Conformal Field Theory

ISBN-13: 9780387947853 / Angielski / Twarda / 1996 / 890 str.

P. Di Francesco; Pierre Mathieu; Philippe Di Francesco

Opis

Filling an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. The treatment is self-contained and pedagogical, and includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, Lie algebras and affine Lie algebras. The many exercises, with a wide spectrum of difficulty and subjects, complement and in many cases extend the text. The text is thus not only a useful tool for classroom teaching, but also for individual study. Intended primarily for graduate students and researchers in theoretical high energy physics, mathematical physics, condensed matter theory and statistical physics, the book should also be of interest in other areas of theoretical physics and mathematics.

Spis treści

1. Introduction; 2. Quantum Field Theory; 3. Statistical Mechanics; 4. Global Conformal Invariance; 5. Conformal Invariance in Two Dimensions; 6. The Operator Formalism I; 7. The Operator Formalism II; 8. Minimal Models; 9. The Coulomb Gas Formalism; 10. Modular Invariance; 11. Finite Size Scaling; 12. The Two-Dimensional Ising Model; 13. Simple Lie Algebras; 14. Affine Lie Algebras; 15. The WZNW Model; 16. Fusion Rules; 17. Modular Invariants; 18. The Coset Construction