Last Updated
November 29, 2005

Modern Supersymmetry: Dynamics and Duality

by John Terning

book cover
SUSY moduli spaces and anti-de Sitter space
The purple peaks show the gauge coupling of the Seiberg-Witten theory as a function of the moduli space; the associated tori are shown in yellow. The quantum deformed moduli space of SUSY QCD is shown in turquoise. A slice of anti-de Sitter space is shown in orange.
This graduate level textbook begins with a brief review of supersymmetry, and the construction of the minimal supersymmetric standard model and approaches to supersymmetry breaking. General non-perturbative methods are also reviewed leading to the development of holomorphy and the Affleck-Dine-Seiberg superpotential as powerful tools for analysing supersymmetric theories. Seiberg duality is discussed in detail, with many example applications provided, with special attention paid to its use in understanding dynamical supersymmetry breaking. The Seiberg- Witten theory of monopoles is introduced through the analysis of simpler N=1 analogues. Superconformal field theories are described along with the most recent development known as "a-maximization". Supergravity theories are examined in 4, 5, 10, and 11 dimensions, allowing for a discussion of anomaly and gaugino mediation, and setting the stage for the anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory correspondence. This book is unique in containing an overview of the important developments in supersymmetry since the publication of "Supersymmetry and Supergravity" by Wess and Bagger. It also strives to cover topics that are of interest to both formal and phenomenological theorists.