TY  - BOOK
AU  - Paranjape,M.B.
TI  - The theory and applications of instanton calculations
T2  - Cambridge monographs on mathematical physics
SN  - 9781316658741 (ebook)
AV  - QC174.17.M35 P36 2018
U1  - 530.12 23
PY  - 2018///
CY  - Cambridge
PB  - Cambridge University Press
KW  - Quantum field theory
KW  - Mathematics
KW  - Instantons
N1  - Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 17 Nov 2017); 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
N2  - 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
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316658741
ER  -