A Modern Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

The importance and the beauty of modern quantum field theory resides in the power and variety of its methods and ideas, which find application in domains as different as particle physics, cosmology, condensed matter, statistical mechanics and critical phenomena. This book introduces the reader to the modern developments in a manner which assumes no previous knowledge of quantum field theory. Along with standard topics like Feynman diagrams, the book discusses effective lagrangians, renormalization group equations, the path integral formulation, spontaneous symmetry breaking and non-abelian gauge theories. The inclusion of more advanced topics will also make this a most useful book for graduate students and researchers.

1 - Introduction
2 - Lorentz and Poincaré symmetries in quantum field theory
3 - Classical field theory
4 - Quantization of free fields
5 - Perturbation theory and Feynman diagrams
6 - Cross sections and decay rates
7 - Quantum electrodynamics
8 - The low-energy limit of the electroweak theory
9 - Path integral quantization
10 - Non-Abelian gauge theories
11 - Spontaneous symmetry breaking

Michele Maggiore is Professor of Physics at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.