Author: Franco Strocchi
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191651346
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 608
Book Description
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) has proved to be the most useful strategy for the description of elementary particle interactions and as such is regarded as a fundamental part of modern theoretical physics. In most presentations, the emphasis is on the effectiveness of the theory in producing experimentally testable predictions, which at present essentially means Perturbative QFT. However, after more than fifty years of QFT, we still are in the embarrassing situation of not knowing a single non-trivial (even non-realistic) model of QFT in 3+1 dimensions, allowing a non-perturbative control. As a reaction to these consistency problems one may take the position that they are related to our ignorance of the physics of small distances and that QFT is only an effective theory, so that radically new ideas are needed for a consistent quantum theory of relativistic interactions (in 3+1 dimensions). The book starts by discussing the conflict between locality or hyperbolicity and positivity of the energy for relativistic wave equations, which marks the origin of quantum field theory, and the mathematical problems of the perturbative expansion (canonical quantization, interaction picture, non-Fock representation, asymptotic convergence of the series etc.). The general physical principles of positivity of the energy, Poincare' covariance and locality provide a substitute for canonical quantization, qualify the non-perturbative foundation and lead to very relevant results, like the Spin-statistics theorem, TCP symmetry, a substitute for canonical quantization, non-canonical behaviour, the euclidean formulation at the basis of the functional integral approach, the non-perturbative definition of the S-matrix (LSZ, Haag-Ruelle-Buchholz theory). A characteristic feature of gauge field theories is Gauss' law constraint. It is responsible for the conflict between locality of the charged fields and positivity, it yields the superselection of the (unbroken) gauge charges, provides a non-perturbative explanation of the Higgs mechanism in the local gauges, implies the infraparticle structure of the charged particles in QED and the breaking of the Lorentz group in the charged sectors. A non-perturbative proof of the Higgs mechanism is discussed in the Coulomb gauge: the vector bosons corresponding to the broken generators are massive and their two point function dominates the Goldstone spectrum, thus excluding the occurrence of massless Goldstone bosons. The solution of the U(1) problem in QCD, the theta vacuum structure and the inevitable breaking of the chiral symmetry in each theta sector are derived solely from the topology of the gauge group, without relying on the semiclassical instanton approximation.
An Introduction to Non-Perturbative Foundations of Quantum Field Theory
Author: Franco Strocchi
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191651346
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 608
Book Description
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) has proved to be the most useful strategy for the description of elementary particle interactions and as such is regarded as a fundamental part of modern theoretical physics. In most presentations, the emphasis is on the effectiveness of the theory in producing experimentally testable predictions, which at present essentially means Perturbative QFT. However, after more than fifty years of QFT, we still are in the embarrassing situation of not knowing a single non-trivial (even non-realistic) model of QFT in 3+1 dimensions, allowing a non-perturbative control. As a reaction to these consistency problems one may take the position that they are related to our ignorance of the physics of small distances and that QFT is only an effective theory, so that radically new ideas are needed for a consistent quantum theory of relativistic interactions (in 3+1 dimensions). The book starts by discussing the conflict between locality or hyperbolicity and positivity of the energy for relativistic wave equations, which marks the origin of quantum field theory, and the mathematical problems of the perturbative expansion (canonical quantization, interaction picture, non-Fock representation, asymptotic convergence of the series etc.). The general physical principles of positivity of the energy, Poincare' covariance and locality provide a substitute for canonical quantization, qualify the non-perturbative foundation and lead to very relevant results, like the Spin-statistics theorem, TCP symmetry, a substitute for canonical quantization, non-canonical behaviour, the euclidean formulation at the basis of the functional integral approach, the non-perturbative definition of the S-matrix (LSZ, Haag-Ruelle-Buchholz theory). A characteristic feature of gauge field theories is Gauss' law constraint. It is responsible for the conflict between locality of the charged fields and positivity, it yields the superselection of the (unbroken) gauge charges, provides a non-perturbative explanation of the Higgs mechanism in the local gauges, implies the infraparticle structure of the charged particles in QED and the breaking of the Lorentz group in the charged sectors. A non-perturbative proof of the Higgs mechanism is discussed in the Coulomb gauge: the vector bosons corresponding to the broken generators are massive and their two point function dominates the Goldstone spectrum, thus excluding the occurrence of massless Goldstone bosons. The solution of the U(1) problem in QCD, the theta vacuum structure and the inevitable breaking of the chiral symmetry in each theta sector are derived solely from the topology of the gauge group, without relying on the semiclassical instanton approximation.
