Sociology of Physics: comment and indices

In summary, the theoretical physics speaker discusses how intellectual fashions such as string theory function as expert fads. He does this in an entertaining and illuminating manner, with a lot of hand-drawn cartoons. Although Zapata got his PhD in string theory, I am apprehensively curious about what his postdoc job prospects are, given the nature of his comments.
  • #141
To keep track of the drop in string citations in the professional literature:
marcus said:
...String citation standing in the Spires top 50 HEP has dropped. In the early 2000s it would often be that around twelve out of the top fifty would be recent string. And the rankings of those twelve were often near the top of the 50 list. By recent, I mean papers that appeared in the past five years, counting back from the year in question. For the year 2008, it would be 2004-2008.

In 2008 four of the fifty top-cited HEP papers were recent string. And the four recent string papers that made the top 50 list had average citecount of just under 180, which put them down near the bottom of the list. Their ranks were 37, 44, 48, 49.

In 2009 only one of the top-cited HEP fifty, was a recent string paper. And it was number 33, two thirds of the way down the list. The paper in question was cited 222 times.

Details were given in this post:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=372499
Here's the link to Spires topcites listings:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2009/annual.shtml
...

The key thing here is how much recent papers were cited during the year in question. This is indicative of the current state of the research program. If one does not restrict to current year citations and to recent (past five years) papers then one gets huge numbers of citations reflecting the string glory years of the 1990s when the program was viewed as the most promising path to unifying physics (if not the only path :biggrin:)
==================

I'm looking for signs that we will see some correlation between the decline of professional interest in stringy unification prospects and a trend in popular book salesranks. For several past months, I've averaged the noon salesranks of the top five string books (whichever were the most popular on a given day) for three days around the 15th of the month.

Mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five:

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884

Out of curiosity I also recorded these recent noon topfive averages:

17 May 9479.6
18 May 8000.4
19 May 6982.0
20 May 8270.6
21 May 7030.2

It would make sense for there to be some slow upward trend: as professionals loose interest in string (as a unification approach) one might expect, after some lag time, for general readership to slack off. This would be reflected in rising salesrank numbers for string books.
 
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  • #142
Not trying at all to throw doubt upon any on the comparisons to date, and I doubt it will make a significant difference to the numbers, but I wonder if a harmonic mean wouldn't be a more meaningful average than the arithmetic mean. After all, the direct metric of popularity is number of books sold, and sales rank varies inversely with this metric.

Of course, it would only hurt to switch methodology mid-stream, so I'm not suggesting you change (or even consider changing) things for this thread...but it might be worth thinking about for any future cataloging from scratch.
 
  • #143
Thanks for the comment Gokul! Your suggestion of a while back (averaging data around the first of the month, for a smoothed first of month figure) was one I adopted and I think has been helpful.

As you say, just keeping on consistently is the main thing, but I will consider harmonic means "averaging" if I start another thread recording a different series of data.

Hope things are going well.
 
  • #144
String publication for the first four months of this year should have stabilized by now, as late arrivals were entered into the data base. First here is the picture for the first three months of successive years:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

This does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the first quarter of consecutive years.

As of 25 May, the Jan+Feb+March figures for four successive years were:
1670, 1643, 1583, 1307

============
Now the figures for the first four months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Again a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the consecutive years. As of 25 May the Jan+Feb+March+April figures were:
2044, 2034, 1914, 1577

=====
On the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks):
Noon 24 May string topfive average 8179.4 (fabric, parallel, elegant, hyperspace, little).
Noon 25 May string topfive average 8467.2 (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, little).
To illustrate, the average was obtained from their respective ranks which happened to be 4634, 5373, 6904, 11978, 13447.

=======Here are the raw numbers of LQG papers in successive years.
Loop research publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space". Figures for 2005-2009 seem nearly stable.

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 143
2010 63 (as of 25 May 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

If you click on any of these Spires links, then select sort by citation count and repeat the display, you will get the most highly cited papers listed first, a handy way to spot ground-breaking or influential papers.
 
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  • #145
Some late arrivals to add in. First here is the string publication picture for the first three months of successive years:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

This does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the first quarter of consecutive years.

As of 2 June, the Jan+Feb+March figures for four successive years were:
1669, 1643, 1584, 1347

============
Similar figures for the first four months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Again a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the consecutive years. As of 2 June the Jan+Feb+March+April totals were:
2043, 2034, 1916, 1720

=====
To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five:

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884

Out of curiosity I also recorded some more recent noon topfive averages:

17 May 9479.6
18 May 8000.4
19 May 6982.0
20 May 8270.6
21 May 7030.2
Noon 24 May string topfive average 8179.4 (fabric, parallel, elegant, hyperspace, little).
Noon 25 May string topfive average 8467.2 (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, little).
To illustrate, the average was obtained from their respective ranks which happened to be 4634, 5373, 6904, 11978, 13447.
Noon 30 May average was 7136.0 (elegant, hyper, parallel, fabric, elegant hard)
Noon 31 May average was 8299.8 (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyper, warped)
Noon 1 June average was 8365.2 (elegant, fabric, hyper, parallel, elegant hard)
Noon 2 June average was 13921.4 (elegant, fabric, hyper, parallel, elegant hard). To illustrate their respective salesranks were 1570, 5443, 11804, 12974, 37816. Incidentally Trouble with Physics salesrank happened to be 14398. I haven't been checking reguarly but it still seems to be hanging in there.

