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Book Cover
E-book
Author Lancaster, Tom, author.

Title Quantum field theory for the gifted amateur / Tom Lancaster, Stephen J. Blundell
Edition First edition
Published Oxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2014
©2014

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Description 1 online resource (vii, 485 pages) : illustrations
Summary Part I: The universe as set of harmonic oscillators -- 1. The Lagrangians -- 2. Simple harmonic oscillators -- 3. Occupation number representation -- 4. Making second quantization work -- Part II: Writing down Lagrangians -- 5. Continuous systems -- 6. A first stab at relativistic quantum mechanics -- 7. Examples of Lagrangians, or how to write down a theory -- Part III: The need for quantum fields -- 8. The passage of time -- 9. Quantum mechanical transformations -- 10. Symmetry -- 11. Canonical quantization of fields -- 12. Examples of canonical quantization -- 13. Fields with many components and massive electromagnetism -- 14. Gauge fields and gauge theory -- 15. Discrete transformations -- Part IV: Propagators and perturbations -- 16. Propagators and Green's functions -- 17. Propagators and fields -- 18. The S-matrix -- 19. Expanding the S-matrix : Feynman diagrams -- 20. Scattering theory -- Part V: Interlude: wisdom from statistical physics -- 21. Statistical physics : a crash course -- 22. The generating functional for fields -- Part VI: Path integrals -- 23. Path integrals I said to him, "You're crazy" -- 24. Field integrals --25. Statistical field theory -- 26. Broken symmetry -- 27. Coherent states -- 28. Grassmann numbers : coherent states and the path integral for fermions -- VII: Topological ideas -- 29. Topological objects -- 30: Topological field theory -- Part VIII: Renormalization: taming the infinite -- 31. Renormalization, quasiparticles and the Fermi surface -- 32. Renormalization : the problem and its solution -- 33. Renormalization in action : propagators and Feynman diagrams -- 34. The renormalization group -- 35. Ferromagnetism : a renormalization group tutorial -- Part IX: Putting a spin on QFT -- 36. The Dirac equation -- 37. How to transform a spinor -- 38. The quantum Dirac field -- 29. A rough guide to quantum electrodynamics -- 40. QED scattering : three famous cross-sections -- 41. The renormalization of QED and two great results -- Part X: Some applications from the world of condensed matter -- 42. Superfluids -- 43. The many-body problem and the metal -- 44. Superconductors -- 45. The fractional quantum Hall fluid -- Part XI: Some applications from the world of particle physics --46. Non-abelian gauge theory -- 47. The Weinberg-Salam model -- 48. Majorana fermions -- 49. Magnetic monopoles -- 50. Instantons, tunnelling and the end of the world
Quantum field theory provides the theoretical backbone to most modern physics. This book is designed to bring quantum field theory to a wider audience of physicists. It is packed with worked examples, witty diagrams, and applications intended to introduce a new audience to this revolutionary theory. -- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on print version record; title from digital title page (viewed on December 28, 2023)
Subject Quantum field theory.
Quantum field theory -- Amateurs' manuals
Quantum field theory -- Problems, exercises, etc
SCIENCE -- Energy.
SCIENCE -- Mechanics -- General.
SCIENCE -- Physics -- General.
Quantum field theory
Quantenfeldtheorie
Genre/Form exercise books.
Handbooks and manuals
Problems and exercises
Problems and exercises.
Problèmes et exercices.
Form Electronic book
Author Blundell, Stephen, 1967- author.
ISBN 9780191510939
0191510939
0199699321
9780199699322
9780191779435
0191779431