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Customer Reviews (60)

pigeon-flyer
Looks like it is at the right level to get a first introduction to the field.

The MVP of QFT Books
I have the impression that few people in the world understand QFT but still much fewer people understand it in an extremely deep way. I also feel as though you can judge a lecturer's depth of knowledge by the existence of "gems of insight" and idiosyncratic "pearls of wisdom", which can cause you to look differently at a subject that you thought you knew well. After having attended a very large number of lectures on QFT, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell appears to be nothing more than a large and dense collection of these gems and pearls. It's absolutely fantastic.

"I and the A and the Zee"
The second edition corrects the only two flaws in the first: (1) Mr Zee had failed to praise himself sufficiently highly, and (2) Mr Zee had failed to censure his critics sufficiently harshly. Having remedied these deficiencies, Mr Zee has created the perfect book.

Not for dummies.
I was tempted to give this book four stars, simply to stand out among the sea of five star reviews, but I cannot, for this book truly is deserving of five stars.This is indeed a wonderful book, though it is not the mythic "one field theory text you will ever need" or the book that can make Sarah Palin understand instantons.

This book covers quite a bit of ground, but that does not mean it is shallow.I've read some crap textbooks whose authors try to cram every topic under the sun into the table of contents, but do nothing to convey any real understanding (I'm looking at you Professor Kaku).This book is at the other end of the spectrum.

In physics identifying the truly interesting questions usually proves to be more difficult than performing the calculations, and what this book does really well is show what the interesting questions are and why they are interesting.If the calculational details Zee presents are too sparse, and I think they are in a few places, you can always find more information on the interwebs.

I especially liked the occasional jabs Zee takes at those types who like to whine about a lack of rigor.To paraphrase the world's most interesting man, there is a time and place for rigor in quantum field theory.The time is never, I'll let you figure out the place on your own.

Anoutstanding textbook.
This is a wonderful textbook, by an experienced and skilled expositor. It takes material of great difficulty and makes it as clear and understandable as possible. The chapters are short, so the students never feels overwhelmed by a large volume of material. The Appendices on Group Theory and the Feynman Rules are most helpful, as is the appendix
containing solutions to selected exercises. Finally, it is pleasant to see material at this level presented with a warm sense of humor. I wish this book had been available when I was
a student.
My only adverse comment is that the book could be better still if it didn't spend half a dozen or so pages at the beginning extolling its own praises. ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum field theory is the basic mathematical framework that is used to describe elementary particles. This textbook provides a complete and essential introduction to the subject. Assuming only an undergraduate knowledge of quantum mechanics and special relativity, this book is ideal for graduate students beginning the study of elementary particles. The step-by-step presentation begins with basic concepts illustrated by simple examples, and proceeds through historically important results to thorough treatments of modern topics such as the renormalization group, spinor-helicity methods for quark and gluon scattering, magnetic monopoles, instantons, supersymmetry, and the unification of forces. The book is written in a modular format, with each chapter as self-contained as possible, and with the necessary prerequisite material clearly identified. It is based on a year-long course given by the author and contains extensive problems, with password protected solutions available to lecturers at www.cambridge.org/9780521864497. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

The middle
This book is a great reference. While introduction to quantum mechanics by Griffiths is not a good reference. Griffiths avoids Dirac notation early in the book and uses his own notation. To reference Griffiths later on you have to learn his crude notation which makes it hard to just skim the section you might need later on. Had he used Dirac notation you would not have had to do this. Now you are saying he does not know the difference between OFT and QM, so "I am gone". I am not comparing different courses but the different styles used to write physics books. Looking back I think Griffiths is a pretty good book to learn from the first time but, it is not a good reference book. This is a good reference book for later on in your career.

I am now tutoring someone in QFT. I can see all the missing steps Srednicki left out. Most people complain when an Author leaves out a couple of steps, so where are these people now. For example beginning of chapter three, right off the starting line. The first two equations he writes down take Peskin & Schroeder seven lines. In Srednicki, boom there they are just pulled out of the air. In P&S you at least get an idea from where the equation came from. If you have a really exceptional teacher who knows this book and understands his students he/she could get you through this book.

I do not understand all the "It's the best stuff". The person I am tutoring is still in shock form going through Sakurai's Modern QM book. These short chapters have been praised, but what has really happened is that what Srednicki considers fat was cut out and the fat turns out to be where the equation comes from. If you can get through this book with only this book then you have been done a disservice. You have only memorized this stuff, and at this level that kind of learning should be over. Srednicki is 600 pages while P&S is over 800 pages long. This book is great as a future reference or if it is complemented with other books. Even as a reference it is hard to find what you need to go since the author chose his own chronological order. Some of the homework problems at the end are used to work out other equations in this book. In other words you really must work all the homework problems.

I would even recommend a book by Maggiore to complement this book. I can hear the jeers now "he is recommending a baby book". Well it is your time spend learning OFT and I always used whatever book made it the easiest and help me understand the subject the most and not what someone else told me worked. If I could find a high school student that would help me I would have used him/her and not worry about what someone else thought. I have found that people have problems following through with Algebra at this level. Read the back cover of the book "Tensors, Relativity and Cosmology" by Dalarsson and they can back me up (you can look at the back cover on Amazon). I have tried to memorize very little and understand the rest, if you do this you can always go back later and skim the chapter or section you need to refresh your memory of how things were derived and not how you memorized them.

So finally this book is a good reference book or Ok if complemented with other books.

Like any other famous text for a new student
I started reading this book with high hopes after noticing good reviews about the book, I read it carefully and almost fill in all the missing steps. But now I am getting tired of Srednicki's self-contained and intuitive text. Srednicki develops a construct of his own which bogs down my understanding, what I understand books way of explaining things can only complement your own understanding if you already have grasp on the text but if you want to make an understanding out of it you have to carry so much misunderstood text on to next chapters. This will make you unsatisfied as you proceed and will create lot of confusion. Like the spin-statistics theorem, srednicki butchered it like anything, after giving much time to it I understood what he wants to write but I also realized why in the world would you like to present it like that. I do not recommend this book.

gasiorowicz version of QFT
i am still trying to figure out why people like this book.

it is not bad.but it is not elegant, and it is not a particularly deep book.it reads like a collection of lectures notes patched together.the chapters are short, often too short.students like it because it sometimes does calculations in detail.but not all calculations are done in great detail.

its an alternative to peskin & schroeder.its better organized than P&S, but P&S is a much better book. but then again, P&S isn't that great as well (its organization sucks and what happened to the path integral?! just a small chapter???)

ramond, if he had any sense would revise his primer and smooth out the uneven bits.that would then be the best, best, super-best book on the market.

in short this is a recipe type book.its good for particle physics types, phenomenology and experimentalist types.but if yur a theoretical physicist or mathematician, you might not be too happy with it.

and lastly, it like weighs a ton! how are you supposed to carry the thing around? that itself makes it pretty hard to use.

best book for self-teaching
I think that this book is the best QFT book for self-teaching; reading through the chapters you see that nothing is left unexplained or presumed; furthermore references to other good QFT books give you the opportunity to easily find more detailed treatement of many topics, which is good also to explore different points of view

Srednicki review
The book gives an elegant introduction into all of the basic ideas of quantum field theory (Feynman diagrams, renormalization, scattering amplitudes and cross sections, symmetries and conserved currents, etc.) for the simplest field - the scalar field, using the powerful technique of path integrals.
The book is excellent for beginners. The text is very readable and the physical ideas are well emphasized, however there is a lack of mathematical rigor. ... Read more

Product Description
In this second volume of The Quantum Theory of Fields, available for the first time in paperback, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg continues his masterly expoistion of quantum theory. Volume 2 provides an up-to-date and self-contained account of the methods of quantum field theory, and how they have led to an understanding of the weak, strong, and electromagnetic interactions of the elementary particles. The presentation of modern mathematical methods is throughout interwoven with accounts of the problems of elementary particle physics and condensed matter physics to which they have been applied. Exercises are included at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The most authoritative book on QFT ever
Before Weinberg's books, a typical graduate student in theoretical physics would study the standard textbooks (e.g. Itzykson-Zuber, Peskin-Schroeder) to pass QFT courses. When confronted with actual research problems, he would discover that all he has learned is how to do calculations in perturbation theory, that he is unfamiliar with a host of ideas and techniques that are widely used in the present-day research literature and that he has to resort to original papers and reviews to learn them.

Weinberg's three-volume set drastically changed this situation, giving the most authoritative and complete presentation of QFT to appear in a textbook. Although it is not suitable for beginning graduate students, it is invaluable for covering all these topics that are typically omitted in QFT courses and for providing valuable insight missing from other textbooks.

The highlight of the set is Volume 2, which includes most topics where Weinberg has made his own invaluable contributions. In his inimitable style, Weinberg guides us through the great developments in QFT from the 1960's to the 1980's, including most topics that are essential for a working knowledge of modern QFT. The presentation is crystal clear throughout and every topic is presented in as much detail as it deserves. In particular, the chapters on spontaneously broken symmetries are simply masterpieces, the treatment of anomalies is the most complete ever, while the chapter on extended objects is a thorough overview of an ever-expanding subject. This book is a must for everyone working on theoretical physics.

If you appreciate Vol 1, you'll want Vol 2.
I have found this text extremely useful as a guide to the essentials of modern renormalization theory, as well as modern quantization techniques for Non-abelian gauge theories.The chapter on extended field configurations is nice, though it is meant as an overview and guide to the literature.What I like most about this volume is the discussion of experimental or phenomenological issues that complements many of the discussions.He has a broad base of knowledge in particle physics, as well as field theory.If you don't have volume 1, get that first.

