David Atkinson
Rinton Press | 2003 | ISBN: 158949024X | 216 pages | PDF | 17 MB
This volume being an introduction to quantum field theory, employs canonical quantization methods exclusively, the path-integral formalism having been avoided. We have not made any attempt to cover all subjects of physical interest, but have made a choice appropriate for a course based on two hours of lectures and two hours of problem sessions during one undergraduate semester. The basic goal is the setting up of rules for drawing Feynman graphs and for calculating amplitudes from them. This is done primarily in quantum electrodynamics; but an appendix sketches the extension to the electroweak theory, and some Feynman rules are given for this extended Lagrangian.
Despite the plethora of books of instruction on these subjects, we hope that our work will fill a need, and we believe our approach to be pedagogically sound, given its attention to mathematical detail combined with physics, which resulted in the integration of the appropriate mathematical tools at the points in the text where they are needed. The mathematics is at the same time explicit but kept in check, so that the reader does not get bogged down in annoying generalizations that might distract him or her from the physics. At a number of points recourse is taken to the computer to solve transcendental equations; in most cases a simple program is given in Mathematica (which is a trademark of Wolfram Research Inc.), but for readers without access to this system, we indicate where the numerical results can be checked by means of a scientific calculator
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