Going back to 2007 and 2008, there does seem to be a slow upward trend in the topfive stringies average salesrank. It would make sense: as professionals loose interest in string (as a unification approach) one might expect, after some lag time, for general readership to slack off. This would be reflected in rising salesrank numbers for string books.

This week Brian Greene hosts the NYC festival of science which he organizes annually, much media hoopla including a visit from Stephen Hawking. Noticeable increase in sales of Greene books.
=======

While I'm at it, I will update the Loop research publication index which uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 142
2010 64 (as of 1 June 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

If you click on any of these Spires links, then select sort by citation count and repeat the display, you will get the most highly cited papers listed first, a handy way to spot ground-breaking or influential papers.
 
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  • #146
Yearly Loop research publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 73 (as of 9 June 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

If you click on any of these and then select sort by citation count and repeat the display, you will get the most highly cited papers listed first, a handy way to spot ground-breaking or influential papers.
=======================

This string publication index does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the first four months of consecutive years.

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 9 June the Jan+Feb+March+April totals were:
2042, 2033, 1916, 1756
================================
Not all the late arrivals are in, but here's the string publication picture for the first five months of successive years:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Again a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the consecutive years. As of 9 June, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years: 2489, 2515, 2439, 2029
=====

To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five. I plan to take noon readings on the 14, 15, 16 of June, extending this record.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010...?...

As a spot check, at noon on 9 June the string topfive average rank was 9113.2. The five most popular string books at that time (elegant, fabric, hyperspace, parallel, little) ranked 2714, 5092, 5693, 6253, 25814.
 
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  • #147
marcus said:
To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five. I plan to take noon readings on the 14, 15, 16 of June, extending this record.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010...?...

As a spot check, at noon on 9 June the string topfive average rank was 9113.2. The five most popular string books at that time (elegant, fabric, hyperspace, parallel, little) ranked 2714, 5092, 5693, 6253, 25814.

At noon pacific on 14 June the string topfive (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, little) ranked 2911, 4480, 6765, 13054, 14957 for an average of 8433.4
At noon pacific on 15 June the string topfive (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3379, 4444, 5497, 11176, 15008 for an average of 7900.8

Update on yearly Loop research publication index which uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 76 (as of 14 June 2010)

Year's not yet half over so it's looking like output has nearly doubled since 2006.
 
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  • #148
At noon pacific on 14 June the string topfive (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, little) ranked 2911, 4480, 6765, 13054, 14957 for an average of 8433.4

At noon pacific on 15 June the string topfive (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3379, 4444, 5497, 11176, 15008 for an average of 7900.8

At noon pacific on 16 June the string topfive (elegant, parallel, hyperspace, fabric, warped) ranked 2619, 6188, 8612, 12086, 34789 for an average of 12858.8

So the mid-month average for June is 9731.

Here is the record of mid-month averages so far:

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010 ...?...

Next readings, to extend this record, planned for July 14, 15, and 16, at the usual time (noon pacific). In my experience the high salesranks we are seeing this year (for the most popular string books) are unprecedented. Could indicate a shift in public perception. Now string not thought as jazzy as, say, 5 years ago. Possibly a different sort of pop-sci physics book (non-string this time) taking over the market.
 
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  • #149
Updated publication data.
Yearly Loop research publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 147
2010 79 (as of 19 June 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

If you click on any of these and then select sort by citation count and repeat the display, you will get the most highly cited papers listed first, a handy way to spot ground-breaking or influential papers.
=======================

This string publication index does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the first four months of consecutive years.

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 18 June the Jan+Feb+March+April totals were:
2042, 2033, 1919, 1782
================================
Not all the late arrivals are in, but here's the string publication picture for the first five months of successive years:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Again a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic) for the consecutive years. As of 18 June, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years: 2489, 2515, 2442, 2058
=====

To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five. I plan to take the average of noon readings on the 14, 15, 16 of July, extending this record.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010...?...

As a spot check, at noon on 19 June the stringy topfive average was 8558.0, in line with the much higher salesranks we have been seeing this year. The five most popular titles (elegant, fabric, black hole, parallel, hyperspace) ranked 2041, 7733, 8153, 12161, 12702, averaging out to 8558.
This may not seem significant, but I just checked the Amazon.de standing of a German book "Before the Big Bang"
http://www.amazon.com/dp/3100039106/?tag=pfamazon01-20
which is the first popular all-LQG book, and it showed up as a leader among the theoretical physics and cosmology bestsellers.

Nr. 1 in Bücher > Fachbücher > Physik & Astronomie > Theoretische Physik
Nr. 4 in Bücher > Fachbücher > Physik & Astronomie > Astronomie & Astrophysik > Kosmologie

The Amazon price is 20 Euro. It came out April 2009 over a year ago, still doing OK saleswise. The paperback edition is scheduled to come out September 2010, in three months. Amazon price 10 Euro (or 9.95 :smile:) and my guess is that it will also do OK. This book applies LQG to cosmology (it is a "Loop quantum cosmology" book, presenting models and arguments for the "big bounce" conjecture.) In the Usa market there has not been an all-LQG book, so far. Only books which covered several different approaches to quantum gravity, including Loop. The new German book is more focused, which is what makes it different.
 
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  • #150
Here's a spot check of the noon salesrank average for the stringy top five. At noon on 25 June the five most popular titles (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, black hole) ranked 2971, 5775, 7732, 13247, 19788, averaging out to 9902.6.
To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five. I plan to take the average of noon readings on the 14, 15, 16 of July, extending this record.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010...?...

