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.

Average customer rating:

Great book for learning quantum field theory
Perhaps the best book on QFT
QFT ; This is the way to teach to it
Excellent textbook
Classroom Tested, Student Approved

Quantum Field Theory
Mark Srednicki
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521864496

Book 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.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for learning quantum field theory.......2007-09-10

This book is a great resource for learning quantum field theory. People that have already taken QFT courses may also enjoy reading it. The emphasis is on learning the concepts of QFT and the techniques for doing calculations. A very nice feature of this book is that these concepts are often developed using simple examples. While many of these do not describe realistic field theories, they improve the leaning process by isolating specific ideas to be learned and removing many complicating details. The problems at the end of the chapters are instructive and doable. This is a matter of taste, but I liked the fact that most of the chapters were fairly short.

The book starts by considering scalar fields. This material includes: relativistic quantum mechanics, why relativistic quantum mechanics is inconsistent as a single particle theory and how this leads to QFT, Feynman diagrams, cross sections/decay rates, renormalization and spontaneous symmetry breaking. I think covering these topics without the complications of spin makes it much easier to learn them. It also helps that many of the calculations are done in great detail.

Things get more complicated in the next two parts as spin is added. First spin one-half theories are covered and then spin one is covered. As in the first part, the quality of the presentation is excellent. All the topics one would expect are covered such as anomalies, chiral symmetry breaking, Wilson loops and BRST symmetry.

There is also a fair amount of more advanced material. This includes the strong CP problem and various aspects of the standard model. Some of the other more advanced topics are supersymmetry, grand unified field theories, lattice theory and matrix models. I would have liked these sections to been bigger.

In short, this is a great introduction geared towards teaching and it also has a fair amount of coverage of some advanced topics.

Perhaps the best book on QFT.......2007-08-04

This book clarifies a lot of mysteries on QFT for me. The concept is explained so clearly. It may not give you a lot of experimental results. But the methodology of QFT is explained much more clearly than other QFT books in the market. Basically, every one of the chapter in this book is written very well. The calculations involved in different topics are displayed line by line without jumping steps. Reading it is just like attending a tutorial. But you may need some experience on QFT before you can appreciate this book.
If you want to buy one book on QFT, buy this.

QFT ; This is the way to teach to it.......2007-04-13

Aimed towards graduate students, the text is presented with pedagogical brilliance. This is the way one teaches QFT to students who intend to actually use it in their research endeavors. I highly recommend this textbook to any student of high energy particle physics.
DF - Northeastern Univ. Boston MA.

Excellent textbook.......2007-02-17

Srednicki's book provides a brilliantly organized exposition of the fundamental concepts and calculational tools of quantum field theory. The book is self-contained, and divided into many short chapters which makes it convenient to read. The writing style is very pedagogical, essentially avoiding the "black magic" and mystery that seem to be a necessary ingredient in many other QFT textbooks. The material is presented in a logical way, and the author makes sure to address all the necessary details. I won't be surprised if this new book soon becomes the leading book on the subject.

Classroom Tested, Student Approved.......2007-02-07

I have been taught field theory from this text (actually, while it was in the process of being written), and then been a teaching assistant for the course in which it was used a second time.

In my experience, this is the best single text to use to learn field theory that one can buy today. It is completely modern in its presentation, and covers all of the fundamentals of field theory from scalars to spinors to gauge theory, and even has a significant amount of coverage of the standard model, specifically the Electro-weak theory. Additionally, the book is broken up into very short chapters of 4-10 pages each, and clearly cross referenced so you know what chapters are prerequisite knowledge.

There are a very large number of exercises which range in difficulty from very straightforward to very difficult. The problems manage to be educational and help deepen the understanding of what's presented in the text while still being a challenge.

This is an extremely well-rounded text. It is easily readable, and provides good intuition about the theory, but also goes far more in depth then the other "easier-to-read" field theory texts out there. It also generally sticks to the most commonly used notation and in situations where new notation is needed, the ones that are used are clear and well thought out. A solid graduate quantum mechanics background is necessary to get the most out of this test, but much of the more advanced math is covered as the book needs it (or reviewed in the exercises).

One down side to being so thorough on the theoretical framework is the lack of any reference to experiment or historical development of field theory. If your goal is to learn field theory only from the experimental side, there are better books out there. But for a solid grounding in the fundamentals of field theory there is no better place to start then this.

Quantum Field Theory: From Operators to Path Integrals

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Extremely solid for self-teaching
A good introduction to the physics behind renormalization

Quantum Field Theory: From Operators to Path Integrals
Kerson Huang
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471141208

Book Description

A unique approach to quantum field theory, with emphasis on the principles of renormalization Quantum field theory is frequently approached from the perspective of particle physics. This book adopts a more general point of view and includes applications of condensed matter physics. Written by a highly respected writer and researcher, it first develops traditional concepts, including Feynman graphs, before moving on to key topics such as functional integrals, statistical mechanics, and Wilson's renormalization group. The connection between the latter and conventional perturbative renormalization is explained.

