Modern Quantum Field Theory: A Concise Introduction

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.

Thomas Banks is Professor of Physics at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP), University of California, and NHETC, Rutgers University. He is considered one of the leaders in high energy particle theory and string theory, and was co-discoverer of the Matrix Theory approach to non-perturbative string theory.

'... an excellent textbook for a first encounter with quantum field theory and an essential reference for senior physicists. It presents the topic from a modern and streamlined perspective with beautiful and fresh explanations and clarifies many common misconceptions ... Thomas Banks is one of the deepest theoretical physicists and one of the best teachers in the field.' Nathan Seiberg, Princeton University 'After reading this book, I'll never teach field theory in the same way again. Banks provides a modern, insightful treatment of the basic structure of quantum field theory, including anomalies, solitons and instantons. Perhaps most remarkable is his treatment of renormalization and the renormalization group, which ... succeeds in presenting the conceptual framework ... while providing the reader with the tools necessary for practical calculations.' Michael Dine, University of California, Santa Cruz