As another spot check, at noon 26 June the five most popular stringy books (elegant, fabric, hyperspace, parallel, warped) ranked 3202, 5278, 8967, 10816, 28655 for an average of 11383.6. It seems obvious that there has been a sharp decline in string popularity compared with the way the pop-sci book market looked in 2007 and earlier. This follows the earlier decline in professional interest as shown by the drop in citations to recent string research papers.

================================
Here's the string publication picture for the first five months of successive years.
This does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic):

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 26 June, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years were: 2489, 2515, 2442, 2060
=====

It is getting to be time to take data for the first six months. Here are the corresponding links:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

With June 2010 incompletely reported, the numbers as of 26 June are 2861, 2841, 2868, 2236.
 
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  • #151
Updated Loop QG publication data.
Yearly Loop research publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 84 (as of 3 July 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

If you click on any of these and then select sort by citation count and repeat the display, you will get the most highly cited papers listed first, a handy way to spot ground-breaking or influential papers.
=======================

To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five. I plan to take the average of noon readings on the 14, 15, 16 of July, extending this record.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010...?...

July 3 9402

Here's a spot check of the noon salesrank average for the stringy top five. At noon on 3 July the five most popular titles (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3021, 6011, 9858, 11749, 16373, averaging out to 9402.4.

================================
Here's the string publication picture for the first five months of successive years.
This does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic):

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 3 July, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years were: 2630, 2638, 2499, 2105
=====
Here are corresponding links for the first six months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

With June 2010 incompletely reported, the numbers as of 3 July are 3002, 2964, 2925, 2352.
 
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  • #152
It's helpful to recall the recent precipitous drop in citations of string research papers by string theorists themselves. The loss of professional interest in that type of research can help us understand the falling off of public interest in popular accounts. More precisely there has been a drop-off in the proportion of highly cited recent papers* which are on string topics, something I reported back in mid-Febrary 2010:

marcus said:
Here are links to Spires "top-50" listings
for 2008:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2008/annual.shtml
for 2009:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2009/annual.shtml

These are reported in articles such as: "Top-cited high-energy physics articles during 2008",
from SLAC-Stanford's online magazine Symmetry-Breaking
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/bre...ited-high-energy-physics-articles-during-2008

String citation standing in the Spires top 50 HEP list has dropped. In the early 2000s it would often happen that around twelve out of the top fifty would be recent string papers. And the rankings of those twelve were often near the top of the 50 list. By recent, I mean papers that appeared in the past five years, counting back from the year in question. For the year 2008, it would be 2004-2008.

In 2008 four of the fifty top-cited HEP papers were recent string. And the four recent string papers that made the top 50 list had average citecount of just under 180, which put them down near the bottom of the list. Their ranks were 37, 44, 48, 49.

In 2009 only one of the top-cited HEP fifty, was a recent string paper. And it was number 33, two thirds of the way down the list...

Details were given in this post:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=372499
Here's the link to Spires topcites listings:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2009/annual.shtml

*high energy physics (HEP) research papers
========================
The loss of interest which shows up in the popular book market is to some extent correlated, perhaps with a lag of a few years. These are 3-day averages of the top five string books' salesranks, taken right around the 15th of each month:

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010...?...

For consistency, I take the readings at noon Pacific time. Some recent spot checks at noon on various days:

3July 9402
5July 10097
6July 6518

As of 5 July, the string top five (parallel, elegant, hyperspace, fabric, black hole) ranked 5835, 8434, 8675, 13056, 14486 for an average of 10097.2
Noon 6 July string top five (elegant, parallel, hyperspace, fabric, warped) 2166, 4263, 4657, 5482, 16020 for an average of 6517.6

To get rid of some of the random fluctuation, the figure that will be recorded for the mid-month July will as usual be an average of three days in the middle of the month. 14, 15, and 16 July.
 
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  • #153
String publication picture for the first five months of successive years.
This does a search at Harvard abstracts (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic):

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 12 July, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years were: 2626, 2638, 2502, 2088. By now we've allowed enough time for the May late entries and these figures should remain fairly stable.
=====
Here are corresponding links for the first six months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 12 July, with June 2010 incompletely reported, the numbers are 2999, 2964, 2928, 2345.

Loop QG publication data.
Yearly Loop research publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 86 (as of 12 July 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

If you select sort by citation count and repeat the display, the most highly cited papers will be listed first.
=======================

To keep track of the popular physics book market (Amazon salesranks) I show here some mid-month salesrank averages for the string top five. I plan to take the average of noon readings on the 14, 15, 16 of July, extending this record.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010...?...

3July 9402

12July 9572

Sample spot checks of the noon salesrank average for the stringy top five. At noon on 3 July the five most popular titles (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3021, 6011, 9858, 11749, 16373, averaging out to 9402.4.
At noon on 12 July the five most popular titles ( parallel, elegant, fabric, hyperspace, black hole) ranked 3156, 4381, 4687, 13260, 22376, averaging out to 9572.0.================================
 
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  • #154
At noon 14 July the string topfive average salesrank was 6286.2.
Parallel, elegant, fabric, hyperspace, fabric hardbound ranked 3542, 4584, 6468, 6474, 10363.
Unusual surge in sales, compared with what it's been for the past month or so, could be related to a media event like talkshow appearance or airing a TV series.

At noon 15 July the string topfive average salesrank was 10172.2.
elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, black hole: 3352, 4864, 6146, 7961, 28538.
 
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  • #155
Revised figures from the Harvard abstracts database:

String publication picture for the first five months of successive years.
This does a search (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic):

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 16 July, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years were: 2628, 2641, 2531, 2067. These totals should now remain fairly stable.
=====
Here are corresponding links for the first six months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 16 July, with June 2010 incompletely reported, the numbers are 3001, 2968, 2957, 2393.

=================
At noon 14 July the string topfive average salesrank was 6286.2.
Parallel, elegant, fabric, hyperspace, fabric hardbound ranked 3542, 4584, 6468, 6474, 10363.
Unusual surge in sales, compared with what I've seen over the past month or so, could be related to a media event like talkshow appearance or a TV special.

At noon 15 July the string topfive average salesrank was 10172.2.
elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, black hole: 3352, 4864, 6146, 7961, 28538.

At noon 16 July the string topfive average salesrank was 8924.8
elegant, hyperspace, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, fabric hardbound: 3483, 5005, 6981, 9224, 19931.

As usual averaging over three mid-month days to get rid of some random fluctuation we have
the mid-July figure of 8461.1.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010 8461
August...?...
 
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  • #156
I would like to do the same thing as the following, but with LQC as well as with LQG.

To show what I mean, here is Loop QG publication data.
Yearly Loop research publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 90 (as of 21 July 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

========================
Now suppose we want to watch LQC instead (Loop Cosmology). Trying keyword "quantum cosmology, loop space". I will get the links for some consecutive years and see what turns out:

2006: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE%3D2006&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2007: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE%3D2007&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2008: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE%3D2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2009: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE%3D2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2010: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE%3D2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE= (incomplete)

2006 21
2007 39
2008 46
2009 45
2010 32 (as of 21 July)

I happened to check the popular physics book listings at noon today and the string top five (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, black hole) ranked 5077, 7529, 7912, 8531, 26510, for an average of 11111.8 (22 July)
See the previous post for how this average has behaved in the past (midmonth averages usually from the 14,15,16th of each month).
 
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  • #157
Adding another keyword works slightly better at searching for LQC papers. I'm now trying keyword "quantum cosmology, loop space OR (quantum gravity, loop space AND Friedman model)". Here are links for the same consecutive years:

2006: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2006&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2007: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2007&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2008: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2009: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2010: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2006 21
2007 39
2008 46
2009 45
2010 34 (as of 25 July)

Here are the same searches, with results ordered by citation count, to show the most cited papers of each year first.

2006: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2006&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=citecount%28d%29

2007: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2007&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=citecount%28d%29

2008: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=citecount%28d%29

2009: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=citecount%28d%29

2010: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=citecount%28d%29
 
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  • #158
Revised figures from the Harvard abstracts database:

String publication picture for the first five months of successive years.
This does a search (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic):

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 28 July, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years were: 2628, 2641, 2531, 2064.
=====
Here are corresponding links for the first six months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 28 July, the numbers through June appear stable and are 3001, 2968, 2957, 2392.

=================
Mid-month averages of pop string books' salesranks.
Ranks, at noon Pacific, of the five most popular books.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010 8461
August...?...

Spot checks of the popular physics book listings at noon on several days:

22 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, black hole) ranked 5077, 7529, 7912, 8531, 26510, for an average of 11111.8

27 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, hyperspace, fabric, warped) ranked 4060, 6242, 6728, 9543, 14614, for an average of 8237.4

28 July, the string top five (parallel, elegant, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 5111, 5928, 10002, 10034, 15459, for an average of 9306.8

29 July, the string top five (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3149, 7988, 10807, 14506, 17604, for an average of 10810.8

==========================
Some LQG research publication data:
Yearly Loop gravity publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 92 (as of 28 July 2010)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Similar data from the subfield LQC (Loop Quantum Cosmology). The Loop cosmology index uses Spires database with keywords "quantum cosmology, loop space OR (quantum gravity, loop space AND Friedman model)". Here are links for consecutive years:

2006: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2006&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2007: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2007&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2008: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2009: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2010: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2006 21
2007 39
2008 46
2009 45
2010 35 (as of 28 July)
=====================

For future reference, string publication of the first seven months of successive years. Here are corresponding links:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July figures as of 28 July: 3333, 3338, 3274, (preliminary, not all July is in) 2540
 
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  • #159
The issue of citation counts keeps coming up. The precipitous decline in citations (by string theorists themselves to recent papers by their colleagues) is a remarkable indication of the declining value and interest of recent research.
Here are links to Spires "top-50" listings
for 2008:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2008/annual.shtml
for 2009:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2009/annual.shtml

These are reported in articles such as: "Top-cited high-energy physics articles during 2008",
from SLAC-Stanford's online magazine Symmetry-Breaking
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/bre...ited-high-energy-physics-articles-during-2008

String citation standing in the Spires top 50 HEP list has dropped. In the early 2000s it would often happen that around twelve out of the top fifty would be recent string papers. And the rankings of those twelve were often near the top of the 50 list. By recent, I mean papers that appeared in the past five years, counting back from the year in question. For the year 2008, it would be 2004-2008.

In 2008 four of the fifty top-cited HEP papers were recent string. And the four recent string papers that made the top 50 list had average citecount of just under 180, which put them down near the bottom of the list. Their ranks were 37, 44, 48, 49.

In 2009 only one of the top-cited HEP fifty, was a recent string paper. And it was number 33, two thirds of the way down the list. The paper in question was cited 222 times.