Delightfully insightful
This book has some of the most exquisite expositions on the theoretical aspects of quantum field theory that you are ever likely to run into, i.e. Weinberg's name is literally stamped on every page for brilliance. There are topics treated here that are not likely to be found anywhere else, for instance Batalin-Vilkovisky Quantization. Weinberg's treatment of the proof of renormalizability is compact and yet very readable. And his chapter on anomalies is simply speaking the authortiative treatment. This book is a must have for anyone interested in the more theoretical aspects of Field Theory. Though I would recommed a few months with Peskin & Schroeder, and volume 1 of Weinberg to get the full flavour of Weinberg's treatment.

Excellent, despite some idiosyncracies
This is another gem of a book by Weinberg. The discussion is fairly modern at places (for instance nice discussion of BRST, BV Formalism, RG and Anomalies), but could have been more modern and compact in certain otherplaces (like chiral lagrangians, standard model etc.). However, even thoseparts are a pleasure to read. It is just that some other aspects could havebeen discussed (as I hope he does in the third volume), such as SUSY,especially QFT dualities. Anyway, an excellent book! ... Read more

Product Description
Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg continues his masterly exposition of quantum field theory.This third volume of The Quantum Theory of Fields presents a self-contained, up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to supersymmetry, a highly active area of theoretical physics that is likely to be at the center of future progress in the physics of elementary particles and gravitation. The text introduces and explains a broad range of topics, including supersymmetric algebras, supersymmetric field theories, extended supersymmetry, supergraphs, nonperturbative results, theories of supersymmetry in higher dimensions, and supergravity. A thorough review is given of the phenomenological implications of supersymmetry, including theories of both gauge and gravitationally-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Also provided is an introduction to mathematical techniques, based on holomorphy and duality, that have proved so fruitful in recent developments.This book contains much material not found in other books on supersymmetry, some of it published here for the first time. Problems are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Defective Hard Cover
The whole current production run of this book has a defect. A glue is bleeding through on the inside of the hard cover fold, front and back. This does not seem to affect the structural quality of the book and is not visible from the outside. If you need this book and get it with this defect, don't bother trying to exchange it.

Once again, great book
Finding good introductions to supersymmetry can be difficult.Most introductions concentrate on N=1 supersymmetry in four dimensions, and there the superfield forumlation can be useful.However, when you go to N=2 supersymmetry (e.g. when considering theories in five or more dimensions), component fields can be better.Many times it's a matter of taste.For those cases, you have to go to review articles.Anyway, Weinberg concentrates on N=1 4D supersymmetry and supergravity using the superfield formalism.However, he ventures into the N=2 strong-weak coupling results of Seiberg and Witten, which are now a fundamental part of (supersymmetric) field theory.The text is, as the previous volumes are, a fantastic resource for learning the subject, and as a reference (for things like gravity- and gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking, as well as the minimal supersymmetric standard model, which are open areas of reserach).As for all modern areas of research, the body of knowledge is stacked higher every year; but the topics covered here stand as solid fundamentals of supersymmetry.For more advanced topics, one is forced to go to the recent literature.

A self-contained treatment of the subject
If the two first volumes of "The Quantum Theory of Fields" were considered masterpieces in a modern and original presentation of the basics of quantum field theory and its penetration in the recent development of particle physics, with the machinery of spontaneously broken gaugetheories, the new volume embraces the wide subject of supersymmetry inWeinberg's typical style, which always means a self-contained treatment ofthe subject, from its foundations and motivations, to its most recentapplication as a possible scenario for new physics beyond the StandardModel.

A complete review is published in CERN Courier, May2000

Weinberg Keeps the level!
Great book, contains a lot of material, will be useful to many as a reference on supersymmetry for years to come. Highly Recommended! ... Read more

Product Description
On the one hand, we have traditional science, based on the premises of materialism, reductionism, and randomness, with a belief that reality consists solely of matter and energy, that everything can be measured in the laboratory or observed by a telescope. If it canÂ't, it doesnÂ't exist. On the other hand, we have traditional religious dogma concerning God that fails to take into account evolution, a 4.6 billion-year-old Earth, and the conflicting claims of the worldÂ's religions. In The God Theory, Bernard Haisch discards both these worldviews and proposes a theory that provides purpose for our lives while at the same time is completely consistent with everything we have discovered about the universe and life on Earth. To wit, Newton was right Â-- there is a God Â-- and wrong Â-- this is not merely a material world. Haisch proposes that science will explain God and God will explain science. Consciousness is not a mere epiphenomenon of the brain; it is our connection to God, the source of all consciousness. Ultimately it is consciousness that creates matter and not vice versa. New discoveries in physics point to a background sea of quantum light underlying the universe. The God Theory offers a worldview that incorporates cutting-edge science and ancient mystical knowledge. This is nothing less than a revolution in our understanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (109)

Another Blow Against Scientific Materialism
The most important feature of this book is that it shows the benefits of being open-minded when developing a scientific theory.Dr. Haisch does not limit himself only to theories devised from a materialistic perspective when seeking to explain the origin and development of the cosmos.He makes the persuasive point that postulating the existence of an infinite mind (or God) at the base of existence is no more speculative a theory than many of those advanced by materialistic science's own creation theories, such as the notion that our universe is just one of trillions of other universes, and the one that happens to have the laws and forces of nature nicely tuned to allow life to prosper. He argues that while we have no evidence whatsoever for the multiverse, we have personal, inner experiences of a supreme being. Rejecting the modern scientific dogma that the universe is pointless and without direction or purpose, Dr. Haisch borrows from a long spiritualistic tradition ranging from Indian philosophy to spiritually inclined modern scientists, and argues that the purpose of existence is for God to manifest itself through physical beings like us.He devotes a chapter to a discussion on the zero-point field, the background energy field generated by universal quantum fluctuations.Though he resists the temptation to equate this field with God, it is not altogether clear how this field, which is a product of materialistic science, can be reconciled with the God theory, though Dr. Haisch candidly concedes many mysteries remain. In the end, this book -- with luck -- will represent one of the small blows against scientific materialism which will eventually lead to its downfall. The Heaven at the End of Science: An Argument for a New Worldview of Hope

Stepping in a lineage of respected, insightful human beings
An amazing book. The astrophysicist Bernard Haisch combines insight into scientific cosmology with insights from the mystical wisdom traditions. His knowledge helps one take the hurdles, his openness towards non-reductionist approaches makes it fantastic to walk along the paths through mystery and understanding.
Never does Haisch claim to have an absolute answer to some of the most fascinating questions of life (Where do we come from?), but always does he provide interesting sights into thoughts and possibilities.

What struck me most of all in this book is Creation not as 'something from nothing', which is how it is usually portrayed, but as 'substraction from everything', the infinite possibilities that the Godhead is.

It was that twist that gave me an deeply sensed 'Aha Erlebnis'.

With this work, Haisch places himself in a very respected lineage of scientists who combine their scientific curiosity with an almost mystical appreciation of the mystery of existence.

A definite recommend!

Excellent book and service
This is an excellent book which I enjoyed very much.It covers two of my greatest interests:the nature of the universe and God. The price was very good, and the delivery was quick and on time; actually ahead of time.I will certainly buy again from Amazon and from this Seller.

Sorry, no..
In the introduction the author says several things about the scientific worldview that are either patently false or are what only a subset of scientist think.The author, a scientist, acts as if most scientists are dishonest or simplistic.This is is an immediate screaming alarm bell.It is also an alarm bell when the humanist or relatively skeptical about spiritual things do the opposite of tarring all believers with the simplistic and or dishonest brush.I was hoping for something different in this book.I knew I didn't find it in the first few pages.I had my suspicion from those whose praises were in the book's jacket.Those who were either avowed mystics or imho charlatans such as Dossey.I am very disappointed.We need an honest view and healing between science and spirituality.We need it badly.

An honest, scientific viewpoint
While I do not subscribe to some of the author's personal views (e.g., I think that conflict is embedded in the tissue of the universe and cannot be dismissed as mere human junk; zebras will never befriend lions!), the book is an honest and truly scientific proposal by a brilliant mind, and certainly makes a plausible case for the existence of some sort of God based on scientific grounds and valid reasoning. My own experiences and research (as a physician, psychiatrist, and human seeker for Truth) have led me to conclude that the world really is some sort of purpose-guided whole where "meaning" plays an essential role, and I've found the author's contributions from the realm of physics encouraging and thought-provoking.

In these days that so many fake scientists make lots of money selling books on New Age nonsense to good-willed buyers searching for hope and sense, an honest, intelligent, really scientifical contribution like this is to be particularly commended.

My only complaint is that the book is a bit of a draft, and I was left with a feeling that the author could and should have put in some more material... ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a clear and comprehensive introduction to quantum field theory, one that develops the subject systematically from its beginnings. The book builds on calculation techniques toward an explanation of the physics of renormalization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Kindle Edition Review
The typesetting is terrible in the kindle edition:
1) Equations appear as a (low quality) scan- they are rather gray and the resolution is bad.This is a problem for sub/superscripts in particular.
2) The math symbols in the text vary widely in quality; some are correctly identified and treated as text, but others as scanned images- even within the same equation.This is a problem because the scanned parts are not lined up with the text-like symbols, making things appear as sub/superscripts when they are not.Also, consistently, right brackets (<) are three times the height of other things, including | and left brackets (>), which makes Dirac's notation difficult to read in a glance.

