The Watson-Sommerfeld Transform
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Particles-Versus-Strings.Pdf
Particles vs. strings http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/vs.html In light of the huge amount of propaganda and confusion regarding string theory, it might be useful to consider the relative merits of the descriptions of the fundamental constituents of matter as particles or strings. (More-skeptical reviews can be found in my physics parodies.A more technical analysis can be found at "Warren Siegel's research".) Predictability The main problem in high energy theoretical physics today is predictions, especially for quantum gravity and confinement. An important part of predictability is calculability. There are various levels of calculations possible: 1. Existence: proofs of theorems, answers to yes/no questions 2. Qualitative: "hand-waving" results, answers to multiple choice questions 3. Order of magnitude: dimensional analysis arguments, 10? (but beware hidden numbers, like powers of 4π) 4. Constants: generally low-energy results, like ground-state energies 5. Functions: complete results, like scattering probabilities in terms of energy and angle Any but the last level eventually leads to rejection of the theory, although previous levels are acceptable at early stages, as long as progress is encouraging. It is easy to write down the most general theory consistent with special (and for gravity, general) relativity, quantum mechanics, and field theory, but it is too general: The spectrum of particles must be specified, and more coupling constants and varieties of interaction become available as energy increases. The solutions to this problem go by various names -- "unification", "renormalizability", "finiteness", "universality", etc. -- but they are all just different ways to realize the same goal of predictability. -
The Birth of String Theory
The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli INFN, Florence Elena Castellani Department of Philosophy, University of Florence Filippo Colomo INFN, Florence Paolo Di Vecchia The Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen and Nordita, Stockholm Contents Contributors page vii Preface xi Contents of Editors' Chapters xiv Abbreviations and acronyms xviii Photographs of contributors xxi Part I Overview 1 1 Introduction and synopsis 3 2 Rise and fall of the hadronic string Gabriele Veneziano 19 3 Gravity, unification, and the superstring John H. Schwarz 41 4 Early string theory as a challenging case study for philo- sophers Elena Castellani 71 EARLY STRING THEORY 91 Part II The prehistory: the analytic S-matrix 93 5 Introduction to Part II 95 6 Particle theory in the Sixties: from current algebra to the Veneziano amplitude Marco Ademollo 115 7 The path to the Veneziano model Hector R. Rubinstein 134 iii iv Contents 8 Two-component duality and strings Peter G.O. Freund 141 9 Note on the prehistory of string theory Murray Gell-Mann 148 Part III The Dual Resonance Model 151 10 Introduction to Part III 153 11 From the S-matrix to string theory Paolo Di Vecchia 178 12 Reminiscence on the birth of string theory Joel A. Shapiro 204 13 Personal recollections Daniele Amati 219 14 Early string theory at Fermilab and Rutgers Louis Clavelli 221 15 Dual amplitudes in higher dimensions: a personal view Claud Lovelace 227 16 Personal recollections on dual models Renato Musto 232 17 Remembering the `supergroup' collaboration Francesco Nicodemi 239 18 The `3-Reggeon vertex' Stefano Sciuto 246 Part IV The string 251 19 Introduction to Part IV 253 20 From dual models to relativistic strings Peter Goddard 270 21 The first string theory: personal recollections Leonard Susskind 301 22 The string picture of the Veneziano model Holger B. -
A Brief History of String Theory
THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Dean Rickles A BRIEF HISTORY OF STRING THEORY From Dual Models to M-Theory 123 THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Series editors Avshalom C. Elitzur Unit of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Gières, France e-mail: [email protected] Laura Mersini-Houghton Department of Physics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255 USA e-mail: [email protected] Maximilian Schlosshauer Department of Physics, University of Portland 5000 North Willamette Boulevard Portland, OR 97203, USA e-mail: [email protected] Mark P. Silverman Department of Physics, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA e-mail: [email protected] Jack A. Tuszynski Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada e-mail: [email protected] Rüdiger Vaas Center for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, University of Giessen, 35394, Giessen, Germany e-mail: [email protected] H. Dieter Zeh Gaiberger Straße 38, 69151, Waldhilsbach, Germany e-mail: [email protected] For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/5342 THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Series editors A. C. Elitzur L. Mersini-Houghton M. Schlosshauer M. P. Silverman J. A. Tuszynski R. Vaas H. D. Zeh The books in this collection are devoted to challenging and open problems at the forefront of modern science, including related philosophical debates. In contrast to typical research monographs, however, they strive to present their topics in a manner accessible also to scientifically literate non-specialists wishing to gain insight into the deeper implications and fascinating questions involved. Taken as a whole, the series reflects the need for a fundamental and interdisciplinary approach to modern science. -
Table of Contents More Information
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19790-8 - The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia Table of Contents More information Contents List of contributors page x Photographs of contributors xiv Preface xxi Abbreviations and acronyms xxiv Part I Overview 1 1 Introduction and synopsis 3 2 Rise and fall of the hadronic string 17 gabriele veneziano 3 Gravity, unification, and the superstring 37 john h. schwarz 4 Early string theory as a challenging case study for philosophers 63 elena castellani EARLY STRING THEORY Part II The prehistory: the analytic S-matrix 81 5 Introduction to Part II 83 5.1 Introduction 83 5.2 Perturbative quantum field theory 84 5.3 The hadron spectrum 88 5.4 S-matrix theory 91 5.5 The Veneziano amplitude 97 6 Particle theory in the Sixties: from current algebra to the Veneziano amplitude 100 marco ademollo 7 The path to the Veneziano model 116 hector r. rubinstein v © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19790-8 - The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia Table of Contents More information vi Contents 8 Two-component duality and strings 122 peter g.o. freund 9 Note on the prehistory of string theory 129 murray gell-mann Part III The Dual Resonance Model 133 10 Introduction to Part III 135 10.1 Introduction 135 10.2 N-point dual scattering amplitudes 137 10.3 Conformal symmetry 145 10.4 Operator formalism 147 10.5 Physical states 150 10.6 The tachyon 153 11 From the S-matrix to string theory 156 paolo di vecchia 12 Reminiscence on the birth of string theory 179 joel a. -
