Anderson\, M.R.

• Part I String dynamics in a fixed background: The elements of string dynamics. String dynamics in Minkowski Spacetime. A bestiary of known trajectories in Minkowski Spacetime. String dynamics in a Robertson-Walker metric. other background metrics. Part II The gravitational field of a cosmic spring: Infinite straight strings. Systems of straight strings and closed timelike curves. Traveling-wave solutions and the interaction of strings with gravitational waves. Circular cosmic strings. Part III Towards a self-consistent theory of string dynamics: The weak-field approximation. The gravitational field at small distances. Cosmic strings and black holes.

"Anderson provides a comprehensive summary and review of the mathematical theory of cosmic strings. The subject is not in a state of rapid change so the book is up to date and it is likely to remain so for some time. Although the book is technical and requires a strong mathematical background and an interest in differential geometry, it is well written and reads easily … I found the later sections particularly interesting, especially the discussion of the infinite straight string and the associated singularity structure … This is a valuable reference work and compendium of results."-D.R. Matravers, Contemporary Physics, 2003, 44/5