Hammer, saw and screwdriver
This is the ideal book to use a basis for learning QFT. That isn't to say that it's the only book that you'll need or that it can replace a course on QFT, but the good thing about the book is that it shows you how to actually calculate things. So my way of using this book is to go try to do a calculation until I run into an idea that the book does not explain well. At this point, I turn to some other book for more details. Quite a few times, the other books are not necessarily books on QFT. Ideally you want to be in a short course on QFT that shows you what the ideas in QFT are so that you can go crazy, compute a scattering amplitude and learn the details of the tricks involved in the calculations from a text. Which brings me to the the topic of backup texts to help understand things that this text does not treat well. A great set of supplementary notes for understanding the ideas involved in QFT are David Tong's 'Lectures on Quantum Field Theory' ([...]) that are freely available on the net. Unfortunately, they don't go very far but another great set of notes are Michael Luke's version of Sidney Coleman's 'QFT Lecture Notes' ([...]) that are also freely available on the net. A good text for more basic QFT stuff is Franz Gross' 'Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory' (http://www.amazon.com/Relativistic-Quantum-Mechanics-science-paperback/dp/0471353868/). Gross' book assumes less knowledge on the part of the student and spends a lot of time on the EM field and the K-G and Dirac equations. A good supplement for (mostly) classical fields and gauges is 'Geometry, Particles and Fields' by Bjorn Felsager (http://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Particles-Graduate-Contemporary-Physics/dp/0387982671/). At a much more elementary level is Davison Soper's 'Classical Field Theory' (http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Field-Theory-Dover-Physics/dp/0486462609/). Special relativity and electrodynamics are covered well by Asim Barut's 'Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles' (http://www.amazon.com/Electrodynamics-Classical-Theory-Fields-Particles/dp/0486640388/). A good book for a more laid back, overviewing, historical, pedagogical and well-written view of QFT is Steven Weinberg's 'The Quantum Theory of Fields: Vol I, II & III' (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Theory-Fields-Foundations/dp/0521670535/), although, like most texts written by Weinberg, it's great and scholarly for people who already know some QFT but probably not a good text for someone seeing it all for the first time. Finally, mention must be made of the excellent, but sadly out of print, text on QED by Josef Jauch and Fred Rohrlich 'The Theory of Photons and Electrons' (http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Photons-Electrons-Relativistic-Mathematical/dp/3540072950/). Jauch and Rohrlich cover most of QED but none of the developments involving the Weak or Strong Force because they were not understood at all the time of the publication of the first edition of the book (1955). An update in 1976 included more QED but the death of Josef Jauch prevented it from becoming a full-blown QFT text.
In conclusion, you'll probably wannt Peskin and Schroeder as a sort of 'hammer, saw and screwdriver' text (a carpenter's basic tools are hammers, saws and screwdrivers) but you'll need to go grab other tools every now and then.

Mixed feelings about it...
Having started reading QFT as an undergrad from textbooks like Mandl and Shaw, I was reluctant to use this one, even while it was the recommended textbook of a graduate course in field theory. The main reason for this was that Peskin and Schroeder (P&S) makes practically no effort to make contact with the rest of the (vast) literature on the subject. If you have read some other QFT book it is very-very difficult to go through P&S and vice-versa. I remember trying to use in some occasions this book for some calculation and ending up completely confused, because the notation and normalization conventions where different from everybody else. So after these first sad encounters I quickly dismissed it and decided to use other books for QFT instead.
Unfortunately, P&S seemed to remain the standard reference and everybody else seemed to have read it, so from some point on, I decided to give it another chance, so I wouldn't feel I was intellectually isolated. Thus, I bought the book and spent a couple of months reading through most of the text. This time I decided to not just read the parts I considered new, but start from the very beginning and keep going, doing every in-between calculation. Surprisingly, this time I could understand what was going on and managed to advance very fast through the chapters.
I realized though that my initial impression remained true. The book is very idiosyncratic in its presentation method and many topics are treated here in a way you won't find anywhere else. This can be actually very useful, if you have already some familiarity with the material and you want to gain some further insight.
The chapters of P&S have an obvious flaw though, which is why I couldn't follow the text on my first attempt: They are not at all self-contained. The book will present some small, one paragraph argument, which at the particular point seems rather tangential to what you are reading, then 400 pages latter, in a different chapter and subject, there comes a reference to that argument which now appears to be of outmost significance. So, you have to go back and see what is it that you missed. Apparently, unless you are reading the book without stop and start to finish, there is no way to avoid these frustrating self-references (and even if you are reading full-time, it takes about two weeks to advance 400 pages and by that time, you have most certainly forgotten half of the things you 've read). Many chapters suffer from the same problem and this renders the book almost useless as a reference, Every time you have to look up something which is a little more advanced than the Dirac equation, you end up encountering some reference to a previous passage, which then references another and so one, until you have to read again half of the book to find what you where looking for.
There are also parts where an argument on a subject (like the Ward-Takahashi identity) can extend through many chapters and many pages. It is not uncommon in P&S to find discussions which continue for more than 10 pages. By the time you reach the end, you have almost forgotten what you where trying to prove in the first place. And this is another problem of the book. It has a tendency to present subjects which are in fact difficult and obscure as long discussions, without giving a hint in the beginning about what the result will be and expecting from the reader to make up his own mind about what actually has happened over the past 10 pages. Even when the exposition is interesting and engaging, it still may leave the reader perplexed in the end. The book also makes no distinction between which parts are "considered" easy and those that are supposed to be more difficult. This is very frustrating for the reader, since he may end up struggling too much over an easy part for no reason, then the next moment not paying the attention needed to truly follow a more profound section. It is always easier to learn once you are told what to expect.
This trend seems to plague particularly the exposition of renormalisation techniques. P&S spends almost 200 pages discussing one-loop renormalisation in QED in chapters 6 and 7, then comes back to discuss renormalization more formally in Chapter 10, then 11 for renormalization with spontaneously broken symmetries, then 12 for the renormalization group. After nearly 400 pages or reading, you only have heard of Minimal and Modified Minimal Subtraction only once and in passing, without explanations or examples of how to use it. And for the record, after all this theoretical talking of renormalization, this is what you need the most in order to do some actual calculation of your own! Instead, you are left to more or less figure it out yourself after all these 400 pages.
Having read almost the entire book, and having struggled to adapt to its notation, I thought I could at least use what I had just learned to read papers and do some research. Alas, the only papers I could read and understand using P&S, where those of Peskin! And of course, this is because everybody else doesn't use his notation. In a field as technical as QFT, notational conventions are very-very important and if you can't stick to a common language, you only make your life more difficult with no reason.
Overall, I think there is no good evidence for someone to read this book and I am surprised this has become the standard reference on the subject. More surprising still, is the fact that the very professors who use it as recommended textbook in their courses of QFT almost never use its notation in their lectures or notes (from my experience in several universities, including the US). In my opinion, there is no all-encompassing textbook on QFT at the moment (Weinberg's trilogy also suffers from the same problem, it is very idiosyncratic). Maybe there will never be one again (like Bjorken and Drell once was), since the field has grown considerably over the years and has now become huge. So the only way to learn field theory is to read from many different books, depending on which has the best treatment for each topic. And in this case interoperability and notational consistency is far more worthwhile and rewarding than just striving for originality. Mandl & Shaw is perharps still the best introductory book and Bjorken & Drell has its merits. Greiner is the perfect reference for calculations on the early topics of field theory, like the Klein-Gordon, Dirac and Maxwell field and canonical quantization. His exposition of path integrals and the effective action is also a lot more coherent and to the point than P&S. Books on gauge theories like Aitchison & Hey, Huang and especially Cheng & Li are probably the best sources for more advanced topics on renormalization. Lie groups and the Standard Model. Leader & Predazzi also have a great chapter on the renormalization group. Coleman's lectures are also a must read. Finally, Zee's book is an excellent read if you actually want to know what it all really means.

poor
even years later now i still really dont like this book.
there is a gap in 1st year grad courses and this book.
Among other things i specifically dont like:
1) there is a shallow discussion of lie algebras
2) The notation can leave a newcomer confused in a field where clarity is essential to pedagogy
3) field theory isnt just QED and the standard model
4) there is a lack of nonperturbative topics
5) lack of fancier math
6) quantization is done entirely wrong, as if [x,p]~i came from nowhere. which leads to a convoluted (albeit original) tour through quantizing a dirac field
7) often the diagram and value of it are just stated in clever time and space saving ways which is detrimental to pedagogy again...
...the list goes on

I prefer:
1) ryder was easy for me to read when i started
2) bertlmann "anomalies" which is a book about much more than that
3) makeenko
4) A. Zee'stour of QFT
5) for getting into nitty gritty i liked ho kim an pham's particles book.

there are a lot of other good choices. mandl n shaw, srednicki, lowell brown's book, pokorski's, the whole series by greiner...those are also better in my view.

i think people only use this book because peskin is well known. the book doesnt have much merit from my perspective.