Details were given in this post:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=372499
Here's the link to Spires topcites listings:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2009/annual.shtmlContinuing some checks of the popular physics book listings at noon of several days. See previous post for comparison with years back before the decline in popular interest:

22 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, black hole) ranked 5077, 7529, 7912, 8531, 26510, for an average of 11111.8

27 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, hyperspace, fabric, warped) ranked 4060, 6242, 6728, 9543, 14614, for an average of 8237.4

28 July, the string top five (parallel, elegant, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 5111, 5928, 10002, 10034, 15459, for an average of 9306.8

29 July, the string top five (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3149, 7988, 10807, 14506, 17604, for an average of 10810.8

30 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 4754, 7603, 9231, 13954, 25062, for an average of 12120.8String publication of the first seven months of successive years. Harvard abstracts database keywords "superstrings, brane, M-theory, compactification, AdS/CFT, heterotic":

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July figures as of 30 July: 3333, 3338, 3274, (preliminary) 2623
Late entries for July will bring the last figure up somewhat.
 
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  • #160
Revised figures from the Harvard abstracts database:

String publication picture for the first five months of successive years.
This does a search (keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic):

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 2 August, totals for Jan+Feb+March+April+May of four successive years were: 2628, 2641, 2550, 2089.
=====
Here are corresponding links for the first six months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 2 August, the numbers through June appear stable and are 3001, 2968, 2976, 2424.
======
Here are some figures for the first seven months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July figures as of 2 August: 3334, 3338, 3293, 2626 (preliminary, not all July is in)

=================
Mid-month averages of pop string books' salesranks.
Ranks, at noon Pacific, of the five most popular books.

January2007 4396
February2007 3789
November2008 3711
July2009 6485
March2010 7521
April2010 11983
May2010 6884
June2010 9731
July2010 8461
August...?...

Spot checks of the popular physics book listings on several days at noon (or when busy, as close as I could make it):

22 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, fabric, hyperspace, black hole) ranked 5077, 7529, 7912, 8531, 26510, for an average of 11111.8

27 July, the string top five (elegant, parallel, hyperspace, fabric, warped) ranked 4060, 6242, 6728, 9543, 14614, for an average of 8237.4

28 July, the string top five (parallel, elegant, fabric, hyperspace, warped) ranked 5111, 5928, 10002, 10034, 15459, for an average of 9306.8

29 July, the string top five (elegant, fabric, parallel, hyperspace, warped) ranked 3149, 7988, 10807, 14506, 17604, for an average of 10810.8

30 July 12120.8
31 July 9999.2
1 August 14482.6
2 August 12011.2
3 August 16426.4

==========================
Some LQG research publication data:
Yearly Loop gravity publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 92 (as of 2 August)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Similar data from the subfield LQC (Loop Quantum Cosmology). The Loop cosmology index uses Spires database with keywords "quantum cosmology, loop space OR (quantum gravity, loop space AND Friedman model)". Here are links for consecutive years:

2006: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2006&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2007: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2007&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2008: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2009: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2010: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+DK+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+%28DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DK+FRIEDMAN+MODEL%29+AND+DATE%3D2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

2006 21
2007 39
2008 46
2009 45
2010 35 (as of 2 August)
 
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  • #161
I've been using Amazon salesranks as a rough indicator of public interest in string (as compared with other pop-physics, or simply in general).
So far I have not been including the KINDLE e-book sales, because Amazon lists their salesranks separately and gives no clear indication of how to compare e-book ranks with ordinary book ranks.

Also in past years the e-book sales have not seemed (from what I can tell) to be large enough to compete significantly for places in the top five.

However I looked into this recently and have the impression that the Kindle e-book editions of string books (e.g. by Brian Greene) have now become an important part of the market and should be counted among our "top five", and also that one can get an adequate estimate of what the salesrank would be simply by using the rank of the next real BOOK in the cosmology bestseller list (where all the popular string titles are to be found together with favorites like the Hawking books, Carl Sagan, and so on.)

As of noon 10 August the five most popular string books were elegant, fabric, e-fabric, e-elegant, parallel.
Using the "next real book" estimate their salesranks were 4237, 4562, 11093, 14068, 14558, for an average of 9703.6

If we did not include e-books, the stringy topfive average salesrank would be higher, because the list of top five would have to include a couple of titles of much less popular books.
=======================================
Here is the record so far, which has not included e-book editions but will in future.
Mid-month noon salesrank averages of the five most popular books.

January2007: 4396
February2007: 3789
November2008: 3711
July2009: 6485
March2010: 7521
April2010: 11983
May2010: 6884
June2010: 9731
July2010: 8461
August2010:...?...
=======================================

String publication for first six months of successive years. Source is Harvard abstracts database using these keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 10 August, the numbers through June appear stable and are 3002, 2968, 2976, 2418.
 
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  • #162
As explained in the previous post, I've started including e-book editions (along with the usual hardbound and paperback) in determining the stringy top five. Since Amazon does not publish the overall salesranks but keeps "books" and e-books separate, I have to estimate the salesrank equivalent. I do this using the "cosmology bestseller" list where all the popular string books appear together with other such as Hawking, Sagan etc.
Simply take the salesrank of the next "real book" in order.

Using this extimate the top five stringies as of noon 12 August were
e-fabric, elegant, e-elegant, fabric, parallel and their ranks were
6223, 6662, 12462, 12835, 18811, for an average of 11398.6

Amazon has identified a pop-cosmology market consisting of lay-reader big vision books about the universe and what fundamental particles it is made of and how it came to be--plus cool awesome stuff like black holes and time travel---they gather all that in the "cosmology" bestseller list. The popular string books are there, so it makes it easy to find their salesranks. Have a look at the list!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/13449/&tag=pfamazon01-20

Here are the midmonth average salesrank readings that I've recorded over the past years. Normally noon readings on the 14, 15, 16th of any given month. I might start averaging 5 readings: like 13, 14, 15, 16, 17th. The idea is to record the average salesrank of the five most popular stringy books. When I started checking this number was typically around 3000-4000. Now, with declining interest and popularity, it tends to be higher (although events like a science fair or publicity surrounding a new TV series on the Universe can bring it down around 5000-6000 from time to time.)
Code: 
January2007:     4396
February2007:    3789
November2008:    3711
July2009:        6485  
March2010:       7521
April2010:      11983
May2010:         6884
June2010:        9731
July2010:        8461
August2010:    ...?...
 
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  • #163
Noon midmonth readings:

13 August 8515.2
14 August 8010.6
15 August ...?
16 August ...?
17 August ...?

On 13 August the five most popular stringy books (now including electronic editions) were elegant, e-fabric, parallel, e-elegant, fabric, and their salesranks averaged 8515.2.
On 14 August the five most popular stringy books were elegant, e-fabric, parallel, fabric, e-elegant, and their salesranks averaged 8010.6.
========

Update on LQG research publication data:
Yearly Loop gravity publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 94 (as of 14 August)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=
 
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  • #164
Noon midmonth average salesranks of the five currently most popular string books:

13 August 8515.2
14 August 8010.6
15 August 8374.8
16 August 9224.0
17 August 13906.6

These average out to 9606.6

On 13 August the five most popular stringy books (now including electronic editions) were elegant, e-fabric, parallel, e-elegant, fabric, and their salesranks averaged 8515.2.
On 14 August the five most popular stringy books were elegant, e-fabric, parallel, fabric, e-elegant, and their salesranks averaged 8010.6.
On 15 August the string top five were elegant, fabric parallel, e-fabric, e-elegant.
On 16 August the string top five were fabric, elegant, e-fabric, parallel, hyperspace.
On 17 August the string top five (elegant, e-fabric, hyperspace, fabric, parallel) ranked 5256, 10315, 10960, 15872, 27130, for an average of 13906.6.

Code: 
January2007:     4396
February2007:    3789
November2008:    3711
July2009:        6485  
March2010:       7521
April2010:      11983
May2010:         6884
June2010:        9731
July2010:        8461
August2010:      9606

marcus said:
...Here are the midmonth average salesrank readings that I've recorded over the past years. Normally noon readings on the 14, 15, 16th of any given month. I might start averaging 5 readings: like 13, 14, 15, 16, 17th. The idea is to record the average salesrank of the five most popular stringy books. When I started checking this number was typically around 3000-4000. Now, with declining interest and popularity, it tends to be higher (although events like a science fair or publicity surrounding a new TV series on the Universe can bring it down around 5000-6000 from time to time.)...
 
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  • #165
Here are links to Spires "top-50" listings of the most-cited high-energy physics papers
for 2008:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2008/annual.shtml
for 2009:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/topcites/2009/annual.shtml

What I've been watching here is how many of the top 50 papers are recent string---recent in the sense of having appeared in the past five years, counting back from the year in question. For the year 2008, it would be 2004-2008.
In the early 2000s it would typically happen that around twelve out of the top fifty would be recent string papers. And the rankings of those twelve would often be near the top of the 50 list.
In 2008 four of the fifty top-cited HEP papers were recent string. And the four recent string papers that made the top 50 list had average citecount around 180, which put them down near the bottom of the list. Their ranks in the top 50 were 37, 44, 48, 49.
In 2009 one of the top-cited HEP fifty, was a recent string paper. And it was number 33.

Details were given in this post:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=372499
=====================String publication for the first seven months of successive years:
Here are some figures for the first seven months:

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July figures as of 22 August: 3334, 3338, 3293, 2627 (preliminary, July is still not all catalogued.)Noon salesrank averages of string top five. Quite a bit of fluctuation lately, which may have to do with a new popular-audience book by Hawking scheduled to go on sale in a couple of weeks. Should raise public excitement regarding theories of the universe and related matters.

19 August 11443.0
20 August 11506.2
21 August 9355.6
22 August 6952.0
23 August 10516.2

The top five always seem to be from this list of six: fabric, e-fabric, elegant, e-elegant, parallel, hyperspace. For instance at noon 23 August the five most popular string were elegant, fabric, e-elegant, e-fabric, parallel, with respective ranks 6044, 6876, 11400, 13899, 14362 giving the average sbown here of 10516.2.
 
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  • #166
String publication for the first seven months of successive years, using
keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, compactification, heterotic, AdS/CFT

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July figures as of 25 August: 3334, 3338, 3304, 2743 (July may still not be all catalogued.)

marcus said:
Noon salesrank averages of string top five. Quite a bit of fluctuation lately, which may have to do with a new popular-audience book by Hawking scheduled to go on sale in a couple of weeks. Should raise public excitement regarding theories of the universe and related matters.

19 August 11443.0
20 August 11506.2
21 August 9355.6
22 August 6952.0
23 August 10516.2

The top five always seem to be from this list of six: fabric, e-fabric, elegant, e-elegant, parallel, hyperspace. For instance at noon 23 August the five most popular string were elegant, fabric, e-elegant, e-fabric, parallel, with respective ranks 6044, 6876, 11400, 13899, 14362 giving the average shown here of 10516.2.