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191651346
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 608
Book Description
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) has proved to be the most useful strategy for the description of elementary particle interactions and as such is regarded as a fundamental part of modern theoretical physics. In most presentations, the emphasis is on the effectiveness of the theory in producing experimentally testable predictions, which at present essentially means Perturbative QFT. However, after more than fifty years of QFT, we still are in the embarrassing situation of not knowing a single non-trivial (even non-realistic) model of QFT in 3+1 dimensions, allowing a non-perturbative control. As a reaction to these consistency problems one may take the position that they are related to our ignorance of the physics of small distances and that QFT is only an effective theory, so that radically new ideas are needed for a consistent quantum theory of relativistic interactions (in 3+1 dimensions). The book starts by discussing the conflict between locality or hyperbolicity and positivity of the energy for relativistic wave equations, which marks the origin of quantum field theory, and the mathematical problems of the perturbative expansion (canonical quantization, interaction picture, non-Fock representation, asymptotic convergence of the series etc.). The general physical principles of positivity of the energy, Poincare' covariance and locality provide a substitute for canonical quantization, qualify the non-perturbative foundation and lead to very relevant results, like the Spin-statistics theorem, TCP symmetry, a substitute for canonical quantization, non-canonical behaviour, the euclidean formulation at the basis of the functional integral approach, the non-perturbative definition of the S-matrix (LSZ, Haag-Ruelle-Buchholz theory). A characteristic feature of gauge field theories is Gauss' law constraint. It is responsible for the conflict between locality of the charged fields and positivity, it yields the superselection of the (unbroken) gauge charges, provides a non-perturbative explanation of the Higgs mechanism in the local gauges, implies the infraparticle structure of the charged particles in QED and the breaking of the Lorentz group in the charged sectors. A non-perturbative proof of the Higgs mechanism is discussed in the Coulomb gauge: the vector bosons corresponding to the broken generators are massive and their two point function dominates the Goldstone spectrum, thus excluding the occurrence of massless Goldstone bosons. The solution of the U(1) problem in QCD, the theta vacuum structure and the inevitable breaking of the chiral symmetry in each theta sector are derived solely from the topology of the gauge group, without relying on the semiclassical instanton approximation.
Foundations Of Quantum Field Theory
Author: Klaus D Rothe
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9811221944
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350
Book Description
Based on a two-semester course held at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, this book provides an adequate resource for the lecturer and the student. The contents are primarily aimed at graduate students who wish to learn about the fundamental concepts behind constructing a Relativistic Quantum Theory of particles and fields. So it provides a comprehensive foundation for the extension to Quantum Chromodynamics and Weak Interactions, that are not included in this book.
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9811221944
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350
Book Description
Based on a two-semester course held at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, this book provides an adequate resource for the lecturer and the student. The contents are primarily aimed at graduate students who wish to learn about the fundamental concepts behind constructing a Relativistic Quantum Theory of particles and fields. So it provides a comprehensive foundation for the extension to Quantum Chromodynamics and Weak Interactions, that are not included in this book.
The Conceptual Framework of Quantum Field Theory
Author: Anthony Duncan
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199573263
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 793
Book Description
The book provides a step by step construction of the framework of relativistic quantum field theory, starting from a minimal set of basic foundational postulates. The emphasis is on a careful and detailed description of the conceptual subtleties of modern field theory, many of which are glossed over in other texts.
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199573263
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 793
Book Description
The book provides a step by step construction of the framework of relativistic quantum field theory, starting from a minimal set of basic foundational postulates. The emphasis is on a careful and detailed description of the conceptual subtleties of modern field theory, many of which are glossed over in other texts.
Quantum Fields on a Lattice
Author: Istvan Montvay
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521599177
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 512
Book Description
Presents a comprehensive and coherent account of the theory of quantum fields on a lattice.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521599177
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 512
Book Description
Presents a comprehensive and coherent account of the theory of quantum fields on a lattice.
Non-Perturbative Field Theory
Author: Yitzhak Frishman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139486489
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 455
Book Description
Providing a new perspective on quantum field theory, this book is useful for graduate students and researchers within and outside the field. It describes non-perturbative methods, and explores two-dimensional and four-dimensional gauge dynamics using those methods. Applications are thoroughly described.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139486489
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 455
Book Description
Providing a new perspective on quantum field theory, this book is useful for graduate students and researchers within and outside the field. It describes non-perturbative methods, and explores two-dimensional and four-dimensional gauge dynamics using those methods. Applications are thoroughly described.
