An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics)

Customer Reviews:

Perfect........2007-08-10

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

Wow, does this suck . . . get a different book!.......2007-06-13

Ok--I just need to help lower the overall rating for this book. I think the people who love it are professors and students who already are familiar with QFT--because it glosses over everything, does pertinent examples, etc. But that's just it, it GLOSSES over everything. Note that nearly all the higher reviews say things like: "oh, you wouldn't want to start with this book." or "Everyone knows that you're going to need more books than this one to understand it . . ." I couldn't even figure out how to create a Feynmann diagram from this book, let alone what one MEANT. FYI, my favorite QFT book so far is Weinberg's Quantum Theory of Fields.

This book is a very very very bad book which you never buy........2007-01-20

Absolutely no logic.
Perfectly nonclear.
No subject.
Mathematically poor.(very poor.)
Nonneccessary words.
No depth.
Not for self-study.
Just arrangement.
No physical insight.
No process.
No thinking.

This is indeed not a book.
This is a stuff for a vanity.
I wonder whether Peskin and Schroeder are genuine physicists.

Don't make the same fault I did!.......2006-12-16

Hi there!

The important information first: I'm a graduate student, mainly interested in theoretical physics. At the moment, I'm trying to get a deeper understanding of QFT.

Peskin's QFT book is NOT the one you should buy if you want to UNDERSTAND renormalization.

I learned the basics of QFT (\phi^4 and QED up to a first contact with renormalization - "trivial" subtraction of infinities) in a lecture and I finally felt like: "What does renormalization mean? What is it good for? Is there a deeper truth in it?" Well, the answer to the last question is definitely yes. It's about the Beta function. This function tells you how the coupling constants of a QFT behave at different momenta. E.g., we can learn from it why perturbation theory works for QED at low energies and for QCD at high energies (I think, this is amazing).

What I just said I learned from Huang's book. Peskin "deals" with it in chapters 10 to 12. In the middle of chapter 12 I finally said to myself: "Hey, don't feel stupid. This book is just completely incomprehensible here."

In my opinion, if you want to see behind renormalization (and therefore behind any QFT(!!)), don't buy Peskin's book. Any other book is better regarding this issue.

It is sad that we don't have a better book out there..........2006-05-28

The main problem of this book: what exactly is it supposed to be?

If it is an introduction, then the opening chapters are written at a level too sophisticated that an average first-time student can't handle.

If it aims to be a "bible" of the subject, then the later chapters are far too technical, loaded with only Feynman diagram calculations for standard model. Not being a phenomenologist, I personally have very little interest in all the technical detail, and apparently several other reviewers share my view here.

Now let me gives some examples to support my claim.

First, C, P and T symmetries are introduced very early on (right after Dirac spinor), and in a very formal way. Yes, they logically belong there, but in an "introduction" of the subject you don't throw out an isolated topic like this which you don't make use of in the following few hundred pages.

The part on cannonical quantization is written at a very fast pace. A complex scalar field is probably the first model you can construct with charged particles. And guess what kind of treatment it receives in this book? Not a single word in the main text. The problem 2 of that chapter essentially asks you to work out the content of this model with few hints given. If you have troble working it out, which is not uncommon for a first-timer, then you won't see the logic behind the decomposition of a complex Dirac field either. This is done in the following chapter, with no explaination.

Like the charged scalar field example, some important pieces of knowledge are hidden only in the exercises. So if you treat these high-power opening chapters as your bible-type reference, you will often end up in the frustrating situation that the book tells you to work out by yourself what you are seeking in the first place.

Now get to the later parts of the book. As I mentioned above, the second half of the book is almost conceptually too simple, overloaded with technical details.

This downfall begins around the renormalization group. On the back of this book, this Prof. Micheal Dine is qouted: "it is the only field theory text with a thoroughly modern, Wilsonian treatment of renormalization". The connection between the Wilsonian idea and dimensional regularization/renormalization scale is shaky at best. You read the text, and are left puzzled at the magic: how does a cut-off scale become some (much lower) arbitrary momentum scale? No explaination. The Wilsonian theory is completely isolated and have little connection with the rest of the renormalization section.

Furthermore, the book does not do a very good job on Lie algebra and non-abilien Lie groups. I mean, come on, if this is an "introduction" type of book, make it more readable. If this is a "bible" type of book, make it more comprehensive.

