| Description |
1 online resource (xiv, 309 pages) : illustrations |
| Series |
Cambridge monographs on mathematical physics
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Cambridge monographs on mathematical physics.
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| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Quantum mechanics and the path integral -- The symmetric double well -- Decay of a meta-stable state -- Quantum field theory and the path integral -- Decay of the false vacuum -- Large orders in perturbation theory -- Quantum electrodynamics in 1+1 dimensions -- The Polyakov proof of confinement -- Monopole pair production -- Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) -- Instantons, supersymmetry and Morse theory. |
| Summary |
Instantons, or pseudoparticles, are solutions to the equations of motion in classical field theories on a Euclidean spacetime. Instantons are found everywhere in quantum theories as they have many applications in quantum tunnelling. Diverse physical phenomena may be described through quantum tunnelling, for example: the Josephson effect, the decay of meta-stable nuclear states, band formation in tight binding models of crystalline solids, the structure of the gauge theory vacuum, confinement in 2+1 dimensions, and the decay of superheated or supercooled phases. Drawing inspiration from Sidney Coleman's Erice lectures, this volume provides an accessible, detailed introduction to instanton methods, with many applications, making it a valuable resource for graduate students in many areas of physics, from condensed matter, particle and nuclear physics, to string theory. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Quantum field theory -- Mathematics.
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Instantons.
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SCIENCE -- Energy. |
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SCIENCE -- Mechanics -- General. |
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SCIENCE -- Physics -- General. |
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Instantons. |
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Quantum field theory -- Mathematics. |
| Other Form: |
Print version: Paranjape, M.B. Theory and applications of instanton calculations. Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2018 9781107155473 1107155479 (DLC) 2017033141 (OCoLC)989036250 |
| ISBN |
9781108548731 (electronic bk.) |
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1108548733 (electronic bk.) |
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9781316658741 |
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1316658740 |
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9781107155473 |
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1107155479 |
|