Perfect.
I received the book as it should be: knew. And it cames before the estimated time. ... Read more

Product Description
In The Quantum Theory of Fields, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines his exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition to provide a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-date introduction to quantum field theory. This is a two-volume work.Volume I introduces the foundations of quantum field theory. The development is fresh and logical throughout, with each step carefully motivated by what has gone before, and emphasizing the reasons why such a theory should describe nature.After a brief historical outline, the book begins anew with the principles about which we are most certain, relativity and quantum mechanics, and the properties of particles that follow from these principles.Quantum field theory emerges from this as a natural consequence. The author presents the classic calculations of quantum electrodynamics in a thoroughly modern way, showing the use of path integrals and dimensional regularization. His account of renormalization theory reflects the changes in our view of quantum field theory since the advent of effective field theories.The book's scope extends beyond quantum electrodynamics to elementary particle physics, and nuclear physics.It contains much original material, and is peppered with examples and insights drawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementary particle research. Problems are included at the end of each chapter. This work will be an invaluable reference for all physicists and mathematicians who use quantum field theory, and it is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate students in this area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Quantum Theory of Fields
This book, along with volume II, is definitely the best of all the qft books I have read.After a year-long course based on Peskin and Schroeder I was able to calculate Feynman diagrams, but I had very little understanding of quantum field theory.To see why it is that qft is so useful both in particle physics and condensed matter physics, I believe that it is really necessary to motivate its foundations and clarify its relation to ordinary quantum mechanics, as is done in this book.Weinberg does not explain everything in complete detail, but he almost always gives enough that the interested reader can fill in the gaps.I would suggest only three things to be aware of:

1) Because of his heavy reliance on the S-matrix, his intuitive motivation is less useful for dealing with theories like QCD in which the asymptotic states do not correspond to fields in the Lagrangian.

2) The treatment of renormalization is somewhat dated, in that it still first assumes a continuum theory exists, begins to calculate and finds divergences, and then renormalizes them.He does emphasize that renormalization is present even without divergences, but the cleaner Wilsonian picture, in which the regularization is part of the definition of the theory, is introduced in an "optional" section and seldom used.

3) The discussion of Lagrangian symmetries in volume I is almost entirely classical.Anomalies and spontaneous symmetry breaking don't appear until volume II, but the careful reader will "discover" them trying to understand the cases where the arguments in volume I fail.I would have preferred to an "honest" discussion from the outset.This would of course require a more modern discussion along the lines of point 2)...

That said, the introduction of and motivation for gauge invariance, infrared divergences, canonical quantization, local fields, mass/coupling renormalization, and path integration are all very transparent and insightful.The canonical quantization of electrodynamics in Coulumb gauge is a very educational exercise, and it shocks me that the representation theory material in chapter 2 is not covered in all qft books.Without it we cannot even understand why photons do not have 3 spin states!Other highlights are the CPT and Spin-Statistics theorems, and the discussion of symmetries of the S-matrix.

All of this is not to say one shouldn't use other books; P&S provides necessary tools for phenomenologists, and Zee is useful in that he will tell you all the results without really justifying them.Zee especially is good for a beginner, since you know what to look for when you try and learn things properly.But anyone with the necessary background interested in understanding QFT will ultimately turn here.

Complete discussion
I have been able to get a lot out of this book. However, it is *very* complete, and the order of the book is different than a lot of other textbooks on the subject (for example Mark Srednicki "Quantum Field Theory", which I think is a better book for a first course in QFT.). AN example is that scattering theory is covered *in detail* before acgtual construction of the free field. I'd think that the latter subject would be good to cover first.
Overall, it is very complete and a great reference to use. For someone's first course, I would recommend Srednicki; however, Srednicki references this book frequently, so...

Very thorough and logical, but somewhat difficult and painful to get through
To put the review in perspective, My Background: I am a senior undergraduate engineering/physics student with an interest in mathematics and theoretical physics.This is my third QFT book.

Things I liked about the book:
- The book follows a very logical progression.I love how Weinberg presents a coherent argument based on simple physical principles (specifically Lorentz invariance and the cluster decomposition principle).
- Weinberg takes painstaking effort to avoid hand-waving, and is very careful to enumerate (and make plausible) his assumptions.In so doing, he avoids the sort of black-magic feeling I got when reading some less well written QFT books (see for example: Peskin and Schroeder, which makes a mockery of logical progression in an effort to teach you how to calculate as soon as possible).
- The book was very thorough, and often provided an original approach to the material.The coverage of renormalization seemed natural and coherent, and since the book is presented in a logical order (rather than a historical one) Weinberg avoids justifying renormalization as some mysterious subtraction of infinities, basing it instead on general non-perterbative methods (e.g. poles of the S-matrix, etc...)

What I didn't like about the book:
- As a result of his unwavering emphasis on logical progression, and his inclusion of a vast amount of material (almost all of which is necessary to understand in order to progress through the book), the book is somewhat painful to get through.Be prepared to re-read many of the sections a couple of times, and to make very slow progress.
- Weinberg chooses to present QFT in a very general form (i.e. abstracting it from a particular field such as particle physics or condensed matter physics).This is not necessarily a disadvantage, but I often found my interest waning after reading a few hundred pages without making any contact with phenomenology.Additionally, the excercises were similarly abstract, which makes it difficult (at least for me) to particularly care about their results. (More of a problem for self-study)
- The notation is very complete, which isn't normally a bad thing.However, the equations sometimes become very cumbersome when he includes every index, and every functional dependence regardless of how redundant they may be.
- In his coverage of path integrals, he derives things using functional determinants rather than through the more common generating functional methods.I think this hides a lot of the physical insight of the path integral approach, particularly, its equivalence to the 2nd-quantized approach, and its relation to Feynman diagrams.
- This book will drive the more mathematically inclined crazy, as the author admits, it makes very little attempt at rigour, and is very uncareful.He exchanges orders of limits willy-nilly, and often is not even clear about what sort of limiting process is taking place.There is not discussion of functional integration measures, or convergence, and there is very little justification provided for regularization methods (actually the coverage of dimensional regularization is extremely sparce, and would have been unfollowable, had I not already known it).


General Comments:
- I think that, contrary to some of the previous reviews, that the first few chapters of the book (through 6) would be a good first exposure to quantum field theory.I think the reader would have a much better understanding of the theory.However, the rest of the book is quite advanced, and would not be good for the uninitialized.
- I think that in an effort to make his coverage thorough and abstracting his discussion from phenomenology, the author sacrificed some of the readability of the book.That being said, if you're serious about learning the subject, this is a good resource.

Brilliant
Weinberg never disappoints the serious student of theoretical physics. There is no good reason to ignore perusing his texts.
Weinberg is a master expositor and creator of modern physics.
There simply is no good reason not to purchase his volumes.

superb book
in my opinion this should be one of the best books in qft.
Althought I've read jauch&rohrlich photons and electrons, p.ramond, itzykson, and ultimately, hatfield, Weinberg lead all of them for many heads. The features of this book are clarity, deepness, rigor, and authoritative treatment of all the topics. The discussion for a lagrangian versus hamiltonian formalism is lucid,and no finded in any other book. Group theory is applyied when is customary without cross over the physical implications. It contains a chapter devoted to scattering like no other book, wich is clear and explain concepts involved with "in" and "out" states(other of the lacks of many books of qft). Even the problems that contain are very well picked up, and solvable in most cases. I could't find any fault or mislead in what i read in this book, perhaps any skilled reader can find some. Even binding and typography are excellent, there is nothing more valuable for hardly 40$. ... Read more

Product Description
For most of the last century, condensed matter physics has been dominated by band theory and Landau's symmetry breaking theory. In the last twenty years, however, there has been the emergence of a new paradigm associated with fractionalization, topological order, emergent gauge bosons and fermions, and string condensation. These new physical concepts are so fundamental that they may even influence our understanding of the origin of light and electrons in the universe. This book is a pedagogical and systematic introduction to the new concepts and quantum field theoretical methods in condensed matter physics. It discusses many basic notions in theoretical physics, which underlie physical phenomena in nature, including a notion that unifies light and electrons. Topics covered are dissipative quantum systems, boson condensation, symmetry breaking and gapless excitations, phase transitions, Fermi liquids, spin density wave states, Fermi and fractional statistics, quantum Hall effects, topological/quantum order, spin liquid and string condensation. Methods discussed include the path integral, Green's functions, mean-field theory, effective theory, renormalization group, bosonization in one- and higher dimensions, non-linear sigma-model, quantum gauge theory, dualities, slave-boson theory, and exactly soluble models beyond one-dimension. This book is aimed at bringing students to the frontiers of research in condensed matter physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good textbook - but may not be for beginners
The other two reviewers have both noted that the book may not be a good starting point for a beginner, and I entirely agree.

Think Weinberg's three-volume QFT, or Feynman's Lectures on Physics.These books are good, full of insights, and will teach you a lot more if you already have some basic understanding of the respective subjects.However, you will suffer if these books are used as introductory texts.

That said, I find Wen's book generally a good read, and it nicely explains several concepts that I didn't understand until now.Well, I am a field theorist in my 4th year of grad school-- not exactly a beginner. But still.

One such instance is the section on Berry phase of a spin.Granted, Wen pretty much just throw at you the concept of a coherent state, but that part I learned just all right from other places.What's important is, Wen's book explains the next step "coherent state --> Berry phase" clearly.It's the only comprehensible derivation I've seen so far.(See, for example, Fradkin's Field Theories for Condensed Matters for an **unintelligible** derivation.)

I do sometimes find Wen's narrative style annoying.But hey, it's a theoretical physics textbook, and as long as he makes sound arguments (he does), how he delivers the arguments isn't that important.