Quantum Field Theory is an exceptional textbook for graduate students familiar with advanced quantum mechanics as well as physicists with an interest in theoretical physics. It features:
* Coverage of quantum electrodynamics with practical calculations and a discussion of perturbative renormalization
* A discussion of the Feynman path integrals and a host of current subjects, including the physical approach to renormalization, spontaneous symmetry breaking and superfluidity, and topological excitations
* Nineteen self-contained chapters with exercises, supplemented with graphs and charts

Customer Reviews:

Extremely solid for self-teaching.......2006-04-06

This book is an ideal introduction to quantum field theory for a graduate student. Assuming a strong background in basic quantum mechanics and classical mechanics, Huang develops quantum field in a methodical fashion. In contrast to other popular quantum field theory books (such as Peskin) Huang doesn't leave out important details, especially with regard to the mathematics behind spinor fields. Plus the book is very readable.

A good introduction to the physics behind renormalization.......1999-05-16

A very good introduction to QFT. It starts with a rather classical account of QED, then develops renormalization and applies it mainly to statistical physics. So the text does not cover non-abelian gauge theories, and is not sufficient for readers who learn QFT for particle physics applications. But the exposition of renormalization is really excellent and complete. I liked the exceptional clarity and lucidity of most calculations, and the excellent set of problems. Solving them all extends the book's scope far beyond the table of contents.

Average customer rating:

A QFT text jewel !!!!
a very thorough introduction
Great Introduction
Detailed guide to QFT

Field Quantization
Walter Greiner , and Joachim Reinhardt
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 3540591796

Book Description

Field Quantization is a thorough introduction to the physical ideas and techniques of this subject, starting from an elementary level. The initial chapters deal with the quantum mechanics of systems having many degrees of freedom and with classical Lagrangian field theory. Subsequently, both the traditional method of canonical quantization and the modern approach using path integrals are studied. The material is presented in considerable detail and accompanied by a large number of worked examples and exercises.

Customer Reviews:

A QFT text jewel !!!!.......2007-08-01

Thorough study of this book is a guaranteed ticket to QFT expertise !
The following excellent books are in addition highly recommended:
1. Mandl and Shaw's - Great intro to QFT
2. The Greiner Books - Exhaustively Comprehensive and Detailed
3. Dr. Zee's - QFT in a Nutshell - Most enthusiastic and didactic
4. Dr. Kaku's - vey clear and insightful. Additional bonus :Intro to Relativistic Strings - I particularly enjoy the pot shot he takes at the co-discoverer (who's name I dare not mention out loud) of the Beta Function (strong ? no, weak? no, gravitational? maybe) "tachyon" interaction formula.
5. Prof Weinberg's Magnificent Three Volume Set - The QFT Bible !

a very thorough introduction.......2005-09-21

There are so many different QFT text books, but this one is of special value:(1) It is a really thorough work, e.g., symmetry principles, path integral, QED, even scalar qed are discussed in detail here! (2) The details are all included, so you will not find something like "it easily follows from..". (3)It introduces everything in a good order. For example, it treats non-relativistic Schrodinger field first before going to the relativistic theories. It has shown that non-relativistic fields permit both boson and fermion rules. From this you can easily see how quantization rules are related to relativity. I am sure you can learn some solid QFT from this book. Of course, I recommend this book along with the standard reference by Peskin-Schroeder, and the lively book by Zee.

Great Introduction.......2001-07-12

This book starts with classical field theory and moves on to some simple, but very relevent examples of nonrelativistic field quantization. Greiner works through all important relativistic system of free particles before a spectactular introduction to Feynman rules via quantum electrodynamics as the primer. The book finishes with a nice introduction to path-integral quantization. This book covers mathematical detail of relativistic field theory in a simple way, making it an excellent introductory text.

Detailed guide to QFT.......2000-03-27

The book's focus is on carefully explaining what quantum field theory is. Starting from classical field theories, ie. the harmonic chain, Greiner goes on to discuss 2nd quantization for spin 0, 1/2, and spin 1 fields. The results are then applied to derive the perturbation expansion for interacting fields. The last sections on quantization with path integrals is also well written, and contains more details than eg. Sakurai. Throughout, many (sometimes tedious, but) instructive examples are presented that lots of other authors just assume to be understood already.

The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (International Series of Monographs on Physics)

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A meticulous account by a man who was there
Simply the Best
Impressive
Don't miss reading Dirac
A very readable classic

The Principles of Quantum Mechanics (International Series of Monographs on Physics)
P. A. M. Dirac
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198520115

Customer Reviews:

A meticulous account by a man who was there.......2007-09-26

This wonderful book lays out the thought process by which Dirac's formulation of quantum mechanics, with its much-handwaved-about "bra" and "ket" notation, came to be. Dirac makes minimal assumptions about the reader's prior education (appropriate, since the first edition was published in an age when a thorough scientific education comprised Homer, Virgil, Euclid, and Newton), so there are none of those annoying allusions of the form, "from which, of course, the insights of [famous name X] allow us to conclude that ..." In fact, there are extremely few footnotes of any kind, and they are not needed, as this work is neatly self-contained.