Having voiced all my bad opinions, I have to admit that the book has its merit. Bottom line is, this is a book written by phenomenologists for phenomenologists. If you view it from such an angle, it is not too badly written after all, and does cover most of the important topics a phnomenologist would want to know. But you may want to start from a more accessible text such as Ryder.

If you are a theorist, but not a phenomenologist, then, well, let's say the ability of getting through the first part perfectly is the minimum requirement for your research.

If you are an experimentalist, don't bother.

An Introduction to Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

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An Introduction to Relativistic Quantum Field Theory
Silvan S. Schweber
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486442284

Book Description

In a relatively simple presentation that remains close to familiar concepts, this text for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students introduces modern developments of quantum field theory. "Combines thorough knowledge with a high degree of didactic ability and a delightful style." — Mathematical Reviews. 1961 edition.

Gauge Field Theories: An Introduction with Applications

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Excellent

Gauge Field Theories: An Introduction with Applications
Mike Guidry
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 047135385X

Book Description

Acquaints readers with the main concepts and literature of elementary particle physics and quantum field theory. In particular, the book is concerned with the elaboration of gauge field theories in nuclear physics; the possibility of creating fundamental new states of matter such as an extended quark-gluon plasma in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions; and the relation of gauge theories to the creation and evolution of the universe. Divided into three parts, it opens with an introduction to the general principles of relativistic quantum field theory followed by the essential ingredients of gauge fields for weak and electromagnetic interactions, quantum chromodynamics and strong interactions. The third part is concerned with the interface between modern elementary particle physics and "applied disciplines" such as nuclear physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Includes references and numerous exercises.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent.......2001-11-01

This book is very nice. Not only does it present the theory and give problems, the problems are solved in the appendix (for the most part) and many references are cited, allowing the reader to review work elsewhere. If you are interested in quantum fields and gauge theory, I would suggest reading and working out of this book.

Elements of Statistical Mechanics: With an Introduction to Quantum Field Theory and Numerical Simulation

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Elements of Statistical Mechanics: With an Introduction to Quantum Field Theory and Numerical Simulation
Ivo Sachs , Siddhartha Sen , and James Sexton
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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Statistical Mechanics: Algorithms and Computations (Oxford Master Series in Statistical, Computational, and Theoretical Physics)

ASIN: 0521841984

Book Description

This concise introduction to the key concepts and tools of modern statistical mechanics is self-contained. Combining analytical and numerical techniques, it also covers advanced topics such as non-relativistic quantum field theory. After introducing classical analytical techniques, the authors present important numerical methods and a diverse range of applications. Quantum statistical mechanics is then analyzed and applied to topics in astrophysics and cosmology. Combining the authors' many years' experience of teaching courses in this area, this textbook is ideal for advanced students in physics, chemistry and mathematics.

Lagrangian Interaction: Introduction To Relativistic Symmetry In Electrodynamics And Gravitation

Average customer rating:

Emphasis here is on symmetries.
A superb book
Very good introduction to Lagrangian mechanics.
An excellent readable introduction to Lagrangians in physics

Lagrangian Interaction: Introduction To Relativistic Symmetry In Electrodynamics And Gravitation
Doughty
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0201416255

Customer Reviews:

Emphasis here is on symmetries........2006-10-31

I was expecting something along the lines of an updated Lanczos (The Variational Principles of Mechanics). But the emphasis here is very much on relativistic symmetries. Actually the book reminds me somewhat of Penrose's _Road to Reality_ and -- perhaps a better comparison -- Longair's _Theoretical Concepts in Physics_, with a mix of popular and semi-popular exposition, historical background, and more detailed mathematical exposition, but with a focus on relativistic symmetry (which still allows for a pretty wide-ranging number of topics in physics).

One complaint: the paper, printing and artwork are rather poor for a $45 paperback. Oxford and Cambridge Press, for example, produce much higher quality paperbacks in this price range. I've knocked off a star for that.

A superb book.......2001-10-24

This is work is comprehensive, easy to follow, and well-formatted. It is an excellent introduction to the action principle. It also serves as a great primer for the mathematics of special relativity, 4-vectors, vector fields and tensors. It is a shame that it doesn't go very far into GR (from the least action perspective) though.