Utility depends on need
This book reflects the research interests of the author, who is a genius, and should not be considered introductory, even at the graduate level.I do not find this book useful for learning anything for the first time.However, it provides an interesting perspective on many classic topics in many-body theory.Unlike the previous reviewer, I found the grandious statements a wonderful feature since most textbooks lack any of the author's voice.Reading this book is closer to attending a lecture than any text of it's kind I've read.I get this book from the library and I wouldn't pay $100 for it especially since the author posts his lectures notes on his website and much of the later material can be obtained from PROLA.

mixed
This book is really awkward. There is some standard many body theory but no beginning student will be able to learn it from this book alone. Second of all there are some very awkward statements like "fermions ..behave like non-local excitations because fermions cannot be created alone." (p146)While his line of reasoning for a particular model is decently clear, the statement about the nonexistance of a lone fermion is ridiculous. He makes occaisional grandiose statements like " [his pet theory] provides and answer to the origin of light and fermions" (p9). I find the calculations sketchy at best --you can learn deep things but at great expense. overall i find this book to mix ridiculousness and obtuse reading with insight. I think it's a poor book because pedagogy should be paramount in a textbook. ... Read more

Product Description
Filing an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. The treatment is self-contained, pedagogical, and exhaustive, 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 an excellent 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, statistical physics, the book will also be of interest in other areas of theoretical physics and mathematics.It will prepare the reader for original research in this very active field of theoretical and mathematical Physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Probably the best book on CFT
I have come across some books and lecture notes on CFT, but this book truly is great - almost all notes are based on this book. It presents elementary CFT at an understand pace and progresses slowly towards the end to the more advanced topics in 2D string theory and statistical physics.

The book is pleasant to read and the derivations are done well. Some minor errors and typos are forgiven, because the rest of the book makes well up for them. Numerous examples are given in each section and there are many problems at the end of each chapter. Unfortunately, there are no detailed solutions available, as far as I know.

Some prior knowledge of QFT might be useful, but the basics (Lagrangian formalism, Wick's theorem, Noether's theorem and conserved currents, etc.) are provided in the first chapters. This book is highly recommended for those interested in CFT and its application to string theory (and statistical physics), and I even dare to say it is a MUST!

This is a great book for beginners to learn CFT.
This book is really well done. It introduce the theory of conformal fields in a really pedagogical way so that any person not familiar at all with the subject can enjoy it. The review of quantum field theory and statisticalmechanics at the begining is excellent and it is of great help if youhaven't work with these subjects recently. The book is also filled withmany basic applications that make the theory closer to reallife.

Congratulations for this nice book!

A definite "must have" for those interested in CFT.
This book is a fine contribution to the literature on conformal field theory and will no doubt become one of the standard references on the subject. It is well worth the price as it gives a comprehensiveintroduction to the subject. Chapter 5 is a good discussion of localconformal invariance and clears up some of my own misunderstandings of thisinvariance. The later chapters discuss affine Lie algebras and algebraicconsiderations in detail.

Very complete, the reference in the field
Probably the best book to introduce you to conformal field theory.It starts from basics and go up to coset constrcutions, WZW models.More than a textbook, it is a necessary reference! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Too many errors.
This book is comprehensive, BUT ...
There are 10 errata pages in the front with 121 entries, mostly in formulas. I don't dare read it until I mark all the erratas in each chapter. With that many errors, they should have corrected the edition before printing.

excellent
a book so cheap yet so great. the shipment is fast too. recommend to others who need it.

I recommend "Quantum Field Theory" by Itzykson and Zuber
As anybody who is an expert or a student in the field knows, this is the best book available
on the subject.Dover Publication Inc.'s paperback republication of this book, which was
originally by McGraw-Hill, Inc., is an excellent idea.The Dover version has better fonts
that are clearer than the original McGraw-Hill version.On top of that, amazon.com made
it much easier for many people to order it over Internet.I will definitely recommend
students to buy this paperback version in the future.

Good book for its time
This book has been used a great deal both in classes on quantum field theory and as a reference, and, in spite of its date of publication, it could still serve as such, if supplemented with updated materials. There is a lot in this book that one could not find at the time it was published, and was a welcome relief to those who needed a textbook that was more up to date than Bjorken and Drell's classic work on quantum field theory.

Some of the highlights of the book include: 1. The "wave packet" solution of the Dirac equation and the Zitterbewegung phenomenon, which the authors use as a counterexample to the idea of treating negative energy states in the framework of a 1-particle theory. 2. The treatment of two-body relativistic corrections to study the recoil of the nucleus, this being done in the context of the Dirac equation. 3. The use of the Dirac hole theory to motivate the need for a true many-body theory to accomodate particles and antiparticles via quantized fields. 4. A fairly lengthy discussion of the Fock-Schwinger proper time method to obtain an exact expression for the Dirac propagator in a constant uniform electromagnetic field and a plane wave electromagnetic field. 5. The discussion on the use of coherent states to study the positive frequency part of a (free) quantum field. 6. The discussion on charged scalar fields, and why they are needed to formulate a (scalar) theory of particles and antiparticles. 7. The quantization of the electromagnetic field using the Gupta-Bleuler method using an indefinite metric, and the need for retaining the full Fock space (with indefinite norm) in order to preserve locality. 8. The discussion of the vacuum fluctuations via the Casimir effect. 9. The treatment of the Dirac field and the Pauli exclusion principle. The authors begin with two complex fields that both satisfy the Dirac equation, but the Lagrangian then vanishes. They thus are careful to note that canonical quantization will not work, and so they turn to the using their transformation laws under the Poincare group. The derivation of the anticommutators is purely heuristic (and they note this), and they point out that locality would not be satisfied if canonical quantization were followed. The same holds true, as they state also, if one were to quantize a scalar theory according to Fermi statistics. Their discussion here is a neat illustration of the spin-statistics theorem. 10. The discussion of form factors, which they motivate by calling them a relativistic generalization of charge distributions. 11. The discussion of the Euler-Heisenberg effective Lagrangian, and its ability, even though it is "classical", to model nonlinear phenomena due to quantum corrections. 12. The discussion of the Jost-Lehmann-Dyson representation. 13. The discussion of Euclidean Green functions. 14. The derivation of the Ward-Takahashi identities and the proof that they are preserved by the regularization and renormalization operations. 15. The discussion on functional integration in Bargmann-Fock space, in particular its use in fermion systems. 16. The discussion of the Schwinger-Dyson equations and their use in studying quantum field theory independent of perturbation theory. The existence of a bound state in quantum field theory has yet to be proven using these equations, but they supposedly hold the answer to this existence. The authors give an example of scalar particles interacting via the exchange of scalar particles via the Bethe-Salpeter equation, which are then studied via Wick rotation and where crossed-ladder diagrams are omitted. They also analyze the hyperfine splitting in positronium, but remark that the methods used for this are not entirely satisfactory. 17. The discussion of the sigma model, a topic that has become very important of late. 18. The discussion of asymptotic behavior, the authors emphasizing how the infinities in the relation between bare and renormalized charges and how these infinities must compensate imposes constraints on the theory, which show up in the asymptotic behavior.

Some of the omissions which might be expected from a modern standpoint: 1. Representations of the Poincare group. 2. Critical phenomena. 3. Integrable systems in quantum field theory 4. Finite temperature quantum field theory. 5. Quantum field theory in curved spacetime. 6. A more in-depth treatment of instantons (the authors only spend one page on them). 7. Topological quantum field theory.

Superb
This is one of the best field theory texts written. Not an introduction but is suitable for the reader who already has a background in QFT at the level of Hatfield. The authors write very clearly and maintain a level of mathematical rigor superior to other QFT books I've encountered. The text is filled with numerous examples and interesting details. Each topic is dealt with thoroughly leaving the reader well grounded in the material. The presentation is pedagogical and very readable. This is a must read for anyone wishing to study field theory beyond the basics and obtain a mastery of the subject.

It is too bad that it is no longer in print. I was fortunate enough to buy a copy when it was still on the shelves. I would imagine though that almost every scientific library would have copy. ... Read more

Product Description
Field Theory presents the recent advances ofperturbative relativistic field theory in a pedagogical andstraightforward way.It will be of interest to graduate students whointend to specialize in high-energy physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A grad student's viewpoint
This book, unlike "standard" texts like Peskin & Schroeder, deals more with the formal aspects of field theory, and may not be so useful for the person interested in phenomenology. Wilsonian RG is missing too, but it's a great place for an introduction to gauge theory. The misprints can be annoying, but at the same time keep you on your toes. The presentation is somewhat terse, and to work through a page of this book can be equivalent to working through several pages of another book, say Peskin & Schroeder.

A good book to learn Feynman diagrams
A reader can learn how to compute the Green's functions and the scattering amplitudes using Feynman diagrams. The scalar Klein-Gordon field is used as a pedagogical example at the beginning. The philosophy of the path integralis used all over the book. However, the book does not emphasize thephilosophy of the Wilson renormalization group and in this sense the primeris not modern. Nevertheless, Pierre Ramond is a pretty famous scientist andyou can learn many things from this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Following on from the successful first (1984) and revised (1993) editions, this extended and revised text is designed as a short and simple introduction to quantum field theory for final year physics students and for postgraduate students beginning research in theoretical and experimental particle physics.

The three main objectives of the book are to:

Explain the basic physics and formalism of quantum field theory

To make the reader proficient in theory calculations using Feynman diagrams

To introduce the reader to gauge theories, which play a central role in elementary particle physics.

Thus, the first ten chapters deal with QED in the canonical formalism, and are little changed from the first edition. A brief introduction to gauge theories (Chapter 11) is then followed by two sections, which may be read independently of each other. They cover QCD and related topics (Chapters 12-15) and the unified electroweak theory (Chapters 16 – 19) respectively. Problems are provided at the end of each chapter.