Though I have not yet seen much about the new Hawking book "Grand Design", I'm going to start provisionally counting it as stringy. According to some reports, it promotes the vision of M-theory as TOE. The book goes on sale 7 September, will presumably sell well, and will help improve the string topfive average (reducing the unusually large salesrank numbers seen of late).

So probably for a while the day's top five string books will tend to be drawn from this list of seven: grand, fabric, elegant, parallel, hyperspace, e-fabric, e-elegant.

A new Roger Penrose book is also due out in September, but since the book will not be in any sense stringy it will not affect our keeping track of this index of reader interest.

Just now (25 Aug) when I looked the top five (grand, fabric, elegant, parallel, hyperspace) ranked 2331, 6455, 9528, 17898, 19624 for an average of 11167.2
Checking again, at noon 26 August, grand, parallel, elegant, fabric, e-fabric ranked 373, 9768, 10368, 10404, 15695 for an average of 9321.6.
If the Hawking book turns out on balance NOT to be stringy (a judgment call) that would make the average string saleranks quite a bit larger.
 
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  • #167
It's been two weeks since I posted LQG research publication data, so I'll update:
This annual Loop gravity publication index uses the Spires base with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 96 (as of 1 September)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

So far despite a wave of orders for the new Hawking book (which pending review I will assume is stringy) the string topfive salesrank is still around twice what it was as recently as 2 years ago---suggesting a drop-off of interest. Some spot checks at noon on several days:

30 August 8040.2
31 August 9765.8
1 September 9615.2
2 September 9954.8

At noon on 1 September the five most popular string books (grand, elegant, parallel, fabric, e-fabric) ranked 659, 7540, 11299, 12111, 16467, for an average of 9615.2
At noon on 2 September the five most popular string books (grand, elegant, parallel, e-fabric, e-eleganty) ranked 9, 4249, 7533, 16321, 21662, for an average of 9954.8

To put this in perspective here are mid-month averages I happened to record in previous years, as well as some in 2010:
Code: 
Midmonth average of string topfive salesranks
(when possible, recorded at noon on the 14th 15th, and 16th of each month)
January2007:     4396
February2007:    3789
November2008:    3711
July2009:        6485  
March2010:       7521
April2010:      11983
May2010:         6884
June2010:        9731
July2010:        8461
August2010:      9606

String research publication for the first 6 months of successive years still shows the curious sharp drop we saw earlier.
The source is Harvard abstracts database using keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic.

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 1 September, the numbers through June appear stable and are 3002, 2968, 2987, 2436.
 
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  • #168
The whole string book market has been changed by a crop of new books that all seem likely to become very popular:

Shing-Tung Yau "The Shape of Inner Space" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465020232/?tag=pfamazon01-20 Officially goes on sale 7 September 2010

John Gribbin's book "In Search of the Multiverse" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470613521/?tag=pfamazon01-20 A new edition appeared 24 August 2010.

Hawking's book "The Grand Design" Officially goes on sale 7 September 2010.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553805371/?tag=pfamazon01-20
Advance orders have made it #1 book at Amazon.

Brian Greene's new title is scheduled to appear in January 2011 "The Hidden Reality--Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307265633/?tag=pfamazon01-20
 
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  • #169
Pop-string is suddenly huge!
The average salesrank of the five most popular string books has never been lower, as far back as I can remember. Here are some noon readings, 6 September

grand 2
abridged audio grand 1134
yau 1269
elegant 1944
multiverse 2005

That makes the topfive average 1270.8
I've been used to seeing numbers like 4000 (a couple of years ago) and 8000 (recently). So a topfive average salesrank of 1000 indicates unusually strong sales.

As far as I can see the huge public appetite is for books about the universe claiming to explain why it exists or how it came about, and more specifically multiverse books. And these multiverse books (all except the new Roger Penrose book) tend to devote a chapter or so to String Landscape and M-theory. At least I think they all do. I haven't seen Hawking's. So I count them as stringy even if that's not the main focus.

The titles to look out for, if you follow this new craze, are
Grand Design (Hawking Mlodinow)
Shape of Inner (Yau)
Search for Multiverse (Gribbin)
and eventually Hidden Reality (Greene) but that is not yet ready for sale.
 
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  • #170
The other indices I've been watching are essentially unchanged since the last update, so if curious just scroll back a few posts. What has changed remarkably is the pop-sci book market.

I am calling the new Hawking Mlodinow a "string" book because it promotes the idea that there is an "M-theory" (so far the actual theory is missing but perhaps someday it will be formulated) and that this theory describes a huge landscape of possible versions of physics and the book also promotes the unsubstantiated idea that a multitude of universes exist exhibiting all these versions of physics.

This "Multiverse" idea conveniently hides the string theoreticians' failure to explain the universe that we actually see--to offer a unified coherent and predictive theory of the world nature gives us. It elevates string/M to an imaginary throne: the "Law Governing the Multiverse".

So even though the book has little concrete to say about string theory and deals with (so far nonexistent) M in only the vaguest terms, because of its M/multiverse message I count the current Hawking as stringy. Because of its popularity the index we are watching--the average salesrank of the five currently most popular string books--has improved enormously. It is now down around 1000 and has been so for several days. I will record whatever it is at mid-month. Here is a spot check indicating what to expect:

At noon 10 September the topfive stringy books (grand, e-grand, Yau, Gribbin, audio-grand) ranked 2, 290, 1529, 1734, 1898, for an average of 1090.6. Parenthetically here, by Yau I refer to the "Shape of Inner Space" book, and by Gribbin I mean his "In Search of the Multiverse". Besides the conventional format edition of "The Grand Design", there is an electronic edition and an abridged audio edition--as you can see, all three are doing well.