Very good introduction to Lagrangian mechanics........1998-06-19

I highly recommend this book to undergraduate and graduate students in physics and astrophysics. It's clearly written, with a very modern approach (and book design!).

An excellent readable introduction to Lagrangians in physics.......1998-05-27

This is an excellent book. It is an introduction to Lagrangian mechanics, starting with Newtonian physics and proceeding to topics such as relativistic Lagrangian fields and Lagrangians in General Relativity, electrodynamics, Gauge theory, and relativistic gravitation. The mathematical notation used is introduced and explained as the book progresses, so it can be understood by students at the undergraduate level in physics or applied mathmatics, yet it is rigorous enough to serve as an introduction to the mathematics and concepts required for courses in relativistic quantum field theory and general relativity.

Introduction to the Structure of Matter: A Course in Modern Physics

Average customer rating:

Good all-round text on modern physics
Good Value
Clear, detailed account of modern physics
Too many topics

Introduction to the Structure of Matter: A Course in Modern Physics
John J. Brehm , and William J. Mullin
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 047160531X

Book Description

A first course in two of the 20th century's most exciting contributions to physics: special relativity and quantum theory. Historical material is incorporated into the exposition. Coverage is broad and deep, offering the instructor flexibility in presentation. Nearly every section contains at least one illustrative example (with all calculations), and each chapter has a wide selection of problems. Topics covered include relativistic dynamics, quantum mechanics, parity, quantum statistical physics, the nuclear shell model, fission, fusion, color and the strong interaction, gauge symmetries, and grand unification.

Customer Reviews:

Good all-round text on modern physics.......2005-10-20

This hefty textbook provides a solid introduction to the major fields of modern physics; i.e. physics in the 20th century. These topics are relativity, the structure of atoms, quantum mechanics, and nuclear physics. The text is appropriate for physics majors in the 3rd or 4th year of college, and is also a good book for students of materials science who are learning modern physics as an elective. The book is comparatively low on math and high in verbosity compared to other physics texts of the same subject matter; hence making it more accessible to non-physicists like engineers, chemists, etc... Each chapter comes complete with homework problems, and in this reviewer's experience, they are well done and error-free. I do not recommend this book for a one-semester class, it covers enough subject matter for 2-3 classes in modern physics - quantum mechanics. Overall, a good book to learn about modern physics and its ties with materials science.

Good Value.......2003-01-27

This is a junior or senior level text on essentially all of modern physics. Every topic is well explained and at a high level. It is short of a graduate text, but very good in terms of physics rather than mathematics. The main difference being ,I think, is a graduate text uses more advanced math (calculus of variations, bras and kets,group theory, etc) whereas this book only uses partial differential equations . However, the PDEs do suffice to accurately derive the results, and the student should certainly know both approaches.
Numerical solutions are given to about half of the chapters problems.
Additionally, the authors have went to the trouble of tracing the origin and development of the subjects, and explaining the motivations and difficulties that the pioneers faced, when possible.
It is true there is too much material to be covered in a single year...but I think this just adds to the value since it can be used as a reference as well as text.

Clear, detailed account of modern physics.......2001-02-20

This book does cover a lot of information that it seems overwhelming. However, this is only because the authors explain the concepts "all the way". For example, the discussion on wave packets includes the explanation of phase (an excellent diagram for learning how to visualize phase and group velocity) plus some details on complex analysis. Basically I find the descriptions of experiments, concepts and math very clear and detailed.

I would say that the verbosity of this book is excellent for people who like to get all the details clear. Readers with much faster brain processors, those who can't wait to learn more of QM or those who understands much of the fundamental physics and math behind QM might be bored by this book.

Summary:

Pros: 1. Clear Explanations 2. attention to thorough and detailed explanation 3. some excellent diagrams!!!!

Cons: 1. Too verbose for some 2. rather heavy to carry around!!!

Too many topics.......2000-03-25

This book is meant for first or second year major student in physics. I am a second year student myself and I found this book quite frustrating. It covers many topics in modern physics, perhaps too many. The treatment of subject is not thorough enough and especially the real theoretical side is often omitted. The subject is difficult enough by itself and this book is not the greatest source of information.