New to this edition:

Five new chapters, giving an introduction to quantum chromodynamics and the methods used to understand it: in particular, path integrals and the renormalization group.

The treatment of electroweak interactions has been revised and updated to take account of more recent experiments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Quantum field theory
I bought this book after I visited a website about quantum field theory.One recommendation of this website was this book.It was mentioned that the author is one of the authorities in physics teaching.This encouraged me to buy it.
After reading this book I found it in the same trend of bad books that I have bought so far from amazon.com.There are a lot of equations which are not linked to each other.The author leaves the work of deriving the formulas to the reader.In addition it is written in a complex way that is not understandable by the reader.What he writes in words is more uderstandable than what he writes in mathematical formulas.
This is probably a general trend for writing scientific books in the western world.
In summary, if you are looking for a book the derives the equations explicitly and uses alot of phenomenology so this is not the book to buy.If you are already familiar with the subject thoroughly and need only a review so you can buy it.I personally do not recommend it for students who want to study the subject

clear, but lacks depth
This book is extremely clearly written and is pleasant to read, which is impressive for a text book. However, sometimes it lacks depth on the material it covers. It would be hard to use this as a reference text book and in the class I am taking, the professor finds it necessary to supplement it with other materials.

Thoughtful introduction to QFT
I just want to contribute my five stars.

I'm not a specialist or active in this field, but I enjoy trying to to keep up with interesting things I was led to in college.Hence perhaps I provide the ideal perspective of the perpetual student...

I have several of the other standard texts, which I have at least perused to understand their level and approach.I find Mandl and Shaw to be the best *introduction*.Here are some reasons I like it:

- It is the best book of the bunch that is both completely deep in what it covers and self-contained (but of course it course strictly assumes the implicit prerequisites: core quantum mechanics and everything you are likely to have studied if you studied that).
- It focues on the canonical approach.I'm a rabid Feynman worshipper, but in my opinion the path integral approach is best left to the second pass, because it requires two hurdles: a math one-- path calculus--, and a physics one-- shifting focus to the Lagrangian approach to QM.I find the canonical approach a better continuation of core quantum mechanics, hence a better entry point.So learn to count breadth-first; and then have fun discovering you can count it depth-first too.
- The text has a thoughtful logical order of development: Spin 0, 1/2, 1...I think I see a pattern...

Lastly, it is sprinkled with really physically deep commentary on results.Eg, how to understand spin and statistics; or when they frankly describe high-k regularization (a.k.a. math fudging) as possibly modeling new real physics.This arena is both foundational and cutting-edge-- "unfinished"; I like it that they tell it as it is.

So, this is QFT?
I never had a formal QFT course in my life, so I was curious to learn it on my own. My curiosity was only incresed by what is called "QFT methods in condensed matter physics", which I am exposed to quite a bit.

The book by Mandl and Shaw is certainly easy to read. In my case I obtained some idea about how the diagrammatic techniques look in covariant form. However, many questions I had had are still left unanswered. While it is obvious that the book is out of date, and it is hard to blame the authors for that,there is no even brief overview of the field and the basic problems it faced in that period. There is no mentioning of the approaches altenative to diagrammatic techniques. In general, the book is not very systematic, but rather present more detailed solutions for several problems that the reader is assumed to be already familiar with. Therefore, I assume, the book is good only as a supplementary material for those studying diagrammatic methods for QFT.

Quick overview of quantum field theory
When this book was first written, the intermediate vector bosons had only recently been (indirectly) observed, giving more weight to the gauge theory of electroweak interactions. The first edition did not treat the electroweak theory at all, but this, the revised edition, does, albeit using a formalism that is now considered to be somewhat antiquated. In particular, the methods of functional integration are not used at all. Canonical methods are used instead in the quantization procedures. The reader interested in a fast overview of quantum field theory could benefit from a perusal of the book. There are no fresh insights on quantum field theory in the book, and so it should really be considered as more of a bread-and-butter overview of the subject, with emphasis on the calculations of cross-sections rather than on a deep understanding of quantum field theory. The latter is very difficult both to explain and to research, and readers will have to look elsewhere to obtain this level of knowledge, or, better yet, figure it out for themselves and propose new approaches to quantum field theory, that not only predicts the results coming from scattering experiments, but also solves the major unsolved problem of quantum field theory: the existence of a bound state. ... Read more

Product Description
Over the last century quantum field theory has made a significant impact on the formulation and solution of mathematical problems and inspired powerful advances in pure mathematics. However, most accounts are written by physicists, and mathematicians struggle to find clear definitions and statements of the concepts involved. This graduate-level introduction presents the basic ideas and tools from quantum field theory to a mathematical audience. Topics include classical and quantum mechanics, classical field theory, quantization of classical fields, perturbative quantum field theory, renormalization, and the standard model. The material is also accessible to physicists seeking a better understanding of the mathematical background, providing the necessary tools from differential geometry on such topics as connections and gauge fields, vector and spinor bundles, symmetries and group representations. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents the unifying world-concept long sought by scientists, mystics, and sages: an Integral Theory of Everything

• Explains how modern science has rediscovered the Akashic Field of perennial philosophy

• New edition updates ongoing scientific studies, presents new research inspired by the first edition, and includes new case studies and a section on animal telepathy

Mystics and sages have long maintained that there exists an interconnecting cosmic field at the roots of reality that conserves and conveys information, a field known as the Akashic record. Recent discoveries in vacuum physics show that this Akashic Field is real and has its equivalent in science’s zero-point field that underlies space itself. This field consists of a subtle sea of fluctuating energies from which all things arise: atoms and galaxies, stars and planets, living beings, and even consciousness. This zero-point Akashic Field is the constant and enduring memory of the universe. It holds the record of all that has happened on Earth and in the cosmos and relates it to all that is yet to happen.

In Science and the Akashic Field, philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys the essential element of this information field in language that is accessible and clear. From the world of science he confirms our deepest intuitions of the oneness of creation in the Integral Theory of Everything. We discover that, as philosopher William James stated, “We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”
... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Cognitive infinity
Although Mr. Laszlo develops his key idea of an "in-formed" Universe with reports from the unresolved conundrums of physics which allow the quanta to be used through what, to a lay person, appears to be... place holders... in the equations... and working forward quickly to more recent experimental results in many intellectual 'fields'... the implicit edifice... is a description of our Universe with beyond light speed, enfoldings... in a creative essence.

For those who have concluded as I had that the Universe speaks through cognitive Beings' mouths and feels itself through our hearts in a thrilling cosmic feedback loop... .

Especially if you are a scientist feeling that functional outcomes without some kind of totality of infinite mystery is a desiccated, even tired reactionary dead end... for the poetic soul who is alienated from science... for couples wondering at their attractions and the meaning of love and for the lover of intelligence and wonder and optimism...and for the religious and spiritual too (with the caveat below), buy and I suspect share this very important even, beautiful book.

Small with no equations... written briskly and with largely simple prose, proving that profundity is reliably identified by its simplicity of description when that expression... draws near to a core truth.

But of course the "in-formed" review field must include some negative to be really creative: the word God apparently is anathema to Mr. Laszlo... he cuts any mention of the idea by saying that any form of divinity is not needed to explain the Universe as we experience it or its God like... nature.

This I found to be shallow... information is not the state of an electrical/chemical structure of the brain or a memory chip etc. nor is it the "A Field," that is his "Akashic Field," or the Knowing Field... .

Laszlo wants to create a new physical description of why coherence is experimentally seen in divergent fields that transcends physical connection as currently described by normative science thought schemes.This I applaud but why he is allergic to the word "God" to the point at least of exploring to a small degree... the obvious similarities in religions... to his ideas... is more interesting.

Read his description of his own intellectual journey at the end of the book. It is interesting but one quickly understands the absence of the "G" word or reference to it except tangentially in New Age speak here and there: he is a UN, UNESCO, Club of Rome kind of "systems analyst" and WE are the system.
Throw in "sabbaticals" to his "farmhouse in Tuscany," etc. etc. .

I still highly recommend the book but be aware that there may be a world control agenda "system" that has cooped Mr. Laszlo without his knowledge or with it... . How a man can come to the conclusions of this book and still spend months writing for the U.N. ...as a proffered mechanism for the implementation of his ideas one must assume... is chilling and a mystery.

Given his background written in some detail at the back of the book...one can only say there must be more to Mr. Laszlo politically than this book reveals... or he is still naive in the extreme but that is hard to believe.

The Beast funds anything that tears down ultimately... individuality responsibility/freedom/creativity... NOT that I am accusing the author of that only that a forced..."Akashic Field" is a ridiculous concept and anathema, to what he centrally describes here which is worthy and insightful. But it must be said and should be said more often that the dark Force that is behind the timed collapse of economies and a symphony of wars to produce a world government outcome uses every tool in the intellectual box for its ends.

Outstanding
This is truly a great book. It is logical but it is a different form of science book. True this book is not technical, but I do not think that was the intention. This book is more of the beginning of understanding a series of scientific realizations that will play important roles in Human life, society and evolution. Overall I am very happy with the outlook of the author and his work.

