This text focuses on the algebraic formulation of quantum field theory, from the introductory aspects to the applications to concrete problems of physical interest. The book is divided in thematic chapters covering both introductory and more advanced topics. These include the algebraic, perturbative approach to interacting quantum field theories, algebraic quantum field theory on curved spacetimes (from its structural aspects to the applications in cosmology and to the role of quantum spacetimes), algebraic conformal field theory, the Kitaev's quantum double model from the point of view of local quantum physics and constructive aspects in relation to integrable models and deformation techniques. The book is addressed to master and graduate students both in mathematics and in physics, who are interested in learning the structural aspects and the applications of algebraic quantum field theory.
Since the advent of Yang–Mills theories and supersymmetry in the 1970s, quantum field theory - the basis of the modern description of physical phenomena at the fundamental level - has undergone revolutionary developments. This is the first systematic and comprehensive text devoted specifically to modern field theory, bringing readers to the cutting edge of current research. The book emphasizes nonperturbative phenomena and supersymmetry. It includes a thorough discussion of various phases of gauge theories, extended objects and their quantization, and global supersymmetry from a modern perspective. Featuring extensive cross-referencing from traditional topics to recent breakthroughs in the field, it prepares students for independent research. The side boxes summarizing the main results and over 70 exercises make this an indispensable book for graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics.
A comprehensive overview and analysis of one of the most influential theories in psychology is offered in this volume. Based on the pioneering work of social psychologist Kurt Lewin, it outlines the work of several generations of international field theorists and attests to the durability and utility of Lewin's work. Essays trace the history and development of field theory and discuss its various applications in a number of settings. Topics addressed include managing social conflict, self-help groups, field theory and the construction of social problems and academic sex discrimination.
Contemporary quantum field theory is mainly developed as quantization of classical fields. Therefore, classical field theory and its BRST extension is the necessary step towards quantum field theory. This book aims to provide a complete mathematical foundation of Lagrangian classical field theory and its BRST extension for the purpose of quantization. Based on the standard geometric formulation of theory of nonlinear differential operators, Lagrangian field theory is treated in a very general setting. Reducible degenerate Lagrangian theories of even and odd fields on an arbitrary smooth manifold are considered. The second Noether theorems generalized to these theories and formulated in the homology terms provide the strict mathematical formulation of BRST extended classical field theory. The most physically relevant field theories OCo gauge theory on principal bundles, gravitation theory on natural bundles, theory of spinor fields and topological field theory OCo are presented in a complete way. This book is designed for theoreticians and mathematical physicists specializing in field theory. The authors have tried throughout to provide the necessary mathematical background, thus making the exposition self-contained.
This book comprises the second half of a quantum field theory (QFT) course for graduate students. It gives a concise introduction to advanced concepts that are important for research in elementary particle theory. Topics include the path integral, loop expansion, Feynman rules, various regularization methods, renormalization, running couplings and the renormalization group, fixed points and asymptotic freedom, effective action, Coleman-Weinberg effective potential, fermions, the axial anomaly, QED, gauge fixing, nonabelian gauge theories, unitarity, optical theorem, Slavnov-Taylor identities, beta function of Yang-Mills theory, a heuristic derivation of asymptotic freedom, instantons in SU(N) gauge theory, theta vacua and the strong CP problem. Exercises are included and are intended for advanced graduate students or postdocs seeking to deepen their understanding of QFT.
Quantum field theory, which started with Paul Dirac’s work shortly after the discovery of quantum mechanics, has produced an impressive and important array of results. Quantum electrodynamics, with its extremely accurate and well-tested predictions, and the standard model of electroweak and chromodynamic (nuclear) forces are examples of successful theories. Field theory has also been applied to a variety of phenomena in condensed matter physics, including superconductivity, superfluidity and the quantum Hall effect. The concept of the renormalization group has given us a new perspective on field theory in general and on critical phenomena in particular. At this stage, a strong case can be made that quantum field theory is the mathematical and intellectual framework for describing and understanding all physical phenomena, except possibly for a quantum theory of gravity. Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Perspective presents Professor Nair’s view of certain topics in field theory loosely knit together as it grew out of courses on field theory and particle physics taught at Columbia University and the City College of CUNY. The first few chapters, up to Chapter 12, contain material that generally goes into any course on quantum field theory, although there are a few nuances of presentation which readers may find to be different from other books. This first part of the book can be used for a general course on field theory, omitting, perhaps, the last three sections in Chapter 3, the last two in Chapter 8 and sections 6 and 7 in Chapter 10. The remaining chapters cover some of the more modern developments over the last three decades, involving topological and geometrical features. The introduction given to the mathematical basis of this part of the discussion is necessarily brief and should be accompanied by books on the relevant mathematical topics as indicated in the bibliography. Professor Nair also concentrates on developments pertinent to a better understanding of the standard model. There is no discussion of supersymmetry, supergravity, developments in field theory inspired by string theory, etc. There is also no detailed discussion of the renormalization group. Each of these topics would require a book in its own right to do justice to the topic. Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Perspective serves as a portal to so many more topics of detailed and ongoing research, referring readers to more detailed treatments for many specific topics. The book also contains extensive references, providing readers a more comprehensive perspective on the literature and the historical development of the subject. V. Parameswaran Nair is Professor of Physics at City College of The City University of New York (CUNY). Professor Nair has held Visiting Professorships at The Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics, Rockefeller University, Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Presents recent advances of perturbative relativistic field theory in a pedagogical and straightforward way. For graduate students who intend to specialize in high-energy physics.
Quantum Field Theory is now well recognized as a powerful tool not only in Particle Physics but also in Nuclear Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Solid State Physics and even in Mathematics. In this book some current applications of Quantum Field Theory to those areas of modern physics and mathematics are collected, in order to offer a deeper understanding of known facts and unsolved problems.
Theoretical particle physicists discuss the present status and,in particular, the latest developments in quantum field theory,in their broadest aspects. This volume contains the main lecturespresented at the symposium and reflects the contemporary statusof a line of development, one of whose initiators was Niels Bohr.
This book covers the theoretical foundations of advanced mean field methods, explores the relation between the different approaches, examines the quality of the approximation obtained, and demonstrates their application to various areas of probabilistic modeling. A major problem in modern probabilistic modeling is the huge computational complexity involved in typical calculations with multivariate probability distributions when the number of random variables is large. Because exact computations are infeasible in such cases and Monte Carlo sampling techniques may reach their limits, there is a need for methods that allow for efficient approximate computations. One of the simplest approximations is based on the mean field method, which has a long history in statistical physics. The method is widely used, particularly in the growing field of graphical models. Researchers from disciplines such as statistical physics, computer science, and mathematical statistics are studying ways to improve this and related methods and are exploring novel application areas. Leading approaches include the variational approach, which goes beyond factorizable distributions to achieve systematic improvements; the TAP (Thouless-Anderson-Palmer) approach, which incorporates correlations by including effective reaction terms in the mean field theory; and the more general methods of graphical models. Bringing together ideas and techniques from these diverse disciplines, this book covers the theoretical foundations of advanced mean field methods, explores the relation between the different approaches, examines the quality of the approximation obtained, and demonstrates their application to various areas of probabilistic modeling.
