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FALL 2007
Announcements
12.11.07: Updated Syllabus with reading list.
12.07.07: Problem Set 8 exists.
11.29.07: Notes from the somewhat unconventional Lecture 23 can be found on the Handouts page. They also contain the promised summary of notions relevant to CY geometry.
11.08.07: Updated Syllabus with reading list.
11.22.07: Solutions to pset 6 exist.
11.20.07: Note that there have been some improvements to pset 6 problem 2 [thanks to Daniel Park], which make the OPE of spin fields consistent with Polchinski's eqn 12.4.6b. My apologies for the belated revision.
11.19.07: Problem Set 7 exists, as do Solutions to pset 5.
11.08.07: Updated Syllabus with reading list.
11.08.07: Problem Set 6 exists.
Updated Syllabus with reading list.
Obviously some decisions need to be made about which of the remaining topics to discuss. Alternatively, we could camp out in front of some administrative office and demand a second semester of string theory.
11.01.07: Problem Set 5 exists now. I promise it's shorter than the last one.
10.30.07: Solution to pset 4 posted.
Updated Syllabus with reading list.
10.23.07: Updated supersymmetry reading list.
Improved supersymmetry problems on pset 4
[thanks again to Daniel Park]: all defs of supercovariant derivatives fixed, expansion of (1,1) superfield fixed in 1g.
Updated Syllabus with reading list.
10.19.07: The supersymmetry problems on pset 4 have been improved.
10.18.07: Updated Syllabus with reading list.
10.17.07: Supersymmetry is coming. Here are some references for those of you who need to catch up.
10.16.07: Problem Set 4 exists now. Please be on the lookout for typos, especially where there are fermions involved.
10.11.07: Solution to pset 3 posted.
Updated Syllabus with reading list.
10.09.07: I believe that all of my confusions about the non-tensor behavior of T (problem 3 of pset 3) have now been removed [thanks again to Daniel Park].
10.08.07: Some corrections to pset 3 [thanks to Daniel Park]. In problem 3: there was a sign missing in \delta T (I had written the transformation with parameter - \xi). Also note that the annoying and meaningless arrow in problem 3b has been replaced by a friendly and meaning-conveying equals sign. Also, the sign in front of c in problem 3c has been improved. In problem 5: there should be a sqrt 2 in front of the epsilon^{abc} in both the OPE and the mode algebra.
10.08.07: Improvements made to Solution Sets 1 and 2 [Thanks to Koushik Balasubramanian].
10.04.07: Solution to pset 2 posted.
10.02.07: Updated Syllabus with reading list.
09.28.07: Some more problems with Problem Set 2 have been repaired. (Specifically: in problem 2, in the desired expression for the variation of $X$,
the $X$ was missing from the commutator, and so was a factor of $i$; in problem 6, I have given a hint regarding the pernicious lie that I mentioned in lecture.)
09.27.07: Problem Set 3 has been posted
(on the Problem
Sets page); due 10.11.07, 11am.
Here is an updated syllabus with references for this week.
09.26.07: Some typos in Problem Set 2 have been fixed [thanks to Daniel Park]. (Specifically: in problem 1 in the equation for $L_m$; in problem 4, the boson kinetic terms had the wrong sign, in problem 6b, the sign in the exponent on the RHS.)
09.23.07: Solution to pset 1 posted (on the Problem
Sets page).
09.20.07: Here is an updated syllabus which summarizes what we've done so far and where to read about each topic.
09.20:07: Problem Set 2 has been posted
(on the Problem
Sets page); due 10.02.07, 11am.
09.14.07: Typo fixed in pset 1 problem 2 (in the expression for the stress tensor) [thanks to Vijay Kumar].
09.13.07: In case anyone wants to tex their problem set solutions and doesn't know how, here is the latex file for the first pset to help get you started.
09.13.07: A tentative plan for the semester can be found here.
09.11.07: Problem Set 1 has been posted (on the Problem
Sets page); due 09.21.07, 3pm.
09.08.07: Notes from the perhaps-too-rapid Lecture 1 can be found on the Handouts page.
Please email me if you find typos, especially meaningful ones.
09.06.07: Problem Set 0 (on the Problem
Sets page) is a survey, due tomorrow (09.07.07).
 Welcome to 8.821 for Fall 2007.
Lectures:
TR 11-12:30, Room 56-191
Textbook: J. Polchinski, String Theory, 2 vols., Cambridge U. Press.
Highly Recommended Textbook: M. Green, J. Schwarz, E. Witten,
Superstring Theory, 2 vols., Cambridge U. Press.
Recommended but hard to find:
A. M. Polyakov, Gauge Fields and Strings, Harwood.
D. Lust and S. Theisen, Lectures on String Theory, out of print.
Ask me.
Other Resources:
M. Peskin's TASI lectures.
P. Ginsparg's CFT lectures.
A. Uranga's lecture notes.
B. Zwiebach, A First Course in String Theory
E. Kiritsis, String Theory in a Nutshell
Beckers, Schwarz, String Theory: A Modern Introduction
Summary: This is a one-semester class about string theory. We will make a compromise between systematically building up the technology of string perturbation theory and developing an understanding of stringy spacetime physics. The latter part of the course will be devoted to string compactification and gauge/gravity duality.
Preparation: I'm going to assume you know enough quantum field theory to know where to look up what you don't understand. I'm also going to assume some familiarity with supersymmetry and general relativity.
Coursework: Exams are silly. Problem sets will posted on the Problem
Sets page.
Syllabus: pdf.
TA Position Is Still Open: If you would like to earn some extra money and the gratitude of your classmates, please contact me. The main responsibility will be writing up pset solutions, which you are going to do anyway. For some ridiculous and unfortunate reason, only US citizens can be paid for this work.
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