Disappointing
This is a collection of experiences from different people. It's a re-hash of what anyone interested in the subject has already read. I wouldn't buy it again nor would I recommend it to anyone.

scientifically unsound
Even if cutting edge science and metaphysics are somehow connected, E.Laszlo does not manage to explain this connection adequately.
Many of the scientific theories he takes for granted do not meet with the acceptance he presents them to and many of the "experiments" he presents are dubious.
He gave me the impression his book is based on four or five books of popular science, which he uses to describe cutting edge scientific theories in his own words and which he mixes with metaphysics, taking large leaps of logic.
What disturbed me the most is that he kept referring to "waves" without actually saying *what* is being waved....
The book becomes less and less scientific as it progresses to the last chapters, where he writes about Near Death Experiences and Past Lives.

A theory of nothing
This book was a big dissappointment. This first third of the book establishes some of sciences greatest puzzles. This was an OK summary. The rest of the book deals in vagary. The author introduces the idea of the zero point field as the answer to everything. He talks of the idea of an evolving universe without any substantive link to the zero point field. He purports that the thought energy in our brain disturbs the zero point field and that this distubance can be decoded by others (eg. telepathy). None of this is proved in anyway nor backed up with any thing other than conjecture. The author wallows in half explained ideas and jargon. This was an awful read and I definately do not recommend it. The zero point field may indeed explain alot of the unexplained in physics, but you definately won't gain an understanding of that from this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a modern introduction to the ideas and techniques of quantum field theory.After a brief overview of particle physics and a survey of relativistic wave equations and Lagrangian methods, the author develops the quantum theory of scalar and spinor fields, and then of gauge fields. The emphasis throughout is on functional methods, which have played a large part in modern field theory. The book concludes with a brief survey of "topological" objects in field theory and, new to this edition,a chapter devoted to supersymmetry. Graduate students in particle physics and high energy physics will benefit from this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A good first book on quantum field theory
As many reviewers correctly observe, quantum field theory can hardly be learned from one book.This is, of course, true of many topics in science and engineering!Nevertheless, Ryder's book had given me a satisfactory start in my quest to learn QTF.Ryder uses the Feynman path integral approach instead of Canonical quantization as the foundation for QTF.Ryder provides a good review of special relativity, four vectors, and covariance.His notation is easy to understand for those just beginning QFT--as he retains the presence of c and h bar in his equations.Equations and the steps in their derivation are also laid out in sufficient detail.Unfortunately, this particular variant of equation intensive exposition becomes quite overwhelming by the middle of the book.Even the QTF novice begins to tire of the proliferation of c's and h bars, and the constant press of equations seems to force out the narrative that might render these mathematical expressions meaningful to the reader.I found the Feynman integral approach easy to understand, but was confused by the author's attempt to use this approach to explain Feynman diagrams.As in many advanced treatments, there are moments where troubling errors in the editing of text particularly confuse and vex the reader.There are errors in the eigenvectors to the Dirac equation (i.e. the plane wave spinors, p.50 Eqs. 2.137 and 2.138) that can be remedied by looking to the analogous treatment by Schiff Quantum Mechanics (International Pure & Applied Physics Series) (p.476, Eq.52.16).Ryder's derivation of the Dirac equation, although fairly intuitive, lost me in his tracing of the relationship between 2D unitary transformations and 3D rotations (pp.33-34, Eqs.2.39-2.54).For me, this gap in this argument is remedied by reference to the discussion of this topic by Merzbacher Quantum Mechanics (pp.266-7, Eqs.12.35-12.41).The calculation of the free particle propagator (pp.161-162, 5.16-5.19;pp.180-180, 5A.3-5A.4) is more easily preformed and understood if Fourier transforms are used address the convolution operation, as may be gleaned from texts such as Bracewell The Fourier Transform & Its Applications.Overall, this book offers a good beginning, but after making my way halfway through the book, I found that Peskin and Shroeder's book An Introduction To Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics) offered me a better chance of making my way somewhat deeper into QTF.

A very readable introduction to Quantum Field Theory
This textbook is probably one of the most readable books on Quantum Field Theory. The level of formalism and mathematical complexity varies from chapter to chapter, which has its virtues and drawbacks. The chapters that are not too math-heavy are usually the more intelligible ones, and they present the otherwise fairly arcane material in a very accessible and physically-motivated fashion. On the other hand these chapters leave out a lot of calculation or just skim through those somewhat superficially. If you are trying to learn Quantum Field Theory so that you become proficient enough to pursue research in this field, then you may find this lack of detail frustrating.

One of the virtues of this book are the extended references that can be found at the ends of chapters. These refer both to the original research papers and other books that may cover the same material in more depth or with a different approach. These references are invaluable in their own right, and make this book a great resource to have.

The last chapter focuses on supersymmetry. This could be viewed as a somewhat controversial choice of topic to be included in a textbook that covers the fundamentals of quantum field theory. Supersymmetry, despite decades of theoretical investigation, so far has not yielded a single observable verification. There might be something in the claims of its proponents that it has a very appealing conceptual and mathematical structure, but even its simplest formulation that have any bearing on the real world are so complex that any traces of conceptual simplicity are irrevocably lost. However, whatever your feelings about supersymmetry might be, this chapter is valuable in its own right, since it gives a lot of interesting mathematics that are relevant to fermionic and bosonic fields in general.

One big problem that I have with this book as a textbook is a total lack of problems and exercises. As such is probably not well suited as a primary book for learning this material. Nonetheless, there are some detailed calculations of some important formal results, and these can be used in conjunction with other textbooks.

I would recommend this book to be used as a secondary study material for an introductory course on Quantum Field Theory. This way all of its strong points would be utilized, while its few weaknesses would not be an obstacle to fully absorbing otherwise very difficult material.

Good physical intuition into the topic
To understand quantum field theory it is necessary to read more than one author. Ryder's book should definitely be included in the list of titles.

Overview of QFT for those wanting a refreshing
This book should not be used for beginners by which I mean those individuals with a background in QM and SR but not QFT. It presumes, like any QFT text, a thorough understanding of QM and SR. A strong foundation in tensor analysis, group theory, differential geometry and lie groups is recommended.

It has some interesting ways of introducing topics in QFT for example the dirac equation:

The author begins by showing the defects in quantizing the energy mass relationship resulting in the Klein Gordon equation. The author digresses before introducing the dirac equation and goes on about the correspondence between SU(2) and O(3), rotation group in 3-D, and then introduces the correspondence between SL ( 2, C) and the Lorentz group. It is shown that the Lorentz group is essentially SU(2) x SU(2). Thus we can specify a state to be operated by a Lorentz transformation by two angular momenta. Special combinations of these give spinors which transform in specific ways under lorentz transforms. We see that the dirac equation is a relation between these spinors.

Symmetries of the Langrangian and the "appearance" of gauge fields in constraining the Langrangian to certain local symmetries from global ones is introduced almost immediately. We see how this necessitates the introduction of the electromagnetic field. Maxwell's and Proca's equations are put in tensorial form. There is a nice section here on the geometry of gauge fields. Differential geometry really helps here.

The canonical quantization of scalar, spinor and photon fields is undertaken.

Path Integral quantization of spinor scalar and gauge fields is undertaken. The usual topics of functional integration and wick's theorem are dealt with. With see how Zo(J) ..transition amplitude of particle creation and destruction with source..is the generating functional for free particle green functions and it's relation to n point functions and VEV is given.Interaction are introduced and their relation to Zo(J) is explained. The relation between greens functions and the S matrix are derived. It is shown how the usual approach for photons does not work requiring gauge fixing. Fenyman rules for all of these are derived.

Spontaneous Symmetry breaking and the standard model is briefly delved into. Renormalization is dealt with.

Overall, I found the presentation of the material disorganized with poor motivation for the topics. However, the derivations are detailed and a nice supplement to other QFT books.

One major drawback is the lack of problems.

ryder
its a good book for the beginners.The only drawback is it does not have exercise problems. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive and timely survey of the application of the methods of quantum field theory to statistical physics, a very active and fruitful area of modern research, is provided in two volumes. The first volume provides a pedagogical introduction to the subject, discussing Brownian motion, its anticommutative counterpart in the guise of Onsager's solution to the two-dimensional Ising model, the mean field or Landau approximation, scaling ideas exemplified by the Kosterlitz-Thouless theory for the XY transition, the continuous renormalization group applied to the standard phi-to-the-fourth theory (the simplest typical case) and lattice gauge theory as a pathway to the understanding of quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The worst text-book on theoretical physics I ever read
This book is simply awful.
I couldn't understand a lot of derivations.
Before buying this book I studied the standard course on QFT by Peskin and Schroeder.(I solved 95% of its problems, so I'm not stupid!).
The reason I bought the book by Itzykson and Drouffe was to study some interesting advanced topics in QFT.
I began with Ising model and immediately got stuck.
I read previous reviews on this book. The authors praised it.
I wonder if any of them could proceed from formula 65 to 66?
(first volume)
Did any of them understand the derivation of Szego lemma?
What about Kac determinant?
I found that even original article by Itzykson was written better
and with more care than this book.(!)
Still it's worth buying as the source of references.
That's why one *.

first vol only
i think the first chapter is a b---- to get through, but after i did that i found the entire book either particularly useful or insightful. volume two never motivated it's own purchase.
I read it in frech, so i cant talk about how well things are explained in english, just in case anything was lost in translation, but with something like chapter two on grassman variables i dont think it's such a big deal. to put it succintly chapter 2 makes berezin's book obsolete to me and i feel that way about the whole book. ... Read more

Product Description
Quantum field theory has been a great success for physics, but it is difficult for mathematicians to learn because it is mathematically incomplete. Folland, who is a mathematician, has spent considerable time digesting the physical theory and sorting out the mathematical issues in it. Fortunately for mathematicians, Folland is a gifted expositor. The purpose of this book is to present the elements of quantum field theory, with the goal of understanding the behavior of elementary particles rather than building formal mathematical structures, in a form that will be comprehensible to mathematicians. Rigorous definitions and arguments are presented as far as they are available, but the text proceeds on a more informal level when necessary, with due care in identifying the difficulties. The book begins with a review of classical physics and quantum mechanics, then proceeds through the construction of free quantum fields to the perturbation-theoretic development of interacting field theory and renormalization theory, with emphasis on quantum electrodynamics. The final two chapters present the functional integral approach and the elements of gauge field theory, including the Salam-Weinberg model of electromagnetic and weak interactions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

QFT for Mathematicians
It is well known that mathematicians and physicists approach advanced mathematics from entirely different quadrants of the universe.This communication gap explains in part why physicists often find it so challenging to learn their requisite mathematics from "pure" mathematicians, and why mathematicians can find it so unbelievably difficult to teach themselves some current theoretical physics by reading books written by physicists, even when they already understand the underlying mathematics quite well.