Many Body Problems and Quantum Field Theory: An Introduction

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Many Body Problems and Quantum Field Theory: An Introduction
Philippe A. Martin , and Francois Rothen
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540411534

Book Description

The book gives an introduction to the concepts and methods of many-body problems and quantum fields for graduate students and researchers. The formalism is developed in close conjunction with the description of a number of physical systems: cohesion and dielectric properties of the electron gas, superconductivity, superfluidity, nuclear matter and nucleon pairing, matter and radiation, interaction of fields by particle exchange and mass generation. Emphasis is put on analogies between the various systems rather than on advanced or specialized aspects, with the purpose of illustrating common ideas in different domains of physics. The exposition is self-contained and displays in a coherent way all details of derivations starting from a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and classical electromagnetism.

Foundation of Quantum Chromodynamics: an Introduction to Perturbative Methods in Gauge Theories

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Foundation of Quantum Chromodynamics: an Introduction to Perturbative Methods in Gauge Theories
Taizo Muta
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Quantum Field Theory

ASIN: 9810226748

Book Description

This volume develops the techniques of perturbative QCD in great pedagogical detail starting with field theory. Aside from extensive treatments of the renormalization group technique, the operator product expansion formalism and their applications to short-distance reactions, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to gauge theories. Examples and exercises are provided to amplify the discussions on important topics. This is an ideal textbook on the subject of quantum chromodynamics and is essential for researchers and graduate students in high energy physics, nuclear physics and mathematical physics.

Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction

Average customer rating:

This is an Introduction - Not an In-Depth Study...DUH
mediocre exposition
extensive problem sets are useful
Too superficial, but ok reference
Expectations unrewarded

Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction
Michio Kaku
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195076524

Book Description

The rise of quantum electrodynamics (QED) made possible a number of excellent textbooks on quantum field theory in the 1960s. However, the rise of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the Standard Model has made it urgent to have a fully modern textbook for the 1990s and beyond. Building on the foundation of QED, Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction presents a clear and comprehensive discussion of the gauge revolution and the theoretical and experimental evidence which makes the Standard Model the leading theory of subatomic phenomena. The book is divided into three parts: Part I, Fields and Renormalization, lays a solid foundation by presenting canonical quantization, Feynman rules and scattering matrices, and renormalization theory. Part II, Gauge Theory and the Standard Model, focuses on the Standard Model and discusses path integrals, gauge theory, spontaneous symmetry breaking, the renormalization group, and BPHZ quantization. Part III, Non-perturbative Methods and Unification, discusses more advanced methods which now form an essential part of field theory, such as critical phenomena, lattice gauge theory, instantons, supersymmetry, quantum gravity, supergravity, and superstrings.

Customer Reviews:

This is an Introduction - Not an In-Depth Study...DUH.......2006-11-13

Some of these reviewers need to review the title of the book. This is a "modern introduction to quantum field theory", not some in-depth study with hearty breadth. Duh. For physicist's you people don't have much common sense to speak of.

mediocre exposition.......2006-08-25

This is all around a pretty mediocre, uninspired exposition of quantum field theory. More recent works by Weinberg and Peskin & Schroder, for example, are far more coherent and elegant.

extensive problem sets are useful.......2006-08-13

Several of the other reviewers may be correct, about the quality of the text, and the developments of some of its arguments. It does however go beyond such earlier standard texts, like Sakurai's "Advanced Quantum Mechanics", which was just an introductory treatment of relativistic quantum mechanics. Kaku takes you well into the depths of QCD and the [current] Standard Model.

If you are a grad student wanting expertise in this field, an attraction of the book is its extensive problem sets for each chapter. Perhaps more so than the textual exposition! Another reviewer bemoaned the lack of worked out problems or answers. Well, that lack is the norm for many advanced texts. You just have to get used to it. But a more positive way to look at this is to recognise that sometimes knowing that an answer to a problem exists can be valuable in itself.

Too superficial, but ok reference.......2006-03-21

In my opinion this book is just ok. The breadth of material it covers is good. You can find topics such as critical phenomena and lattice gauge theory among its twenty plus chapters. However, I don't think there is generally much depth. To me the book reads like a catalog of results, I don't see it providing students with any real mathematical or physical insights. The main use I see for it is as a reference.

Page counting isn't a perfect means to determine completeness, but hopefully it does give an impression of the style. A couple of brief examples would be BRST quantization being covered in two pages (almost all equations) and SU(5) in one page. These are just a couple of places where I thought the treatment was so superficial I wondered why it was included at all.