Dirac is marvelously careful in calling attention to the guesses he makes along the way, so the careful reader can see what Dirac's premises are as well as what can be logically derived from them.

Simply the Best.......2007-09-05

Quite simply, this is the most important book written on the foundations of physics in the last 100 years. I read this when I was 18 & it persuaded me to pursue a career in theoretical physics. It is still one of the few books in physics that I return to after 40 years.
Life is too short, so just read the 'Masters' - Dirac is the greatest master of physics in the 20th Century.

Impressive.......2006-05-04

As anothers reviewers state don't expect to learn QM from this book -actually I think Cohen-Tannoudji is one of the best for this purpose-, but if you know already some quantum mechanics you'll find a very clear and elegant introduction of the dirac formalism of QM. I like it very much.

Don't miss reading Dirac.......2005-06-23

The first edition of this book (including bras, kets and all that) was published when the author was 28. Ponder that a bit, you hot-shots who would scrimp on the stars you give this book.

I agree with an earlier reviewer that the first chapter alone justifies buying the book. I've long kept this book on my shelf to remind myself about how beautifully expository prose can be written, and how far I have to go to equal it.

BTW, in my experience it's possible to learn a lot from it about QM even as a first book on the subject, if you know some linear algebra.

A very readable classic.......2004-11-06

When Quantum Mechanics was being developed, during the 1920s, Dirac wrote some early papers on the subject. But they were messy, abounding with all sorts of complicated integrals! Reading them, it was easy to miss the forest for the trees.

That made this book, when it came out in 1930, all the more powerful. As Dirac said in his introduction, he tried to keep physics to the forefront, and began with an entirely physical chapter. Later editions were a further improvement in that respect: this one is the fourth, and I like it very much. I think it's a good way to start learning the subject. For anyone who has made it through a college course on linear algebra, the first few chapters will be very easy. You'll enjoy superposing states, and calculating amplitudes and probabilities.

That said, in no way is the whole book elementary! Quite the contrary. It covers all the main topics: harmonic oscillators, the hydrogen atom, perturbation theory including the anomalous Zeeman effect, scattering problems, emission and absorption of photons, relativistic quantum mechanics, and quantum electrodynamics, including creation and annihilation operators. Still, he's always reminding us of the underlying physics, and explaining, for example, that even quantum electrodynamics is not a complete description of nature, but breaks down at high enough energies.

Even though this edition of the book is from the 1950s, it's aging very well.

Average customer rating:

Quantum field theory in a nutshell
An excellent book on the long last!
Indispensable for Students of QFT
"one of the most artistic and deepest books ever written on quantum field theory"
Good for PhD's many years after

Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell
A. Zee
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691010196

Book Description

An esteemed researcher and acclaimed popular author takes up the challenge of providing a clear, relatively brief, and fully up-to-date introduction to one of the most vital but notoriously difficult subjects in theoretical physics. A quantum field theory text for the twenty-first century, this book makes the essential tool of modern theoretical physics available to any student who has completed a course on quantum mechanics and is eager to go on.

Quantum field theory was invented to deal simultaneously with special relativity and quantum mechanics, the two greatest discoveries of early twentieth-century physics, but it has become increasingly important to many areas of physics. These days, physicists turn to quantum field theory to describe a multitude of phenomena.

Stressing critical ideas and insights, Zee uses numerous examples to lead students to a true conceptual understanding of quantum field theory--what it means and what it can do. He covers an unusually diverse range of topics, including various contemporary developments, while guiding readers through thoughtfully designed problems. In contrast to previous texts, Zee incorporates gravity from the outset and discusses the innovative use of quantum field theory in modern condensed matter theory.

Without a solid understanding of quantum field theory, no student can claim to have mastered contemporary theoretical physics. Offering a remarkably accessible conceptual introduction, this text will be widely welcomed and used.

Customer Reviews:

Quantum field theory in a nutshell.......2007-08-27

This book is really valuable since is capable to start from the basic concepts of quantum field theory and going up to the frontier of today's physics with some insights on string theory.

Overall the style is really charming, with an unassuming language but at the same time capable to highlight deep concepts.

