- Relativistic Point Particle
- Classical Bosonic String
- String Quantisation
- Compactification
- Open Strings and D-Branes
- Conformal Field Theory
- String Scattering
- String Backgrounds
- Superstrings
- AdS/CFT Correspondence
Literature
- D. Tong, String Theory, lecture notes.
- B. Zwiebach, A First Course in String Theory, CUP (2004).
- M.B. Green, J.H. Schwarz, E. Witten, Superstring Theory I, CUP (1987).
- J. Polchinski, String Theory I & II, CUP (1998).
- D. Lüst, S. Theisen, Lectures on String Theory, Lecture Notes in Physics, Springer (1989).
- K. Becker, M. Becker, J.H. Schwarz, String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Introduction, CUP (2007).
Credit Requirements
- 8 problem sets handed in with 50% of problems on each sheet worked out in reasonable quality.
- 1 problem solution presented at black board.
- 20 minute oral examination.
Materials
Combined Lecture Notes and Problem Sets (PDF, 2.88 MB)
Lecture Notes
- Chapter 0: Overview (PDF, 54 kB)
- Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF, 247 kB)
- Chapter 2: Relativistic Point Particle (PDF, 203 kB)
- Chapter 3: Classical Bosonic String (PDF, 320 kB)
- Chapter 4: String Quantisation (PDF, 237 kB)
- Chapter 5: Compactification (PDF, 200 kB)
- Chapter 6: Open Strings and D-Branes (PDF, 332 kB)
- Chapter 7: Conformal Field Theory (PDF, 194 kB)
- Chapter 8: String Scattering (PDF, 232 kB)
- Chapter 9: String Backgrounds (PDF, 217 kB)
- Chapter 10: Superstrings (PDF, 177 kB)
- Chapter 11: AdS/CFT Correspondence (PDF, 188 kB)
Problem Sets
- Problem Set 1 (20.9.) (PDF, 134 kB)
- Problem Set 2 (27.9.) (PDF, 125 kB)
- Problem Set 3 (4.10.) (PDF, 154 kB)
- Problem Set 4 (11.10.) (PDF, 158 kB)
- Problem Set 5 (25.10.) (PDF, 115 kB)
- Problem Set 6 (1.11.) (PDF, 135 kB)
- Problem Set 7 (8.11.) (PDF, 134 kB)
- Problem Set 8 (15.11.) (PDF, 128 kB)
- Problem Set 9 (22.11.) (PDF, 163 kB)
- Problem Set 10 (29.11.) (PDF, 137 kB)
- Problem Set 11 (6.12.) (PDF, 109 kB)
- Problem Set 12 (13.12.) (PDF, 112 kB)