Quantum Field Theory I
Author: Edouard B. Manoukian
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319309390
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
This textbook covers a broad spectrum of developments in QFT, emphasizing those aspects that are now well consolidated and for which satisfactory theoretical descriptions have been provided. The book is unique in that it offers a new approach to the subject and explores many topics merely touched upon, if covered at all, in standard reference works. A detailed and largely non-technical introductory chapter traces the development of QFT from its inception in 1926. The elegant functional differential approach put forward by Schwinger, referred to as the quantum dynamical (action) principle, and its underlying theory are used systematically in order to generate the so-called vacuum-to-vacuum transition amplitude of both abelian and non-abelian gauge theories, in addition to Feynman’s well-known functional integral approach, referred to as the path-integral approach. Given the wealth of information also to be found in the abelian case, equal importance is put on both abelian and non-abelian gauge theories. Particular emphasis is placed on the concept of a quantum field and its particle content to provide an appropriate description of physical processes at high energies, where relativity becomes indispensable. Moreover, quantum mechanics implies that a wave function renormalization arises in the QFT field independent of any perturbation theory - a point not sufficiently emphasized in the literature. The book provides an overview of all the fields encountered in present high-energy physics, together with the details of the underlying derivations. Further, it presents “deep inelastic” experiments as a fundamental application of quantum chromodynamics. Though the author makes a point of deriving points in detail, the book still requires good background knowledge of quantum mechanics, including the Dirac Theory, as well as elements of the Klein-Gordon equation. The present volume sets the language, the notation and provides additional background for reading Quantum Field Theory II - Introduction to Quantum Gravity, Supersymmetry and String Theory, by the same author. Students in this field might benefit from first reading the book Quantum Theory: A Wide Spectrum (Springer, 2006), by the same author.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319309390
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
This textbook covers a broad spectrum of developments in QFT, emphasizing those aspects that are now well consolidated and for which satisfactory theoretical descriptions have been provided. The book is unique in that it offers a new approach to the subject and explores many topics merely touched upon, if covered at all, in standard reference works. A detailed and largely non-technical introductory chapter traces the development of QFT from its inception in 1926. The elegant functional differential approach put forward by Schwinger, referred to as the quantum dynamical (action) principle, and its underlying theory are used systematically in order to generate the so-called vacuum-to-vacuum transition amplitude of both abelian and non-abelian gauge theories, in addition to Feynman’s well-known functional integral approach, referred to as the path-integral approach. Given the wealth of information also to be found in the abelian case, equal importance is put on both abelian and non-abelian gauge theories. Particular emphasis is placed on the concept of a quantum field and its particle content to provide an appropriate description of physical processes at high energies, where relativity becomes indispensable. Moreover, quantum mechanics implies that a wave function renormalization arises in the QFT field independent of any perturbation theory - a point not sufficiently emphasized in the literature. The book provides an overview of all the fields encountered in present high-energy physics, together with the details of the underlying derivations. Further, it presents “deep inelastic” experiments as a fundamental application of quantum chromodynamics. Though the author makes a point of deriving points in detail, the book still requires good background knowledge of quantum mechanics, including the Dirac Theory, as well as elements of the Klein-Gordon equation. The present volume sets the language, the notation and provides additional background for reading Quantum Field Theory II - Introduction to Quantum Gravity, Supersymmetry and String Theory, by the same author. Students in this field might benefit from first reading the book Quantum Theory: A Wide Spectrum (Springer, 2006), by the same author.
Modern Quantum Field Theory
Author: Tom Banks
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139473891
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
Presenting a variety of topics that are only briefly touched on in other texts, this book provides a thorough introduction to the techniques of field theory. Covering Feynman diagrams and path integrals, the author emphasizes the path integral approach, the Wilsonian approach to renormalization, and the physics of non-abelian gauge theory. It provides a thorough treatment of quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking, topics not usually covered in other texts at this level. The Standard Model of particle physics is discussed in detail. Connections with condensed matter physics are explored, and there is a brief, but detailed, treatment of non-perturbative semi-classical methods. Ideal for graduate students in high energy physics and condensed matter physics, the book contains many problems,which help students practise the key techniques of quantum field theory.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139473891
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
Presenting a variety of topics that are only briefly touched on in other texts, this book provides a thorough introduction to the techniques of field theory. Covering Feynman diagrams and path integrals, the author emphasizes the path integral approach, the Wilsonian approach to renormalization, and the physics of non-abelian gauge theory. It provides a thorough treatment of quark confinement and chiral symmetry breaking, topics not usually covered in other texts at this level. The Standard Model of particle physics is discussed in detail. Connections with condensed matter physics are explored, and there is a brief, but detailed, treatment of non-perturbative semi-classical methods. Ideal for graduate students in high energy physics and condensed matter physics, the book contains many problems,which help students practise the key techniques of quantum field theory.