Dean Rickles a BRIEF HISTORY of STRING THEORY
THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Dean Rickles A BRIEF HISTORY OF STRING THEORY From Dual Models to M-Theory 123 THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Series editors Avshalom C. Elitzur Unit of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar-Ilan University, 52900, Gières, France e-mail: [email protected] Laura Mersini-Houghton Department of Physics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255 USA e-mail: [email protected] Maximilian Schlosshauer Department of Physics, University of Portland 5000 North Willamette Boulevard Portland, OR 97203, USA e-mail: [email protected] Mark P. Silverman Department of Physics, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USA e-mail: [email protected] Jack A. Tuszynski Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, Canada e-mail: [email protected] Rüdiger Vaas Center for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, University of Giessen, 35394, Giessen, Germany e-mail: [email protected] H. Dieter Zeh Gaiberger Straße 38, 69151, Waldhilsbach, Germany e-mail: [email protected] For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/5342 THE FRONTIERS COLLECTION Series editors A. C. Elitzur L. Mersini-Houghton M. Schlosshauer M. P. Silverman J. A. Tuszynski R. Vaas H. D. Zeh The books in this collection are devoted to challenging and open problems at the forefront of modern science, including related philosophical debates. In contrast to typical research monographs, however, they strive to present their topics in a manner accessible also to scientifically literate non-specialists wishing to gain insight into the deeper implications and fascinating questions involved. Taken as a whole, the series reflects the need for a fundamental and interdisciplinary approach to modern science. -
From Dual Models to String Theory
From Dual Models to String Theory Peter Goddard Institute for Advanced Study Olden Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA A personal view is given of the development of string theory out of dual models, including the analysis of the structure of the physical states and the proof of the No-Ghost Theorem, the quantization of the relativistic string, and the calculation of fermion-fermion scattering. arXiv:0802.3249v1 [physics.hist-ph] 22 Feb 2008 This article was written in response to the invitation of Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia to submit some personal reminiscences to the volume The Birth of String Theory. 1. A Snapshot of the Dual Model at Two Years Old When particle physicists convened in Kiev at the end of August 1970, for the 15th In- ternational Conference on High Energy Physics, the study of dual models was barely two years old. Gabriele Veneziano, reporting on the precocious subject that he had in a sense created [1], characterized it as “a very young theory still looking for a shape of its own and for the best direction in which to develop. On the other hand duality has grown up considerably since its original formulation. Today it is often seen as something accessible only to the ‘initiated’. Actually theoretical ideas in duality have evolved and changed very fast. At the same time, they have very little in common with other approaches to particle physics” [2]. Nearly forty years later, his comments might still be thought by some to apply, at least in part. In describing the theoretical developments, Veneziano stressed the progress that had been made in understanding the spectrum of the theory, obtained by factorizing the multiparticle generalizations of his four-point function in terms of the states generated from a vacuum µ state, |0i, by an infinite collection of harmonic oscillators, an, labeled by both an integral mode number, n, and a Lorentz index, µ, [3,4], µ ν µν µ† µ µ [am,an] = mg δm,−n; an = a−n; an|0i =0, for n > 0. -
The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia Frontmatter More Information
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-19790-8 - The Birth of String Theory Edited by Andrea Cappelli, Elena Castellani, Filippo Colomo and Paolo Di Vecchia Frontmatter More information THE BIRTH OF STRING THEORY String theory is currently the best candidate for a unified theory of all forces and all forms of matter in nature. As such, it has become a focal point for physical and philosophical dis- cussions. This unique book explores the history of the theory’s early stages of development, as told by its main protagonists. The book journeys from the first version of the theory (the so-called Dual Resonance Model) in the late 1960s, as an attempt to describe the physics of strong interactions outside the framework of quantum field theory, to its reinterpretation around the mid-1970s as a quantum theory of gravity unified with the other forces, and its successive developments up to the superstring revolution in 1984. Providing important background information to current debates on the theory, this book is essential reading for students and researchers in physics, as well as for historians and philosophers of science. andrea cappelli is a Director of Research at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Florence. His research in theoretical physics deals with exact solutions of quantum field theory in low dimensions and their application to condensed matter and statistical physics. elena castellani is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Uni- versity of Florence. Her research work has focussed on such issues as symmetry, physical objects, reductionism and emergence, structuralism and realism. filippo colomo is a Researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Florence.