Reviews'The study of minimally complicated models is ... central to the field of condensed-matter physics. Those models, and the tools needed to understand them, are the subject of Ramamurti Shankar's new book,Quantum Field Theory and Condensed Matter: An Introduction. What is different about Shankar's text? For one thing, it is shorter [than his competitors]. Accordingly, Shankar's book is less ambitious in its aim and more selective in its content. That makes it both a more introductory text and a friendlier read. It will be a good textbook for a one-semester first-year graduate course.' Mike Stone, Physics Today
Dewey Edition23
IllustratedYes
Dewey Decimal530.14/3
Table Of ContentPreface; 1. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics review; 2. Ising model in d = 0 and d = 1; 3. Statistical to quantum mechanics; 4. Quantum to statistical mechanics; 5. Feynman path integral; 6. Coherent state path integrals for spins, bosons and fermions; 7. The two-dimensional Ising model; 8. Exact solution of the two-dimensional Ising model; 9. Majorana fermions; 10. Gauge theories; 11. The renormalization group; 12. Critical phenomena: the puzzle and resolution; 13. RG for the 4 model; 14. Two views of renormalization; 15. RG for non-relativistic fermions: I; 16. RG for non-relativistic fermions: II; 17. Bosonization I: the fermion-boson dictionary; 18. Bosonization II: selected applications; 19. Duality and triality; 20. Techniques for the QHE; Index.
SynopsisThis book provides a broad review of the application of quantum field theory to condensed matter systems. A number of important techniques in condensed matter theory are illustrated by describing key problems, including renormalization group, bosonization and path integrals. This book is invaluable for graduate students and researchers interested in theoretical, statistical and condensed matter physics., Providing a broad review of many techniques and their application to condensed matter systems, this book begins with a review of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, before moving onto real and imaginary time path integrals and the link between Euclidean quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. A detailed study of the Ising, gauge-Ising and XY models is included. The renormalization group is developed and applied to critical phenomena, Fermi liquid theory and the renormalization of field theories. Next, the book explores bosonization and its applications to one-dimensional fermionic systems and the correlation functions of homogeneous and random-bond Ising models. It concludes with Bohm-Pines and Chern-Simons theories applied to the quantum Hall effect. Introducing the reader to a variety of techniques, it opens up vast areas of condensed matter theory for both graduate students and researchers in theoretical, statistical and condensed matter physics.