An Introduction To Quantum Field Theory
Author: Michael E. Peskin
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429972105
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 865
Book Description
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory is a textbook intended for the graduate physics course covering relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and Feynman diagrams. The authors make these subjects accessible through carefully worked examples illustrating the technical aspects of the subject, and intuitive explanations of what is going on behind the mathematics. After presenting the basics of quantum electrodynamics, the authors discuss the theory of renormalization and its relation to statistical mechanics, and introduce the renormalization group. This discussion sets the stage for a discussion of the physical principles that underlie the fundamental interactions of elementary particle physics and their description by gauge field theories.
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429972105
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 865
Book Description
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory is a textbook intended for the graduate physics course covering relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and Feynman diagrams. The authors make these subjects accessible through carefully worked examples illustrating the technical aspects of the subject, and intuitive explanations of what is going on behind the mathematics. After presenting the basics of quantum electrodynamics, the authors discuss the theory of renormalization and its relation to statistical mechanics, and introduce the renormalization group. This discussion sets the stage for a discussion of the physical principles that underlie the fundamental interactions of elementary particle physics and their description by gauge field theories.
Quantum Field Theory
Author: Kerson Huang
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527617388
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 446
Book Description
A unique approach to quantum field theory, with emphasis on the principles of renormalization Quantum field theory is frequently approached from the perspective of particle physics. This book adopts a more general point of view and includes applications of condensed matter physics. Written by a highly respected writer and researcher, it first develops traditional concepts, including Feynman graphs, before moving on to key topics such as functional integrals, statistical mechanics, and Wilson's renormalization group. The connection between the latter and conventional perturbative renormalization is explained. Quantum Field Theory is an exceptional textbook for graduate students familiar with advanced quantum mechanics as well as physicists with an interest in theoretical physics. It features: * Coverage of quantum electrodynamics with practical calculations and a discussion of perturbative renormalization * A discussion of the Feynman path integrals and a host of current subjects, including the physical approach to renormalization, spontaneous symmetry breaking and superfluidity, and topological excitations * Nineteen self-contained chapters with exercises, supplemented with graphs and charts
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527617388
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 446
Book Description
A unique approach to quantum field theory, with emphasis on the principles of renormalization Quantum field theory is frequently approached from the perspective of particle physics. This book adopts a more general point of view and includes applications of condensed matter physics. Written by a highly respected writer and researcher, it first develops traditional concepts, including Feynman graphs, before moving on to key topics such as functional integrals, statistical mechanics, and Wilson's renormalization group. The connection between the latter and conventional perturbative renormalization is explained. Quantum Field Theory is an exceptional textbook for graduate students familiar with advanced quantum mechanics as well as physicists with an interest in theoretical physics. It features: * Coverage of quantum electrodynamics with practical calculations and a discussion of perturbative renormalization * A discussion of the Feynman path integrals and a host of current subjects, including the physical approach to renormalization, spontaneous symmetry breaking and superfluidity, and topological excitations * Nineteen self-contained chapters with exercises, supplemented with graphs and charts
Quantum Field Theory in Condensed Matter Physics
Author: Naoto Nagaosa
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662037742
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 213
Book Description
This is an approachable introduction to the important topics and recent developments in the field of condensed matter physics. First, the general language of quantum field theory is developed in a way appropriate for dealing with systems having a large number of degrees of freedom. This paves the way for a description of the basic processes in such systems. Applications include various aspects of superfluidity and superconductivity, as well as a detailed description of the fractional quantum Hall liquid.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662037742
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 213
Book Description
This is an approachable introduction to the important topics and recent developments in the field of condensed matter physics. First, the general language of quantum field theory is developed in a way appropriate for dealing with systems having a large number of degrees of freedom. This paves the way for a description of the basic processes in such systems. Applications include various aspects of superfluidity and superconductivity, as well as a detailed description of the fractional quantum Hall liquid.