A Modern Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

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OUP Oxford, Nov 25, 2004 - Science - 312 pages
The importance and the beauty of modern quantum field theory resides in the power and variety of its methods and ideas, which find application in domains as different as particle physics, cosmology, condensed matter, statistical mechanics and critical phenomena. This book introduces the reader to the modern developments, assuming no previous knowledge of quantum field theory. Along with standard topics like Feynman diagrams, the book discusses effective lagrangians, renormalization group equations, the path integral formulation, spontaneous symmetry breaking and non-abelian gauge theories. The inclusion of more advanced topics will also make this a most useful book for graduate students and researchers.
 

Contents

1 Introduction
1
2 Lorentz and Poincaré symmetries in QFT
13
3 Classical field theory
43
4 Quantization of free fields
83
5 Perturbation theory and Feynman diagrams
109
6 Crosssections and decay rates
155
7 Quantum electrodynamics
180
8 The lowenergy limit of the electroweak theory
195
9 Path integral quantization
219
10 Nonabelian gauge theories
243
11 Spontaneous symmetry breaking
253
12 Solutions to exercises
266
Bibliography
285
Index
287
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About the author (2004)

Michele Maggiore is Professor of Physics at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

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