Applications In Rigorous Quantum Field Theory

This is the second updated and extended edition of the successful book on Feynman-Kac theory. It offers a state-of-the-art mathematical account of functional integration methods in the context of self-adjoint operators and semigroups using the concepts and tools of modern stochastic analysis. In the second volume, these ideas are applied principally to a rigorous treatment of some fundamental models of quantum field theory.

Compiled to illustrate the recent history of Quantum Field Theory and its trends, this collection of selected reprints by Jürg Fröhlich, a leading theoretician in the field, is a comprehensive guide of the more mathematical aspects of the subject. Results and methods of the past fifteen years are reviewed. The analytical methods employed are non-perturbative and, for the larger part, mathematically rigorous. Most articles are review articles surveying certain important developments in quantum field theory and guiding the reader towards the original literature.The volume begins with a comprehensive introduction by Jürg Fröhlich.The theory of phase transitions and continuous symmetry breaking is reviewed in the first section. The second section discusses the non-perturbative quantization of topological solitons. The third section is devoted to the study of gauge fields. A paper on the triviality of λϖ4 — theory in four and more dimensions is found in the fourth section, while the fifth contains two articles on “random geometry”. The sixth and final part addresses topics in low-dimensional quantum field theory, including braid statistics, two-dimensional conformal field theory and an application to condensed matter theory.

Jacques Bros has greatly advanced our present understanding of rigorous quantum field theory through numerous contributions; this book arose from an international symposium held in honour of Bros on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Key topics in this volume include: Analytic structures of Quantum Field Theory (QFT), renormalization group methods, gauge QFT, stability properties and extension of the axiomatic framework, QFT on models of curved spacetimes, QFT on noncommutative Minkowski spacetime.

This monograph offers a state-of-the-art mathematical account of functional integration methods in the context of self-adjoint operators and semigroups using the concepts and tools of modern stochastic analysis. These ideas are then applied principally to a rigorous treatment of some fundamental models of quantum field theory. In this self-contained presentation of the material both beginners and experts are addressed, while putting emphasis on the interdisciplinary character of the subject.

Compiled to illustrate the recent history of Quantum Field Theory and its trends, this collection of selected reprints by Jürg Fröhlich, a leading theoretician in the field, is a comprehensive guide of the more mathematical aspects of the subject. Results and methods of the past fifteen years are reviewed. The analytical methods employed are non-perturbative and, for the larger part, mathematically rigorous. Most articles are review articles surveying certain important developments in quantum field theory and guiding the reader towards the original literature.The volume begins with a comprehensive introduction by Jürg Fröhlich.The theory of phase transitions and continuous symmetry breaking is reviewed in the first section. The second section discusses the non-perturbative quantization of topological solitons. The third section is devoted to the study of gauge fields. A paper on the triviality of λϖ4 — theory in four and more dimensions is found in the fourth section, while the fifth contains two articles on “random geometry”. The sixth and final part addresses topics in low-dimensional quantum field theory, including braid statistics, two-dimensional conformal field theory and an application to condensed matter theory.

This book provides a largely self-contained and broadly accessible exposition on two cosmological applications of algebraic quantum field theory (QFT) in curved spacetime: a fundamental analysis of the cosmological evolution according to the Standard Model of Cosmology; and a fundamental study of the perturbations in inflation. The two central sections of the book dealing with these applications are preceded by sections providing a pedagogical introduction to the subject. Introductory material on the construction of linear QFTs on general curved spacetimes with and without gauge symmetry in the algebraic approach, physically meaningful quantum states on general curved spacetimes, and the backreaction of quantum fields in curved spacetimes via the semiclassical Einstein equation is also given. The reader should have a basic understanding of General Relativity and QFT on Minkowski spacetime, but no background in QFT on curved spacetimes or the algebraic approach to QFT is required.>

"The book is very different from other books devoted to quantum field theory, both in the style of exposition and in the choice of topics. Written for both mathematicians and physicists, the author explains the theoretical formulation with a mixture of rigorous proofs and heuristic arguments; references are given for those who are looking for more details. The author is also careful to avoid ambiguous definitions and statements that can be found in some physics textbooks. In terms of topics, almost all other books are devoted to relativistic quantum field theory, conversely this book is concentrated on the material that does not depend on the assumptions of Lorentz-invariance and/or locality. It contains also a chapter discussing application of methods of quantum field theory to statistical physics, in particular to the derivation of the diagram techniques that appear in thermo-field dynamics and Keldysh formalism. It is not assumed that the reader is familiar with quantum mechanics; the book contains a short introduction to quantum mechanics for mathematicians and an appendix devoted to some mathematical facts used in the book"--Publisher's description