Julius Wess

There are many approaches to noncommutative geometry and its use in physics, the ? operator algebra and C -algebra one, the deformation quantization one, the qu- tum group one, and the matrix algebra/fuzzy geometry one. This volume introduces and develops the subject by presenting in particular the ideas and methods recently pursued by Julius Wess and his group. These methods combine the deformation quantization approach based on the - tion of star product and the deformed (quantum) symmetries methods based on the theory of quantum groups. The merging of these two techniques has proven very fruitful in order to formulate ?eld theories on noncommutative spaces. The aim of the book is to give an introduction to these topics and to prepare the reader to enter the research ?eld himself/herself. This has developed from the constant interest of Prof. W. Beiglboeck, editor of LNP, in this project, and from the authors experience in conferences and schools on the subject, especially from their interaction with students and young researchers. In fact quite a few chapters in the book were written with a double purpose, on the one hand as contributions for school or conference proceedings and on the other handaschaptersforthepresentbook.Thesearenowharmonizedandcomplemented by a couple of contributions that have been written to provide a wider background, to widen the scope, and to underline the power of our methods.

There are many approaches to noncommutative geometry and its use in physics, the ? operator algebra and C -algebra one, the deformation quantization one, the qu- tum group one, and the matrix algebra/fuzzy geometry one. This volume introduces and develops the subject by presenting in particular the ideas and methods recently pursued by Julius Wess and his group. These methods combine the deformation quantization approach based on the - tion of star product and the deformed (quantum) symmetries methods based on the theory of quantum groups. The merging of these two techniques has proven very fruitful in order to formulate ?eld theories on noncommutative spaces. The aim of the book is to give an introduction to these topics and to prepare the reader to enter the research ?eld himself/herself. This has developed from the constant interest of Prof. W. Beiglboeck, editor of LNP, in this project, and from the authors experience in conferences and schools on the subject, especially from their interaction with students and young researchers. In fact quite a few chapters in the book were written with a double purpose, on the one hand as contributions for school or conference proceedings and on the other handaschaptersforthepresentbook.Thesearenowharmonizedandcomplemented by a couple of contributions that have been written to provide a wider background, to widen the scope, and to underline the power of our methods.

Dieses Buch legt der Mechanik weitgehend algebraische Vorstellungen und Methoden, wie sie in der Quantenmechanik bis hin zur Feldtheorie entwickelt wurden, zu Grunde. Die Mechanik dient somit auch der Einführung solcher Methoden, die dann in anderen Bereichen der theoretischen Physik erforderlich werden. Neue Methoden müssen dann nicht mehr bei der Behandlung nicht bekannter physikalischer Vorstellungen neu erarbeitet werden. Schon die Struktur des Raumes, wie auch die Newtonschen Gesetze werden so eingeführt, dass sie ein Verständnis für moderne, weitergehende Vorstellungen zulassen. Symmetrien und Erhaltungssätze werden von Anfang an betont und es wird gezeigt, wie Erhaltungssätze zu weitreichenden Vorhersagen für spezifische Systeme führen. Die Methode der Lösung von Differentialgleichungen durch Greensche Funktionen, wie sie heute in der Feldtheorie üblich ist, wird schon an Hand der harmonischen Schwingungen eingeführt. Feldtheoretische Vorstellungen, wie die Behandlung der schwingenden Saite, werden aus mechanischen Konzepten entwickelt und die relativistische Mechanik wird gleich im Zusammenhang mit elektromagnetischen Vorgängen gesehen. Die kanonische Mechanik bereitet den Übergang zu quantisierten Systemen vor.

This widely acclaimed introduction to N = 1 supersymmetry and supergravity is aimed at readers familiar with relativistic quantum field theory who wish to learn about the supersymmetry algebra. In this new volume Supersymmetry and Supergravity has been greatly expanded to include a detailed derivation of the most general coupling of super-symmetric gauge theory to supergravity. The final result is the starting point for phenomenological studies of supersymmetric theories. The book is distinguished by its pedagogical approach to supersymmetry. It develops several topics in advanced field theory as the need arises. It emphasizes the logical coherence of the subject and should appeal to physicists whose interests range from the mathematical to the phenomenological. In praise of the first edition: "A beautiful exposition of the original ideas of Wess and Zumino in formulating N = 1 supersymmetry and supergravity theories, couched in the language of superfields introduced by Strathdee and the reviewer...[All] serious students of particle physics would do well to acquire a copy."--Abdus Salam, Nature "An excellent introduction to this exciting area of theoretical physics."--C. J. Isham, Physics Bulletin