Among the short list of books which help bridge this chasm (books by authors such as O'Neill, Frankel, Arnol'd, Marsden, Sachs and Wu, etc.), I would now include Gerald Folland's lucid introduction to quantum field theory.The opening sentence in the Preface summarizes Folland's intent perfectly:

"This book is an attempt to present the rudiments of quantum field theory in general and quantum electrodynamics in particular, as actually practiced by physicists for the purpose of understanding the behavior of subatomic particles, in a way that will be comprehensible to mathematicians."

Prospective buyer beware:this book is NOT an elementary introduction for beginners or a self-contained reference that will introduce the mountain of prerequisite mathematics.To read this book, the prospective reader must already be familiar with Fourier analysis, basic functional analysis (esp. Hilbert space theory), distributions, a little Lie theory, the use of manifold theory through the Hamiltonian/Lagrangian approach to classical mechanics, special relativity, and basic quantum mechanics.

Folland's book is especially well-suited to the professional mathematician who is trying to educate himself or herself in the basics of quantum field theory, although it would also be an excellent reference for the physicist who wants to see the mathematics "done right."Mathematicians doing independent study who have already grown frustrated trying to read QFT books by physicists (Weinberg, Zee, Srednicki, Peskin and Schroeder, Kaku, Bjorken and Drell, etc.) will find Folland's book written in a style that is much more familiar and accessible to them.

Professor Folland is to be commended for taking the time and effort to write this unique book.The potential audience for any book on quantum field theory is already quite small, and this book addresses a subset of that already limited group.For those to whom the book is directed, however, it will serve as a truly unique and invaluable reference.


... Read more

Product Description
Ticciati's approach to quantum field theory falls between building a mathematical model of the subject and presenting the mathematics that physicists actually use. It begins with the need to combine special relativity and quantum mechanics and culminates in a basic understanding of the standard model of electroweak and strong interactions. The book is divided into five parts: canonical quantization of scalar fields, Weyl, Dirac and vector fields, functional integral quantization, the standard model of the electroweak and strong interactions, renormalization. This should be a useful reference for those interested in quantum theory and related areas of function theory, functional analysis, differential geometry or topological invariant theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Filled with pearls for the experienced "diver"
I preface my comments by stating that this book is not intended as an introduction to QFT.

The student should have a solid understanding of SR, QM, tensor analysis, group theory including Lie Groups, and Hilbert spaces.

I will not regurgitate what the book covers, one need only use the "search inside" tab to look at the contents.

Having said this, this book is an excellent and indispensible to tool to BROADEN and DEEPEN your understanding of QFT. If all you want to do is calculate scattering amplitudes and decay rates I would not recommend this book, there are plenty of better applied QFT books available for this.

This books fills in the gaps other books fail to close. There is no "hand waving" of results which was refreshing. As a consequence you begin to understanding the subtle points of QFT and why the theory is the way it is.

As mentioned in the title of the review there are plenty of "pearls". For example, there is an entire chapter on internal and external symmetries and their representations by groups of matrices ( lie groups ). There is a complete description of the importance of Lie alegbras and how the generators of the Lie Algebra create conserved currents and quantities ( operators ) which help one study the evolution of states since these quantities are conserved. By studying the structure of the lie algebra one gains importance insights into the commutative properties of the corresponding conserved current and quantity operators. There is a great section on the derivation of the S matrix and the relations between the "Schrodinger " " Heisenberg " and "Interaction" pictures of QM. We see that the evolution of the interacting state can be entirely derived from the free field hamiltonians with certain restrictions. One thing I really liked about this section is that it explains the limitations of the S matrix approach ( has to do with the assumptions of turning "on and off" interactions )which I have not come across in other standard QFT texts. This motivates the need for functional integral quantization.

Another point of contention I have had with standard presentations of QFT is that they just assume that Noether's theorem from classical field theory can be applied after the quantization process. This book explains mathematically why it can be.

Succinctly, the defects in QFT presentation in other texts is explained, which makes understanding the material more difficult. However, the payoff is that one understands the motivation behind the IDEAS of QFT.

The book is also filled with little "homework" assignments to solidfy knowledge.

The logical and organized presentation of the material made it very difficult for me to put this book down for any length of time until it was finished.

A Great Field Theory Book
Yes this book isn't perfect, but what book on physics is? That aside, there is no question this is an excellent field theory book with a rigorous approach. Physicists could learn from this style to produce better textbooks rather than following their usual mysterious approach to writing. This book is clearly laid out not only in mathematical style but also with clear and concise explanations of many physical concepts. It is in my opinion far better than Weinberg's book, written in a more readable style. It is also better than books like Peskin and Schroeder and Kaku which seem sloppily put together. Put the book together with Ryder and you will have the tools needed to get a good understanding of field theory. The title might be unfortunate, because it might keep physics professors from considering using it in their classes instead of the usual lousy standby's, which is too bad for the students.

fills a niche
This book is far from perfect, but I think it begins to fill an important niche in the world of QFT books: it presents most aspects of the theory, from basic principles to Feynman rules, gauge fields and renormalization, in a form that is unusually accessible to mathematicians. I'm coming at this from the perspective of a mathematician who has tried and failed to learn QFT from a variety of other books, and I wish I had discovered this one before even opening Weinberg or Peskin & Schroeder. Ticciati doesn't completely avoid the kind logical sleight of hand that is commonplace among physicists, but when doing manipulations whose mathematical basis is questionable, he's usually at least honest enough to point this out to the reader. I especially enjoyed the chapter on Lie algebra representation theory, which is closer to a mathematician's presentation of this subject than a physicist's, yet not without plenty of physical motivation. I'd criticize this book only for two things: (1) it's riddled with misprints (some obvious, some not) and (2) some topics are explained rather more concisely than they deserve, and not always in the most logical order; Ticciati has a tendency to use certain subtle concepts implicitly a few sections before he defines them precisely. One may hope that such errors will be corrected in a future edition. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first introductory textbook on quantum field theory to be written from the point of view of condensed matter physics. As such, it presents the basic concepts and techniques of statistical field theory, clearly explaining how and why they are integrated into modern (and classical) field theory, and includes the latest developments.
Written by an expert in the field, with a broad experience in teaching and training, it manages to present such substantial topics as phases and phase transitions or solitons and instantons in an accessible and concise way.
Divided into two parts, the first covers fundamental physics and the mathematics background needed by students in order to enter the field, while the second part discusses applications of quantum field theory to a few basic problems. The emphasis here lies on how modern concepts of quantum field theory are embedded in these approaches, and also on the limitations of standard quantum field theory techniques in facing 'real' physics problems.
Throughout, there are numerous end-of-chapter problems, and a free solutions manual is available for lecturers. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a systematic presentation of Quantum Field Theory from first principles, emphasizing both theoretical concepts and experimental applications. Starting from introductory quantum and classical mechanics, this book develops the quantum field theories that make up the "Standard Model" of elementary processes.It derives the basic techniques and theorems that underly theory and experiment, including those that are the subject of theoretical development. Special attention is also given to the derivations of cross sections relevant to current high-energy experiments and to perturbative quantum chromodynamics, with examples drawn from electron-positron annihilation, deeply inelastic scattering and hadron-hadron scattering. The first half of the book introduces the basic ideas of field theory.The discussion of mathematical issues is everywhere pedagogical and self contained. Topics include the role of internal symmetry and relativistic invariance, the path integral, gauge theories and spontaneous symmetry breaking, and cross sections in the Standard Model and the parton model. The material of this half is sufficient for an understanding of the Standard Model and its basic experimental consequences. The second half of the book deals with perturbative field theory beyond the lowest-order approximation. The issues of renormalization and unitarity, the renormalization group and asymptotic freedom, infrared divergences in quantum electrodynamics and infrared safety in quantum chromodynamics, jets, the perturbative basis of factorization at high energy and the operator product expansion are discussed. Exercises are included for each chapter, and several appendices complement the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

the book is self-contained but poor as a reference
chapters 1 through 8 provide a good introduction to scalar field theory,path integrals,feynman diagrams and vector fields and gauge theories. the discussion on the standard model is not so good and thechapters on renormalization were not clear to me as a beginning student.thebook requires one to go over the material very carefully,and should not, inmy opinion, be used as a reference for a particular topic as every chapterdraws heavily on the previous ones. however it is certainly suitable as atext for a 2 semester graduate course. ... Read more