An excellent book on the long last!.......2007-08-13

I belong to the enthusiastic laymans having enough curiosity and insistence to get acquainted with the results of modern sciences but lacking the mastery on advanced math and physics I had no chance so far to understand the basic roots of quantum field theory. I tried with several textbooks in my mother language and english too, but after reading the first pages I had to close them with a sigh: it is hopeless for me to get through the technical details and as a result I really could not see the forest for the trees. But at long last I got this book of A.Zee! I got through only the first section of it so far, but I now feel confidence to finish it regardless of the coming difficulties I'll have to meet underway. And what is more I have succeded in not only understanding the basic concepts but even solving some exercises attached to the text which Mr. Zee strongly proposed to do. It is worth to accept Mr. Zee's instructions, evidently he knows what he is doing. In my country we used to say: there are two types of experts. The ones who understand their field well, are doing it, the others, who do not, are teaching it. Mr. Zee belongs to a valuable third type: beeing a leading expert on his field he can teach it on an outstandig level at the same time. Many thanks to him for having written this excellent book.
A.Makay (Hungary)

Indispensable for Students of QFT.......2007-08-08

This book is more fun than any other QFT book I have read. The
comparisons to Feynman's writings made by several of the reviewers
seem quite apt. I was lucky enough to be in the Princeton vicinity when
the general viewpoint presented in this book was being cooked up by
an amazing gang of physicists. (That was in the mid 70's.) I will always
remember Tony as a happy-go-lucky guy, but a very serious physicist.
He really enjoyed what he was doing, and this book clearly shows
that he still does. His enthusiasm is quite infectious. This is not a
didactic or encyclopedic tome - serious students must read Weinberg's
set The Quantum Theory of Fields Vol. I (Quantum Theory of Fields)
(and succeeding volumes) and/or some of the other books mentioned
in the Amazon reviews. But I doubt that any other book will spark your
interest like this one does. Enjoy it - you probably will so much that you
won't want to slow down enough to do the problems. That's excusable - once.
If you want the full benefit, go back to the book later and do them.

"one of the most artistic and deepest books ever written on quantum field theory".......2007-02-20

Perhaps it is one of the most artistic and deepest books ever written on
quantum field theory. Deepest not in a sense of presenting tricky methods
and technical details of calculations but what is more important, in
presenting the ideas in all their essence. In fact A. Zee concentrates
mostly on the results rather than on methods and restrics himself the
barest possible level of the mathematical details which is sufficient for
understanding the most nontrivial results of QFT. The book is written so
nicely that the chance that reader will fall asleep reading it is not
higher than those one for really good detective. The scope of the
material covered on 500 pages is amaizing. In fact, no single really
interesting topic in QFT drops from the attention of the author. There are
many extremely positive reviews on amazon.com about the the book,
with which I
fully agree and it is not my intention to repeat the content of these
reviews. Rather I would like to attract attention to several things
which are not fully reflected in these reviews. First, I would like to
stress that the language of the book is very friendly and nonformal making
the reading extremely pleasant. Second thing which really striked me is a
lot of very deep and illuminating remarks which help quite a lot in
clarifying confusions arising when one follows the traditional
presentation of QFT. Let me give several examples:
On the page 109 A. Zee writes
"Did I speak of an electron going backward in time? Did I mumble about a
sea of negative energy electrons? This metaphorical language, when used by
brilliant minds, the likes of Dirac and Feynman, was avocative and
inspirational, but unfortunately confused generations of physics students
and physisists" This remark to the point is very useful and illuminating
even today because in many universities around the world the students are
still tought the nonexisting science called "relativistic quantum
mechanics". Taking this remark thoughtfully reader can avoid confusions
induced by the "historical" presentation of the QFT, which one can still
find even in many modern textbooks.
The other remark which I like concerns the chiral anomaly. On the page
244 A. Zee writes: "Well we would be very upset if the vector current is
not conserved....We wouldn't want our fermions to disappear into thin air or
pop out of nowhere"...this would mean the real anomaly..."On the other
hand, quite frankly, just between us friends, we won't get too upset if
quantum fluctuations violates axial current conservation. Who cares if the
axial charge is not constant in time?" This remark teaches reader that he
has carefully distinguish dangerous anomalies in the nature from
"anomalies induced by our minds". The number of such illuminating
comments is great and I can not quote all of them. Therefore, I finish
with the remark from the excelent chapter on supersymmetry: "I believe
that the development of supersymmetry was very much retarded by the fact
that until early 1970s, most field theorists, having grown up with Dirac
spinors had little knowledge of Weyl spinors" To appreciate this remark
the student should througthfully go through very good and short review of
Group Thery in Appendix B and chapters on Weil and Dirac spinors.
I recommend the book by Zee to everybody who wants to get clear idea what
is the good physics about.

Good for PhD's many years after.......2006-10-22

I want to say how at the top how much I really appreciate this book--it is the best I've seen on the subject--I really mean that. If you are like me, many years past graduation from graduate school and still having a mind left looking for what's up and what's the buzz all about in postmodern physics, this book is wonderfully written and reads as if you were in the classroom listening to Dr. Zee. Here you will see why subjects like the use of the Lagrangian formulation in physics are so important that nearly all of theoretical "new" physicists use it and how Feynman path integrals provide a deeper intuitive grasp of what quantum field theory really is. It will help you understand (1) what the vacuum is really all about, (2) quantum electrodynamics, and (3) the so called standard model of particle physics--quantum chromodynamics--so that you will have more than a basic grasp of what and why quarks and gluons and all that deeper stuff is really about. Most importantly it provides a refreshing view of what and why those infinities, symmetries, successes and failures of the theory are.

Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D.
Author of many books

Philosophic Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (California Library Reprint Series)

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The classic text on the philosophy of quantum mechanics

Philosophic Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (California Library Reprint Series)
Hans Reichenbach
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520047656

Book Description

Written by an internationally renowned philosopher, this volume offers a three-part philosophical interpretation of quantum physics. The first part reviews the basics of quantum mechanics, outlining their philosophical interpretation and summarizing their results; the second outlines the mathematical methods of quantum mechanics; and the third section blends the philosophical ideas of the first part and the mathematical formulations of the second part to develop a variety of interpretations of quantum mechanics. 1944 edition.

Customer Reviews:

The classic text on the philosophy of quantum mechanics.......1999-12-14

Reichenbach's book is a classic text, the first (I think) to focus on the philosophical aspects of quantum mechanics. Since it was written around the time that quantum mechanics was born, it does not deal with modern discussion on the subject. Reichenbach does solid work, however, and this is a valuable resource for anyone interested in these issues.

The book has three sections. The first is an overview of his conclusions and the implications of quantum mechanics. This section is lucid and relatively non-technical, it should be intelligible to anyone. The second section is an in-depth technical introduction to the formalism of quantum mechanics. Anyone, if determined enough, could get through this part, though it's pretty hairy going for those without a formal background in physics or mathematics. In the last section, he reaches his conclusions and introduces a system of logic to deal with the truth value of propositions about quantum mechanics.

Average customer rating:

I recommend "Quantum Field Theory" by Itzykson and Zuber

Good book for its time

Superb

A Field Theory Textbook Like no other

Quantum Field Theory
Claude Itzykson , and Jean-Bernard Zuber
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Quantum Field Theory

ASIN: 0486445682

Book Description

This text offers a balanced treatment of quantum field theory, providing both formal presentation and numerous examples. It begins with the standard quantization of electrodynamics, culminating in the perturbative renormalization, and proceeds to functional methods, relativistic bound states, broken symmetries, nonabelian gauge fields, and asymptotic behavior. 157 figures. 1980 edition.

Customer Reviews:

I recommend "Quantum Field Theory" by Itzykson and Zuber .......2007-02-19

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.......2003-03-15

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.......2001-09-01

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.

A Field Theory Textbook Like no other.......2000-07-01

Finding a good field theory textbook is one of the harder tasks of people's lives - but Itzykson's book is truly incredible. Starting from the very beginning, it develops the operator formalism with the Dirac equation, moves onto perturbation theory, then onto functional methods - and then to asymptotic methods. It's truly comprehensive.

However, it's strongest selling point is the fact that it actually works out examples in incredible detail - where else do you find a complete computation of a two loop vacuum polarization amplitude? This is the ideal book for someone who actually wants to learn how to do calculations in field theory.

Book Description

This volume provides a broad synthesis of conceptual developments of twentieth century field theories, from the general theory of relativity to quantum field theory and gauge theory. The book traces the foundations and evolution of these theories within a historio-critical context. Theoretical physicists and students of theoretical physics will find this a valuable account of the foundational problems of their discipline that will help them understand the internal logic and dynamics of theoretical physics. It will also provide professional historians and philosophers of science, particularly philosophers of physics, with a conceptual basis for further historical, cultural and sociological analysis of the theories discussed. Finally, the scientifically qualified general reader will find in this book a deeper analysis of contemporary conceptions of the physical world than can be found in popular accounts of the subject.

Customer Reviews:

Just over my head.......2007-01-09

On the basis of the publisher's review and those of other readers, I had hoped that I'd be able to follow the path of conceptual developments. True, as advertised, the mathematical rigor was not excessive. Nonetheless, maybe because the author divided the topic into a series of detailed "cuts" at multiple levels, I found myself unable to keep track. If someone replied that the problem was me, not the book, I wouldn't argue.

Thoughtful.......2002-10-25

Excellent (and virtually mathless, save for a few excurses) in-depth analysis of the way our physical thinking evolved. It covers thoroughly all conceptual signposts of the 20th century physics (stemming from distant past)- aether, space, time, space-time, field, gravitation, inertia, quantum concepts like quantization, anomalies and renormalizability. A gift of a bird's (better, eagle's) view for an undergraduate student (that's what you don't understand because you're busy solving the equations); a penetrating analysis for a patient layman (who can grasp circa 70% of the book). Highly recommended.

