>Baby's first string theory
>>8006530
Fuck you, im actualy struggeling with that book right now.
>>8006892
the book is cancer, don't worry about it
granted, the entire field of string theory is cancer, but think of it like a tumour growing another tumour
>>8008147
>the book is cancer
what string theory textbook would you recommend?
>>8008165
String Perturbation Theory Revisted by Ed Witten, and then Polchinski for non-perturbative stuff and phenomenology. Then after that comes a deluge of TASI lectures you have to read, and any hardcore textbook on CFT.
>>8009705
Thanks, ill look into it
What exactly is the prerequisites for string theory?
Assuming i know basic QFT and GR, whats the path? can i start with string theory right away or should i first master QCD/perturbation/renormilization before looking into it?
>>8010564
>Officially
Usually QFT (all the way through Path Integral Quantization and Renormalization of Non-Abelian Gauge theories) and GR. And the relevant mathematics, i.e. Diff. Geom., Group Theory, and basic Functional Analysis.
>IMO
Algebraic Topology and Algebraic Geometry (The complex analysis approach, not the Grothendieck approach).
These may seem like overdoing it for the prereqs, but desu if you really want to understand anything other than flat or spherical geometries you should know these.
>>8008147
why is string theory cancer?
>>8011058
zero evidence
>>8011058
He can't understand it.
>>8011058
because LQG is works better
>>8009705
>String Perturbation Theory Revisted by Ed Witten
>then the rest
>starting with a paper that requires previous knowledge of string theory
>then a book that derives it from the beginning
wat
>>8011123
topkek
>>8011123
>LQG
>works
kek
>>8011123
Go home Smolin.
>>8011123
I work in LQG and I can tell you it doesn't work better. String theory a worse candidate for a physical theory, but since it has so many different formalisms and manifestations progress in it is much faster since they'd are able to get around roadblocks by switching formalisms.
>>8011316
>but since it has so many different formalisms and manifestations
All the formalisms are equivalent up to changes in the background geometry.
>String theory a worse candidate for a physical theory
At least it is clearly compatible with (most of) the Standard Model.
>>8011058
Memes
what about spin foams?