A more detailed example would be the treatment of quantum gravity. It goes from the equivalence principle to Christoffel symbols in five pages, the Robertson-Walker solution is covered in barely more than a page and inflation in two pages. Maybe it's me, but I just don't see people that don't already know this stuff learning it here. Another comment on this chapter concerns the approach to developing classical general relativity. It is based on the properties of covariant vectors and contravariant vectors under coordinate transformation, this is definitely not a modern approach.

The topics it covers are quite interesting, a student with an excellent instructor may find it a useful book. However, I find it hard to imagine many people learning quantum field theory by reading this book. Just off the top of my head I can think of four books that I think most people would find much more helpful in learning quantum field theory: Peskin and Schroeder, Ryder, Weinberg and Zee ("quantum field theory in a nutshell" this isn't so much a traditional text book, but it is very insightful).

Expectations unrewarded.......2003-03-09

My background is a Ph.D. (1963) in physics. My dissertation was based on the Mössbauer Effect, and my brief career in research was in areas of electron transport physics. I never had a strong background in high energy physics, and my quantum field theory exposure was mainly QED.

Now that I am retired, I read some physics and looked to Prof. Kaku's book for a survey of current QFT and an introduction to string theory. I have just finished reading Chapter 2, which the Preface states may be skipped by the student who "already understands the basics of group theory . . . or who does not want to delve that deeply into the intricacies of quantum field theory." I certainly did not place myself in that class of student and decided to delve.

The presentation of Chapter 2 leads to the "essential point" (p58) that the Lorentz and Poincaré groups are at the heart of quantum field theory, and "the results of this chapter will be used throughout the book". For that reason, the results should have been developed with great clarity, and I cannot say I found that true.

For example, equations 2.104 which state the Poincaré algebra, as described as showing that translations transform as a vector under the Lorentz group. But the transformation of a vector is defined by eq. 2.91. No connection is anywhere demonsrated between eq. 2.91 and 2.104; nor elsewhere between commutation relations and the transformation of vector fields.

In the discussion of the Casimir operator, the Pauli-Lubanski tensor (p.55), the evaluation in the rest-frame of the space part of the vector (tensor) based on eq. 2.106 leads to "the rotation matrix in three dimensions." But eq. 2.106 is an operator equation, whereas the result (eq. 2.108) is a matrix equation. What is the connection?

Book Description

This text explains the features of quantum and statistical field systems that result from their field-theoretic nature and are common to different physical contexts. It supplies the practical tools for carrying out calculations and discusses the meaning of the results. The central concept is that of effective action (or free energy), and the main technical tool is the path integral, although other formalisms are also mentioned. The author emphasizes the simplest models first, then progresses to discussions of real systems before addressing more general and rigorous conclusions. The book is structured around carefully selected problems, which are solved in detail.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent informal QFT intro.......2002-11-06

You want to know what is Casimir effect, renormalization and Callan-Symanzic Eqn, effective action and path integral. You take a standard QFT course (say, Weinberg or Peskin) and find yourself overwhelmed with peculiarities of Dirac spinors and Lorentz group representations. You feel you are not going anywhere: you are not learning QFT, really! Maybe you are even not a particle physicist after all. Then this book is for YOU! Authors do a great job explaining the essence of QFT (as an interacting theory with an infinite number degrees of freedom) using the scalar field Lagrangian with the quartic interaction as a prime example. It is amazing how far one actually can go with such a model! Each chapter contains an illustrative calculation of a physical quantity (say, the Casimir energy, Ch. 5), with all the details, and without unnecessary complications. One also learns a great deal of the path integral techniques (e.g. instantons), which is extremely important in a variety of fields (QCD, condensed matter, statistical physics, etc). Overall, a highly recommended reading.

A great introductory course.......2001-05-10

I've looked at many books on quantum field theory and this is without doubt the best introductory work I have found. The Weinberg book jumps in at the deep end, the Kaku book jumps in at about 6 feet deep but this one allows you to at least climb into the pool. It's a rare intelligence to be aware of how to lead one's reader along the learning curve and these authors display it. Typo errors occur at the rate of about one every two pages (did anyone read the proofs?) but they are easily discovered if one follows the math carefully.

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