Moonshine beyond the Monster

This book, originally published in 2006, describes the general theory of Moonshine and its underlying concepts, emphasising the fundamental ideas and examples behind some of the most fascinating topics in mathematics and physics. For graduates and researchers working in areas such as algebra, number theory, geometry, analysis, quantum field theory and conformal field theory.

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This book was originally published in 2006. Moonshine forms a way of explaining the mysterious connection between the monster finite group and modular functions from classical number theory. The theory has evolved to describe the relationship between finite groups, modular forms and vertex operator algebras. Moonshine Beyond the Monster describes the general theory of Moonshine and its underlying concepts, emphasising the interconnections between mathematics and mathematical physics. Written in a clear and pedagogical style, this book is ideal for graduate students and researchers working in areas such as conformal field theory, string theory, algebra, number theory, geometry and functional analysis. Containing over a hundred exercises, it is also a suitable textbook for graduate courses on Moonshine and as supplementary reading for courses on conformal field theory and string theory.