An accessible introduction to string theory, this book provides a detailed and self-contained demonstration of the main concepts involved. The first part deals with basic ideas, reviewing special relativity and electromagnetism while introducing the concept of extra dimensions. D-branes and the classical dynamics of relativistic strings are discussed next, and the quantization of open and closed bosonic strings in the light-cone gauge, along with a brief introduction to superstrings. The second part begins with a detailed study of D-branes followed by string thermodynamics. It discusses possible physical applications, and covers T-duality of open and closed strings, electromagnetic fields on D-branes, Born/Infeld electrodynamics, covariant string quantization and string interactions. Primarily aimed as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate courses, it will also be ideal for a wide range of scientists and mathematicians who are curious about string theory.

《超弦史话:理论物理专辑》以时间（年代）为线索，讲述超弦理论的产生和发展，以及相应的人物和事件。并分析理论的内在联系，物理学家们研究这一理论的经验教训和功过得失等。

本书通俗地介绍了物理学里的空间概念，包括了在经典物理学、狭义和广义相对论，以及量子力学中的空间概念。一方面，注重区分空间（和时间）的哲学论辩和科学界说，避免陷于非科学的空谈；另一方面着重介绍百年来物理学基本理论的进展，例如空间为什么是三维的论证、相对论中空间和时间的统一、量子力学里的态空间、内部变量（自旋等）和内部窨（同位旋等）、宇称不守恒、内部对称性；最后亦涉及大统一理论、超弦和膜理论的大意。本书图文并茂，兼顾科学性和趣味性，叙述生活活泼，文字浅显流畅。

“空间”和“时间”究竟是什么？ 物质的本原不是点，而是弦？ 黑洞、高维度空间应该如何解释？ “超弦理论”是继牛顿力学、爱因斯坦相对论之后，时空概念的“第三次革命”。“超弦理论”统一了引力理论与量子力学的矛盾，超越了“弦理论”的局限，解释“标准模型”中“费米子”与包括“上帝粒子”的“玻色子”的振动形态。本书中，大栗教授以通俗、风趣的语言讲解了量子物理基础、“弦理论”到“超弦理论”的最新发展、“超弦理论”的理论原理及证明，并在“超弦理论”下重新思考与探究了时空概念。

广义相对论量子引力弦论和M-理论（导读版），ISBN：9787030216427，作者：（法）费朗克斯

String theory says we live in a ten-dimensional universe, but that only four are accessible to our everyday senses. According to theorists, the missing six are curled up in bizarre structures known as Calabi-Yau manifolds. In The Shape of Inner Space , Shing-Tung Yau, the man who mathematically proved that these manifolds exist, argues that not only is geometry fundamental to string theory, it is also fundamental to the very nature of our universe. Time and again, where Yau has gone, physics has followed. Now for the first time, readers will follow Yau’s penetrating thinking on where we’ve been, and where mathematics will take us next. A fascinating exploration of a world we are only just beginning to grasp, The Shape of Inner Space will change the way we consider the universe on both its grandest and smallest scales.

这是一本破天荒的书，著名物理学家斯莫林在书中指出作为所有其他科学的基础的物理学迷失了方向。为什么物理学突然陷入了困境？我们能为它做些什么？ 在斯莫林看来，一个主要问题出在弦理论：一个野心勃勃的“万物之理”的蓝图。想要解释自然的所有粒子和力，解释宇宙的起源和演化。弦理论凭它新奇的新粒子和平行宇宙抓住了公众的想象力，也赢得了很多物理学家的心。但这是理论的陷阱：弦理论没有一点曾被证实，也没人知道如何去证实它。实际上，理论出现了无限多个形式，意味着没有实验能否定它。作为一个科学理论，它失败了。但是因为它吸引了大量的资源，招揽了最优秀的头脑，严重伤害了在其他路线上追求的年轻物理学家，所以它也拖累了其他物理学的前进步伐。