A rewarding challenge for the serious layman like myself.......2001-08-25

Following is a quote from the Preface: "The book is written primarily for students of theoretical physics who are interested in the foundational problems of their discipline and are struggling to grasp the internal logic and dynamics of their subject from a historical perspective. But I have also done my best to make the text accessible to general readers with a basic scientific education who feel that their cultural curiosity concerning the contemporary conception of nature cannot be satisfied by popular writings." I qualify as the "general reader" in the audience he addresses above who, "'cannot be satisfied by popular writings."

If you've been following my collection of physics books which I post at my 'Shared Purchases' and 'Listmania Lists' portion ..., then you can see that I tend to ambitiously bite off more than I can chew in my choice of intellectual reading. As I admitted in my profile, I am a guy with not much more than half a brain and a driving passion to know what the hell is really going on in this Universe. I have been eagerly searching for a book that will challenge me to grow beyond my comfort level of popular yet slightly technical introductory treatments of physics (specifically Quantum Electrodynamics). Well, I FINALLY FOUND IT! This is a special discovery! As I hope you can tell, I am very excited about my latest exposure to Tian Yu Cao's "Conceptual Developments of 20th Century Field Theories". Cao's wonderful book serves as a didactic bridge across the gapping void we serious laymen come up against when we've finished pussy-footing around with popular-introductory Quantum Physics books and are driven to explore further than our formal education (or lack thereof) will allow when delving deeper into the daunting world of QM. I'm trying to come up to a level where I can get some appreciation and comprehension of the principles in Quantum Field Theories. For example, I ambitiously procured my own copies of "Inward Bound" by Pais, "The Odd Quantum" by Treiman, Schweber's "QED and the Men Who Made it - Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga", and Mehera's, "The Beat of a Different Drummer - the life and science of Richard Feynman". I look at these books and think, "QM looks so beautiful! I want to get a comprehensive grip on this stuff'" Hopeless without University level courses in technical mathematics and physics right? I'm not convinced, I suppose I'll find out sooner or later. As it is, I just keep at it. Day after day, I immerse myself in QM literature with a passion driven by my obsessive curiosity of Nature and what we know of her physical reality. Light, Atoms, Electromagnetic Waves, Matter, Particles, and Fields; these are the things I feel compelled to investigate'

Cao's book is another stepping stone in my self-directed journey of intellectual adventure. The pedagogy of the book is at a relatively safe and sane level for the explorer who is moderately courageous and not afraid to be uncertain about his/her competency in the learning curve. As I said, Cao's book bridges the terrible gap between the easy stuff (i.e. non-technical/popular/introductory/historical level) across the abyss towards the tougher stuff (i.e. technical/rigorously mathematical University level Introduction QFT textbooks). This is a very technical book for someone at my level but I believe that if you are somewhat like me (scary thought!) you can benefit from the book's pages when armed with a serious sense curiosity and a sincere desire to grasp deep & fundamental principles of Quantum Field Theory.

There are some scary looking mathematical formulas but if you're courageous you can breeze over them and let the copious qualitative text speak to your understanding. The only subjects in this book that I don't find of particularly immediate interest to me are his sections on General Relativity as I'm not a Gravity (field) enthusiast yet. I've skimmed over those sections and suspect that I'll be back later to visit it with more interest in the future.

Be sure to carefully read the what the other reviewers have to say about their opinions of this book, look at the book description and 'Table of Contents' link above. I suggest looking at some of the following books as a prerequisite to this book if you are anywhere near my level of intellect: "Strange Beauty" by Johnson, "The Force of Symmetry" by Icke, "The Quantum World" by Polkingthorne, "The Second Creation" by Crease & Mann, "The Quantum Universe" by Hey & Walters, "Why Things Are the Way They Are" by Chandrasekhar, "QED (The Strange Theory of Light and Matter)" by Feynman, "The Great Design (Particles, Fields, and Creation)" by Adair, "Paul Dirac (The Man and His Work)" by Pais, Jacob, Olive & Atiyah, "What Makes Nature Tick?" and also "Thinking About Physics" both by Roger Newton

I hope you will forgive my enthusiasm in this review if I seem overly zealous. I'm just a curious cat. ...

Time to leave high school physics behind.......2000-11-26

Even discounting the complexity of the mathematics involved, the motivated reader who has read a number of the listed physics references here, may find the transition to modern quantum field theory conceptually difficult. This reference, will greatly aid in the transition. Explanation of how physical actions such as gravity and electromagnetism are transmitted at a distance has provoked intense debates over the centuries. The electromagnetic field and continuous ether of Thomson and Maxwell, provided a cause for actions at a distance. In Einstein's special theory of relativity the ether was removed. In Einstein's general theory of relativity, spacetime is shown to depend on the gravitational fields. Gravitational fields are considered to be a geometrical programme of field theory, and are discussed in the first part of this reference. The middle part of this reference then considers the quantum field programme. The last part of this reference then considers the gauge field programme whereby gauge potentials can explain fundamental interactions. The motivated reader will also find this reference useful for introduction to many concepts omitted in most introductory physics texts. For example, in describing how Maxwell derived his wave equations, the ability to reformulate Newtonian mechanics in terms of a Lagrangian approach is noted.

