The theory and applications of instanton calculations / Manu Paranjape, Université de Montréal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paranjape, M. B., author.

Series:

Cambridge monographs on mathematical physics.

Cambridge monographs on mathematical physics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Quantum field theory--Mathematics.

Quantum field theory.

Instantons.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 309 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Summary:

Instantons, or pseudoparticles, are solutions to the equations of motion in classical field theories on a Euclidean spacetime. Instantons are found everywhere in quantum theories as they have many applications in quantum tunnelling. Diverse physical phenomena may be described through quantum tunnelling, for example: the Josephson effect, the decay of meta-stable nuclear states, band formation in tight binding models of crystalline solids, the structure of the gauge theory vacuum, confinement in 2+1 dimensions, and the decay of superheated or supercooled phases. Drawing inspiration from Sidney Coleman's Erice lectures, this volume provides an accessible, detailed introduction to instanton methods, with many applications, making it a valuable resource for graduate students in many areas of physics, from condensed matter, particle and nuclear physics, to string theory.

Contents:

Quantum mechanics and the path integral

The symmetric double well

Decay of a meta-stable state

Quantum field theory and the path integral

Decay of the false vacuum

Large orders in perturbation theory

Quantum electrodynamics in 1+1 dimensions

The Polyakov proof of confinement

Monopole pair production

Quantum chromodynamics (QCD)

Instantons, supersymmetry and Morse theory.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 17 Nov 2017).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-108-54763-X

1-316-65874-0

1-108-54873-3