M-Theory and Quantum Geometry
By: edited by Lárus Thorlacius, Thordur Jonsson
Contributors: Thordur Jonsson
Series: NATO Science Series, Series C: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1389-2185 -- 556; NATO science series -- 556.
Publisher: Springer Netherlands; Imprint; Springer
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Dordrecht
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] /
Number of pages: 472
ISBN-13: 9789401143035
Other titles: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Quantum Geometry, held in Akureyri, Iceland, on August 9-20, 1999
Description: The fundamental structure of matter and spacetime at the shortest length scales remains an exciting frontier of basic research in theoretical physics. A unifying theme in this area is the quantisation of geometrical objects. The majority of contributions to this volume cover recent advances in superstring theory, which is the leading candidate for a unified description of all known elementary particles and interactions. The geometrical concept of one-dimensional extended objects (strings) has always been at the core of superstring theory, but recently the focus has shifted to include higher-dimensional objects (D-branes), which play a key role in non-perturbative dynamics of the theory. <br/> Related developments are also described in M-theory, our understanding of quantum effects in black-hole physics, gauge theory of the strong interaction, and the dynamic triangulation construction of the quantum geometry of spacetime.