Cao's volume on 20th Century Quantum Field Theories.......2000-03-29

If you are not an expert in quantum field theory, or if you are such an expert, you should read this book from cover to cover about a dozen times at least. Cao of Boston University does for quantum theory what investigative reporters do for political or social/behavioral problems. As a renowned philosopher and quantum physicist, he gives the whole picture and nothing but the whole picture. It is even doubtful if many theoretical physicists know the whole story as it is elaborated by Cao. M. Jammer's 1974 volume gave the story of quantum mechanics and its philosophical basis from the beginning until 1974, and Cao continues this from 1974 until 1997. The astonishing changes in quantum theory from the mechanistic to the geometric to the field theory to the gauge field theory to the effective gauge field theory, as largely inspired by and created by Steven Weinberg (the Nobel Laureate), pass before you in these pages, together with the arguments with other physicists and the experimental and theoretical problems, anomalies, and philosophical difficulties. Einstein's field theory is shown to now be incorporated into quantum field theory, and we see Weinberg's final disgust with the problems that plague quantum field theory (even though he invented effective gauge quantum field theory, the latest theory) and his abandonment of field theory for string theory. Weinberg may have overstepped his intuition here, since string theory has difficult philosophical foundations as Cao points out, and in my opinion string theory is at most an approximation to reality. But Weinberg was probably correct in being fed up with quantum field theory and seeking some other direction, as he usually has been correct about everything else. The prolific roles of P. Dirac and P. Jordan, often overlooked, are well documented by Cao (Dirac seems to be at the Weinberg level of creativity and intuition, although he has gone in so many different directions that he even arouses the ire of Cao). The collapse of complementarity is thoroughly documented as well by Cao.

String Theory, Vol. 2 (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)

Average customer rating:

The definitive introduction to String Theory
Great book, wish there was more
Fair exposition
Currently one of the standards
Perfect book!

String Theory, Vol. 2 (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)
Joseph Polchinski
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521672287

Book Description

Volume 2: Superstring Theory and Beyond, begins with an introduction to supersymmetric string theories and goes on to a broad presentation of the important advances of recent years. The book first introduces the type I, type II, and heterotic superstring theories and their interactions. It then goes on to present important recent discoveries about strongly coupled strings, beginning with a detailed treatment of D-branes and their dynamics, and covering string duality, M-theory, and black hole entropy, and discusses many classic results in conformal field theory. The final four chapters are concerned with four-dimensional string theories, and have two goals: to show how some of the simplest string models connect with previous ideas for unifying the Standard Model; and to collect many important and beautiful general results on world-sheet and spacetime symmetries.

Customer Reviews:

The definitive introduction to String Theory.......2007-02-27

I used Polchinski Vol I and II to learn String Theory for my PhD thesis. Vol I covers the basics, using the bosonic string to quantize, and Vol II starts off with the perturbative type II and heterotic strings and soon moves on to nonperturbative string theory, elegantly summarizing the dualities, D-branes (which of course Polchinski discovered), Calabi-Yau compactifications, flop transitions etc. Vol II is essentially a reference for modern string theory. The chapter on advanced CFT is wonderfuly written, and is perhaps the best summary of CFT available in any book (even tomes devoted to CFT pale in comparison). The two volumes of Polchinski are clearly a must read for anybody who wishes to understand string theory. It is an exceptionally well written text on a difficult subject.

Great book, wish there was more.......2006-04-01

This book picks up for Volume I left off. Supersymmetry is added to strings, more symmetries are presented, string theory phenomenology is described and many topics introduced in Volume I are developed in more detail. The quality is as good as it was in the previous volume and I think this book is essential reading for anyone attempting to master string theory.

The main addition in this volume is the expanded coverage of supersymmetry. In brief, the early chapter topics include the relation of worldsheet supersymmetry to spacetime supersymmetry, the various types of superstrings (I, IIA, IIB, and Heterotic) and even W-algebras. Calculations of critical dimensions, scattering amplitudes and anomaly cancellations are also done.

After incorporating supersymmetry into D-branes and T-duality (two concepts first introduced in the context of bosonic strings in Volume I), the text moves on to cover strings at strong coupling. It's a great chapter, my favorite of the book. Among the things covered are U-duality, black hole entropy, the black hole information paradox and M-theory.

After a chapter covering conformal field theory in more detail there are two chapters on compactification. One for orbifolds and one for Calabi-Yau spaces. The latter gives a nice overview of the techniques of complex geometry and algebraic topology needed to study Calabi-Yau spaces (there is also an appendix covering much of the math). Phenomenology is touched on in these, but it's in the following chapter that a more fully developed presentation of the possible string theory connection with the standard model and grand unified field theory is given. One thing I enjoyed was that in addition to string specific physics, this chapter discusses more general aspects of grand unified theories.

