Quantum Field Theory

Lukong Cornelius Fai is professor of theoretical physics at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Dschang. He is Head of Condensed Matter and Nanomaterials as well as Mesoscopic and Multilayer Structures Laboratory. He was formerly a senior associate at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy. He holds a Masters of Science in Physics and Mathematics (June 1991) as well as a Doctor of Science in Physics and Mathematics (February 1997) from Moldova State University. He is an author of over a hundred scientific publications and three textbooks.

In this graduate-level textbook, written for physics students in their second or third year beginning research for the PhD, Fai (Univ. of Dschang, Cameroon) addresses the needs of experimental students in condensed matter physics. Although theoretical students in other fields can also learn much from the book, those concentrating on theoretical condensed matter physics will benefit the most. The first five chapters are concerned with the techniques of quantum field theory (QFT), using the coherent state approach to path integrals. These chapters cover topics common to all areas of physics which use QFT. The remaining nine chapters cover important areas within modern condensed matter physics, including the random phase approximation (chapter 6); theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena (chapter 7); weakly interacting and non-ideal Bose gases (chapters 8 and 9); superconductivity and the BCS theory (chapters 10 and 11); and impurities, magnetism and nonequilibrium quantum field theory (chapters 12 through 14). The text does not treat advanced contemporary topics such as anyons, the quantum Hall effect, or topological fluids and insulators. Detailed presentation of calculations makes the book a good companion for student use in a lecture or reading course, or as a reference.— M. C. Ogilvie, Washington Universityin CHOICE, February 2020

• Chapter 1. Symmetry Requirements In Quantum Field Theory. Chapter 2. Coherent States. Chapter 3. Fermionic and Bosonic Path Integrals. Chapter 4. Perturbation Theory and Feynman Diagrams. Chapter 5. (Anti) Symmetrized Vertices. Chapter 6. Generating Functionals. Chapter 7. Random Phase Approximation (RPA). Chapter 8. Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena. Chapter 9. Weakly Interacting Bose Gas. Chapter 10. Superconductivity Theory. Chapter 11. Path Integral Approach to the BCS Theory. Chapter 12. Green's Functions Averages Over Impurities. Chapter 13. Classical and Quantum Theory of Magnetism. Chapter 14. Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory.