Filling an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. The treatment is self-contained, pedagogical, and exhaustive, and includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, Lie algebras and affine Lie algebras. The many exercises, with a wide spectrum of difficulty and subjects, complement and in many cases extend the text. The text is thus not only an excellent tool for classroom teaching but also for individual study. Intended primarily for graduate students and researchers in theoretical high-energy physics, mathematical physics, condensed matter theory, statistical physics, the book will also be of interest in other areas of theoretical physics and mathematics. It will prepare the reader for original research in this very active field of theoretical and mathematical physics.

Because of its many applications to mathematics and mathematical physics, the representation theory of infinite-dimensional Lie and quantized enveloping algebras comprises an important area of current research. This volume includes articles from the proceedings of an international conference, ``Infinite-Dimensional Lie Theory and Conformal Field Theory'', held at the University of Virginia. Many of the contributors to the volume are prominent researchers in the field. Thisconference provided an opportunity for mathematicians and physicists to interact in an active research area of mutual interest. The talks focused on recent developments in the representation theory of affine, quantum affine, and extended affine Lie algebras and Lie superalgebras. They also highlightedapplications to conformal field theory, integrable and disordered systems. Some of the articles are expository and accessible to a broad readership of mathematicians and physicists interested in this area; others are research articles that are appropriate for more advanced readers.

Part I gives a detailed, self-contained and mathematically rigorous exposition of classical conformal symmetry in n dimensions and its quantization in two dimensions. The conformal groups are determined and the appearence of the Virasoro algebra in the context of the quantization of two-dimensional conformal symmetry is explained via the classification of central extensions of Lie algebras and groups. Part II surveys more advanced topics of conformal field theory such as the representation theory of the Virasoro algebra, conformal symmetry within string theory, an axiomatic approach to Euclidean conformally covariant quantum field theory and a mathematical interpretation of the Verlinde formula in the context of moduli spaces of holomorphic vector bundles on a Riemann surface.

Theoretical particle physicists discuss the present status and,in particular, the latest developments in quantum field theory,in their broadest aspects. This volume contains the main lecturespresented at the symposium and reflects the contemporary statusof a line of development, one of whose initiators was Niels Bohr.

Based on class-tested notes, this text offers an introduction to Conformal Field Theory with a special emphasis on computational techniques of relevance for String Theory. It introduces Conformal Field Theory at a basic level, Kac-Moody algebras, one-loop partition functions, Superconformal Field Theories, Gepner Models and Boundary Conformal Field Theory. Eventually, the concept of orientifold constructions is explained in detail for the example of the bosonic string. In providing many detailed CFT calculations, this book is ideal for students and scientists intending to become acquainted with CFT techniques relevant for string theory but also for students and non-specialists from related fields.