Supergravity

The first-ever authoritative and systematic introduction to the fundamentals of supergravity, written by two leaders in the field.

Daniel Z. Freedman (Author), Antoine Van Proeyen (Author)

9780521194013, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 April 2012

626 pages, 12 b/w illus. 420 exercises
25.3 x 19.5 x 3.4 cm, 1.49 kg

'Freedman and Van Proeyen have written an excellent book. As may be expected from two of the experts who played a significant role in the development of many of the topics described, the explanation of the material is very clear, including details of derivations and applications of the results.' Douglas J. Smith, Mathematical Reviews

Supergravity, together with string theory, is one of the most significant developments in theoretical physics. Written by two of the most respected workers in the field, this is the first-ever authoritative and systematic account of supergravity. The book starts by reviewing aspects of relativistic field theory in Minkowski spacetime. After introducing the relevant ingredients of differential geometry and gravity, some basic supergravity theories (D=4 and D=11) and the main gauge theory tools are explained. In the second half of the book, complex geometry and N=1 and N=2 supergravity theories are covered. Classical solutions and a chapter on AdS/CFT complete the book. Numerous exercises and examples make it ideal for Ph.D. students, and with applications to model building, cosmology and solutions of supergravity theories, it is also invaluable to researchers. A website hosted by the authors, featuring solutions to some exercises and additional reading material, can be found at www.cambridge.org/supergravity.

Part I. Relativistic Field Theory in Minkowski Spacetime: 1. Scalar field theory and its symmetries
2. The Dirac field
3. Clifford algebras and spinors
4. The Maxwell and Yang-Mills gauge fields
5. The free Rarita-Schwinger field
6. N=1 global supersymmetry in D=4
Part II. Differential Geometry and Gravity: 7. Differential geometry
8. The first and second order formulations of general relativity
Part III. Basic Supergravity: 9. N=1 pure supergravity in 4 dimensions
10. D=11 supergravity
11. General gauge theory
12. Survey of supergravities
Part IV. Complex Geometry and Global SUSY: 13. Complex manifolds
14. General actions with N=1 supersymmetry
Part V. Superconformal Construction of Supergravity Theories: 15. Gravity as a conformal gauge theory
16. The conformal approach to N=1 supergravity
17. Construction of the matter-coupled N=1 supergravity
Part VI. N=1 Supergravity Actions and Applications: 18. The physical N=1 matter-coupled supergravity
19. Applications of N=1 supergravity
Part VII. Extended N=2 Supergravity: 20. Construction of the matter-coupled N=2 supergravity
21. The physical N=2 matter-coupled supergravity
Part VIII. Classical Solutions and the AdS/CFT Correspondence: 22. Classical solutions of gravity and supergravity
23. The AdS/CFT correspondence
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Relativity physics [PHR], Physics [PH], Mathematics & science [P]