Advanced Series in Mathematical Physics - Vol. 22
W-SYMMETRY
by P Bouwknegt (University of Southern California) & K Schoutens (Princeton University)
W-symmetry is an extension of conformal symmetry in two dimensions. Since its introduction in 1985, W-symmetry has become one of the central notions in the study of two-dimensional conformal field theory. The mathematical structures that underlie W-symmetry are so-called W-algebras, which are higher-spin extensions of the Virasoro algebra. This book contains a collection of papers on W-symmetry, covering the period from 1985 through 1993. Its main focus is the construction of W-algebras and their representation theory. A recurrent theme is the intimate connection between W-algebras and affine Lie algebras. Some of the applications, in particular W-gravity, are also covered.
The significance of this reprint volume is that there are no textbooks entirely devoted to the subject.
Contents:
- History and Background
- Classical W-Algebras and Their
Connection to Toda Field Theories
- Quantum W-Algebras
- Quantum Drinfel'd-Sokolov Reduction
- Coset Constructions
- W¥ Type Algebras
- W-Gravity and W-Strings
Readership: Students and researchers in the field of conformal field theory.
"The researcher who wants to get acquainted with W-symmetry now has a good selection of important papers at a low cost at his/her disposal ... Experts may be more interested in some of the less widely available background papers, and the (updated) reference list."
| Journal of Classical and Quantum Gravity, 1997 |
| 904pp |
Pub. date: Jan 1995 |
|
