The Theory and Applications of Instanton Calculations

ISBN-13: 9781009291262 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023

Manu Paranjape

Opis

Drawing inspiration from Sidney Coleman's Erice lectures, this volume provides an accessible, detailed introduction to instanton methods and their many applications, as a valuable resource for graduate students in physics. This title, first published in 2017, has been reissued as an Open Access publication on Cambridge Core.

Spis treści

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Quantum mechanics and the path integral; 3. The symmetric double well; 4. Decay of a meta-stable state; 5. Quantum field theory and the path integral; 6. Decay of the false vacuum; 7. Large orders in perturbation theory; 8. Quantum electrodynamics in 1+1 dimensions; 9. The Polyakov proof of confinement; 10. Monopole pair production; 11. Quantum chromodynamics (QCD); 12. Instantons, supersymmetry and Morse theory; Appendix A. As aside on 0(4); Appendix B. Asymptotic analysis; Bibliography; Index.