本书讨论的是世间最简单的一个问题何谓时空？它简单得难以回答。为什么我们生活在一个简单且规则的三维世界中？回答这个简单的事实正是当前量子引力理论面临的最大挑战。环顾四周，最大的神奇就是我们生活在一个可以环顾四周的世界里，看我们想看的东西。量力引力理论的成功之处就是它将解释为什么是这样。本书就是这样一份前沿报告，将人们对时空的最新思考串连起来，使感兴趣的读者能够跟上这些令人激动的科学进展。 序　寻求量子引力 第一篇　起始篇 第一章　宇宙之外一无所有 第二章　我们将知道更多 第三章　观测者多，世界不多 第四章　过程而非事物构成宇宙 第二篇　知之篇 第五章　黑洞与隐藏区域 第六章　加速与加热 第七章　黑洞是热的 第八章　面积与信息 第九章　怎样数空间 第十章　结、链、环 第十一章　天籁弦音 第三篇　前沿篇 第十二章　全息原理 第十三章　如何构造弦 第十四章 是什么选择了自然法则 尾声：一个可能的未来

《超弦理论(第1卷)》由世界图书出版公司北京公司和剑桥大学出版社合作出版。《超弦理论(第1卷)》任何部分之文字及图片，未经出版者书面许可，不得用任何方式抄袭、节录或翻印。

[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat. --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy. Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

自古以来，“宇宙”就意味着“所有的东西”。但在本书中，超级畅销书作家格林将以他那招牌式的睿智和幽默告诉你，我们的宇宙可能并非唯一的宇宙，他会带你游历梦幻般的各种平行宇宙。他将告诉你，我们的宇宙不过是无数平行宇宙中的一个，这些平行宇宙的图景更是匪夷所思：百衲被多重宇宙、暴胀的多重宇宙、弦的多重宇宙、量子多重宇宙、全息多重宇宙、虚拟多重宇宙和终极多重宇宙。即使你对世界的认识不因本书而颠覆，你的视野也会因此极大地拓展。

When I first decided to write a book on string theory, more than ten years ago, my memories of my student years were much more vivid than they are today. Still, I remember that one of the greatest pleasures was finding a text that made a difficult subject accessible, and I hoped to provide the same for string theory. Thus, my first purpose was to give a coherent introduction to string theory, based on the Polyakov path integral and conformal field theory. No previous knowledge of string theory is assumed. I do assume that the reader is familiar with the central ideas of general relativity, such as metrics and curvature, and with the ideas of quantum field theory through non- Abelian gauge symmetry. Originally a full course of quantum field theory was assumed as a prerequisite, but it became clear that many students were eager to learn string theory as soon as possible, and that others had taken courses on quantum field theory that did not emphasize the tools needed for string theory. I have therefore tried to give a self-contained introduction to those tools. A second purpose was to show how some of the simplest four- dimensional string theories connect with previous ideas for unifying the Standard Model, and to collect general results on the physics of four- dimensional string theories as derived from world-sheet and spacetime symmetries. New developments have led to a third goal, which is to intro- duce the recent discoveries concerning string duality, M-theory, D-branes, and black hole entropy. 　　本书为英文版。

B·格林是当今世界领先的弦理论家之一，他十分精妙地把科学思想与写作融合起来。本书撩开了弦理论的神秘面纱，揭示了一个十一维的宇宙。那里，空间的纤维撕裂了又自己缝合起来，一切物质——从最小的夸克到最巨大的超新星——都在微观的小能量环的振动中产生。 本书荣获2000年安万特科学图书奖。从愉快的园中漫步到浇花龙头上的蚂蚁，为了说明现代物理学正在揭示的美妙而困惑的实在，格林用了很多例子。 本书的才情令人眩晕，也没有哪本书像它那样启迪思想，愉悦读者。它真是一部科学的杰作——一次愉快清心的现代物理学旅行，让我们比以前离宇宙更近了……