The final chapter contains a collection of advanced topics, with mirror symmetry being one of them.

To summarize this is a can't miss book for people seeking to understand string theory. Is anything missing? Not really, although more extensive coverage of black holes and D-branes would've been nice. It definitely left me wishing there was a Volume III on the horizon.

Fair exposition.......2001-07-22

In the second volume of the series the author generalizes the results of the first to string theories where supersymmetry is present. The mathematics introduced is non-rigorous, and the strategy is to see how much of the formalism for the bosonic case can be carried over to the case where fermions are present. The book is purely an exposition on the subject of string theory, and so no attempt is made to give the reader an in-depth explanation of the ideas and concepts in this area. This is particularly noticeable in the chapter on Calabi-Yau compactification and in the discussion on mirror symmetry in the last chapter. Here is a brief outline of the contents of the book:

- Generalize the mass-shell condition (Klein-Gordon equation in momentum space) by using the Dirac equation.

- The gamma matrices will serve as CM modes of an anticommuting world sheet field.

- The resulting world-sheet supercurrents generate the superconformal transformations of the superconformal algebra.

- Counting the number of (3/2, 0) currents classifies the different superconformal field theories.

- Standard quantization techniques for constrained systems are applied.

- Free SCFTs can be obtained with the vanishing of the central charge giving 10 as the critical dimension.

- SCFT on a circle gives two periodicity conditions for the matter fermions (Ramond and Neveu-Schwarz sectors).

- Ramond and Neveu-Schwarz algberas result. - Holomorphicity constraints give bosonization via the relation between the R sector vertex operators and bosonic winding state vertex operators.

- In 10 flat dimensions, 16 sectors result from the R and NS sectors, 6 of which are empty.

- Consistency conditions yield type IIA and IIB superstring theories.

- The vacuum amplitude for a closed superstring can be found by imposing modular invariance.

- Divergences cancell in the cylinder, Mobius strip, and Klein bottle graphs.

- Generalize preceding constructions by looking for sets of holomorphic and antiholomorphic currents whose Laurent coefficients form a closed algebra.

- Consider algebras that are different on the left- and right-moving sides of the closed string, obtaining the heterotic string.

- Setting the dimensions to be the same at each side and 32 left-moving spin-1/2 fields gives the SO(32) string.

- Split these fields into sets of 16 with independent boundary conditions to get the E8 X E8 heterotic string.

- Use supersymmetry constraints to study interactions of massless degrees of freedom.

- Tree-level interactions can be studied within low-energy supergravity; one-loop gives rise to anomalies.

- Anomalies cancell in type IIA, IIB, type I, and heterotic string theories.

- Use string perturbation theory to calculate amplitudes and interactions.

- Introduce supersymmetry in toroidally compactified string theory, to obtain D-branes which are BPS states and carry R-R charges.

- Type I, IIA, IIB string theories become states in a single theory.

- Study strongly coupled strings using D-brane states.

- The five string theories are limits of a single theory in 11-dimensional spacetime.

- Study conformal field theories as a prolegomena to analyzing string compactification.

- Study string compactification via free world-sheet conformal field theories or interacting exactly solvable conformal field theories.

- Connect the compactified string theory to the Standard Model.

- Start with orbifolds and then the more general Calabi-Yau manifolds.

- Techniques from algebraic geometry are brought in to study the properties of Calabi-Yau manifolds.

- Deduce an effective (low-energy) four-dimensional action using the topology of Calabi-Yau manifolds.

- Elaborate on the physics of four-dimensional string theory.

- Try to deal with the strong CP problem using Peccei-Quinn symmetry and the resulting axion field.

- Try to understand how gauge symmetries arise in the different string theories and how they are related to the ones in the Standard Model.

- Try to connect the different mass scales in string theory.

- Study more advanced topics in string theory, such as N = 2 superconformal algebras, type II superstrings on Calabi-Yau manifolds, string theories on the 4-dimensional Calabi-Yau manifold K3, minimal models, and mirror symmetry.

- Mirror manifolds can be constructed explicitly using Gepner models.

- Use mirror symmetry to obtain the full low energy field theory at the string tree level.

- Flop transitions can occur in string theory, giving dynamical changes in topology.

Currently one of the standards.......2001-03-14

Polchinski's book on string theory is a very well written book about the subject. Also, the problems given in the book are valuable for a further understanding. Using it together with the book by Green, Schwarz, Witten one will afterwards have indeed little problems understanding the papers on this subject. However one caveat: if one reads this book, he or she shoudl be always aware that this topic is still deeply a research subject and by no means settled like mechanics. If this is always kept in mind, then this book is of considerable help in understanding one of the current frontiers of physics.

Perfect book!.......1999-06-25

Reading this book is the easiest way to become familiar with various topics that seemed to be extremely difficult before. The reader then shouldn't have any problems with understanding current research papers.

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