To put the 10 September number in perspective I will show it with some mid-month averages recorded previously:
Code: 
Midmonth average of string topfive salesranks
(when possible, recorded at noon on the 14th 15th, and 16th of each month)
January2007:     4396
February2007:    3789
November2008:    3711
July2009:        6485  
March2010:       7521
April2010:      11983
May2010:         6884
June2010:        9731
July2010:        8461
August2010:      9606

Spot check for comparison
10 September      1091

String research publication for the first 6 months of successive years still shows the curious sharp drop we saw earlier.
The source is Harvard abstracts database using keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, AdS/CFT, compactification, heterotic.

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

As of 10 September, the numbers through June are 3003, 2975, 3013, 2475.
 
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  • #171
Popular string book market completely changed.
For most of the past 4 years the string top five, the list of five most popular string books, has been dominated by Greene and Kaku, always the same four books. At noon today 14 September it was Hawking and Yau. Grand, e-grand, Yau, audio-Grand, elegant ranked 2, 81, 812, 1584, 1844 for an average of 864.6

=====================

String publication for the first seven months of successive years, using
keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, compactification, heterotic, AdS/CFT

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July figures as of 14 September: 3335, 3345, 3331, 2815
 
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  • #172
The string topfive midmonth average salesrank is in for September.
Code: 
Midmonth average of string topfive salesranks
(when possible, recorded at noon on the 14th 15th, and 16th of each month)
January2007:     4396
February2007:    3789
November2008:    3711
July2009:        6485  
March2010:       7521
April2010:      11983
May2010:         6884
June2010:        9731
July2010:        8461
August2010:      9606
September2010:   1060

This is a huge jump in popularity associated with the Hawking book that just came out. I don't think "Grand Design" actually teaches much about string, but I count it as stringy because it promotes "M-theory" as the law of the imagined "Multiverse". All the different solutions of M-theory correspond to different versions of physics and (assumed to exist) different universes.
It seems to me this is very stringy thinking and the book should be counted.

All 3 of its editions ( regular hardcover, audio*, and e-book) came out simultaneously, the beginning of this month, and all three are making the stringy topfive.

Today when I checked the top five (grand, e-grand, Yau, audio-grand, elegant) ranked
3, 32, 1145, 1318, 2769 for an average of 1053.4

The same number computed on three consecutive days at mid-month:

14 Sept 864.6
15 Sept 1260.8
16 Sept 1053.4

gave a mid-September average of 1059.6, which I have recorded above.

*earlier notices said the audio version was abridged---now I see it described as unabridged.
=====================

Just out of curiosity (although not needed for the mid-month record) I checked again on 17th. At noon the string topfive (grand, e-grand, Yau, audio-grand, elegant) ranked 3, 29, 1125, 1965, 2757 for an average of 1175.8.
 
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  • #173
String publication for the first eight months of successive years, using
keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, compactification, heterotic, AdS/CFT

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July+August figures as of 27 September:
3686, 3726, 3706, 3087

===========================

In the popular book market, at noon on 27 September the top five string books (e-grand, grand, Yau, audio-grand, elegant) ranked 10, 10, 1006, 2249, 3201, for an average of 1295.2

===========================The annual Loop gravity publication index that I'm tracking uses the Spires database with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 98 (as of 27 September)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=
 
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  • #174
String publication for the first eight months of successive years, using
keywords: superstring, M-theory, brane, compactification, heterotic, AdS/CFT

2007: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2008: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2009: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

2010: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/n...txt_wgt=YES&ttl_sco=YES&txt_sco=YES&version=1

Jan+Feb+March+April+May+June+July+August figures as of 27 September:
3686, 3726, 3707, 3462

===========================

In the popular book market, at noon on 29 September the top five string books (e-grand, grand, Yau, elegant, e-elegant) ranked 14, 14, 1321, 3122, 4278, for an average of 1749.8

===========================The annual Loop gravity publication index that I'm tracking uses the Spires database with DESY keywords "spin, foam", "field theory, group", "quantum gravity, loop space", and "quantum cosmology, loop space".

2005 40
2006 82
2007 122
2008 141
2009 146
2010 102 (as of 29 September)

Link for 2008 Loop research papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2008&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2009 Loop papers:
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2009&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=

Link for 2010 (still incomplete,of course):
http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=FIND+K+SPIN%2CFOAM+OR+DK+FIELD+THEORY%2C+GROUP+OR+DK+QUANTUM+GRAVITY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+OR+QUANTUM+COSMOLOGY%2C+LOOP+SPACE+AND+DATE+%3D+2010&FORMAT=www&SEQUENCE=
 
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  • #175
Time to do a midmonth review of the popular book market to see how pop-string books are doing. Counting Hawking *Grand Design* as a string book because of its favorable mention of M-theory, though it may not teach anything very definite about the subject.

I recorded the average salesrank of the string top five---the five most popular stringy books as of noon on the day in question.

13 October 1332.4
14 October 1278.4
15 October 1544.4
16 October 1438.8
17 October ...

As an example, at noon on 15 October the top five (e-grand, grand, Yau, hyperspace, parallel) ranked 33,33, 965, 2565, 4126, for an average of 1544.4.

EDIT: At noon 16 Oct, the top five average was 1438.8.
 
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