From Classical Mechanics To Quantum Field Theory A Tutorial

This book collects an extended version of the lectures delivered by the authors at the Fall Workshop on Geometry and Physics in the years 2014, 2015, 2016.It aims at introducing advanced graduate and PhD students, as well as young researchers, to current research in mathematics and physics. In particular, it fills the gap between the more physical-oriented and the more mathematical-oriented literature on quantum theory. It introduces various approaches to methods of quantization, along with their impact on modern mathematical methods.

Quantum Field Theory has become the universal language of most modern theoretical physics. This introductory textbook shows how this beautiful theory offers the correct mathematical framework to describe and understand the fundamental interactions of elementary particles. The book begins with a brief reminder of basic classical field theories, electrodynamics and general relativity, as well as their symmetry properties, and proceeds with the principles of quantisation following Feynman's path integral approach. Special care is used at every step to illustrate the correct mathematical formulation of the underlying assumptions. Gauge theories and the problems encountered in their quantisation are discussed in detail. The last chapters contain a full description of the Standard Model of particle physics and the attempts to go beyond it, such as grand unified theories and supersymmetry. Written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in physics and mathematics, the book could also serve as a reference for active researchers in the field.

This textbook offers a detailed and self-contained presentation of quantum field theory, suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses. The author provides full derivations wherever possible and adopts a pedagogical tone without sacrificing rigour. A fully worked solutions manual is available online for instructors.

A concise, beginner-friendly introduction to quantum field theory Quantum field theory is a powerful framework that extends quantum mechanics in ways that are essential in many modern applications. While it is the fundamental formalism for the study of many areas of physics, quantum field theory requires a different way of thinking, and many newcomers to the subject struggle with the transition from quantum mechanics. A Prelude to Quantum Field Theory introduces the key concepts of quantum field theory in a brief and accessible manner while never sacrificing mathematical rigor. The result is an easy-to-use textbook that distills the most general properties of the theory without overwhelming beginning students with more advanced applications. Bridges quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, emphasizing analogies and differences Emphasizes a “quantum field theoretical mindset” while maintaining mathematical rigor Obtains quantum fields as the continuum limit of a quantized system of many particles Highlights the correspondence between wave function—fundamental in quantum mechanics—and the formalism of second quantization used in quantum field theory Provides a step-by-step derivation of Feynman rules for the perturbative study of interacting theories Introduces students to renormalization, path integrals techniques, and more Discusses more modern topics like effective field theories Ideal for both undergraduate and graduate students Proven in the classroom

Geometrical notions and methods play an important role in both classical and quantum field theory, and a connection is a deep structure which apparently underlies the gauge-theoretical models in field theory and mechanics. This book is an encyclopaedia of modern geometric methods in theoretical physics. It collects together the basic mathematical facts about various types of connections, and provides a detailed exposition of relevant physical applications. It discusses the modern issues concerning the gauge theories of fundamental fields. The authors have tried to give all the necessary mathematical background, thus making the book self-contained.This book should be useful to graduate students, physicists and mathematicians who are interested in the issue of deep interrelations between theoretical physics and geometry.

Four concise, brilliant lectures on mathematical methods in quantum mechanics from Nobel Prize–winning quantum pioneer build on idea of visualizing quantum theory through the use of classical mechanics.