Download or read book Conformal Field Theory and Topology written by Toshitake Kohno and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2002 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geometry and physics have been developed with a strong influence on each other. One of the most remarkable interactions between geometry and physics since 1980 has been an application of quantum field theory to topology and differential geometry. This book focuses on a relationship between two-dimensional quantum field theory and three-dimensional topology which has been studied intensively since the discovery of the Jones polynomial in the middle of the 1980s and Witten's invariantfor 3-manifolds derived from Chern-Simons gauge theory. An essential difficulty in quantum field theory comes from infinite-dimensional freedom of a system. Techniques dealing with such infinite-dimensional objects developed in the framework of quantum field theory have been influential in geometryas well. This book gives an accessible treatment for a rigorous construction of topological invariants originally defined as partition functions of fields on manifolds. The book is organized as follows: The Introduction starts from classical mechanics and explains basic background materials in quantum field theory and geometry. Chapter 1 presents conformal field theory based on the geometry of loop groups. Chapter 2 deals with the holonomy of conformal field theory. Chapter 3 treatsChern-Simons perturbation theory. The final chapter discusses topological invariants for 3-manifolds derived from Chern-Simons perturbation theory.
Download or read book Conformal Field Theory and Topology written by Toshitake Kohno and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this book is to provide the reader with an introduction to conformal field theory and its applications to topology. The author starts with a description of geometric aspects of conformal field theory based on loop groups. By means of the holonomy of conformal field theory he defines topological invariants for knots and 3-manifolds. He also gives a brief treatment of Chern-Simons perturbation theory.
Download or read book Topology Geometry and Quantum Field Theory written by Ulrike Luise Tillmann and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-06-28 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The symposium held in honour of the 60th birthday of Graeme Segal brought together leading physicists and mathematicians. Its topics were centred around string theory, M-theory, and quantum gravity on the one hand, and K-theory, elliptic cohomology, quantum cohomology and string topology on the other. Geometry and quantum physics developed in parallel since the recognition of the central role of non-abelian gauge theory in elementary particle physics in the late seventies and the emerging study of super-symmetry and string theory. With its selection of survey and research articles these proceedings fulfil the dual role of reporting on developments in the field and defining directions for future research. For the first time Graeme Segal's manuscript 'The definition of Conformal Field Theory' is published, which has been greatly influential over more than ten years. An introduction by the author puts it into the present context.
Download or read book Lectures on Field Theory and Topology written by Daniel S. Freed and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2019-08-23 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These lectures recount an application of stable homotopy theory to a concrete problem in low energy physics: the classification of special phases of matter. While the joint work of the author and Michael Hopkins is a focal point, a general geometric frame of reference on quantum field theory is emphasized. Early lectures describe the geometric axiom systems introduced by Graeme Segal and Michael Atiyah in the late 1980s, as well as subsequent extensions. This material provides an entry point for mathematicians to delve into quantum field theory. Classification theorems in low dimensions are proved to illustrate the framework. The later lectures turn to more specialized topics in field theory, including the relationship between invertible field theories and stable homotopy theory, extended unitarity, anomalies, and relativistic free fermion systems. The accompanying mathematical explanations touch upon (higher) category theory, duals to the sphere spectrum, equivariant spectra, differential cohomology, and Dirac operators. The outcome of computations made using the Adams spectral sequence is presented and compared to results in the condensed matter literature obtained by very different means. The general perspectives and specific applications fuse into a compelling story at the interface of contemporary mathematics and theoretical physics.
Download or read book Differential Topology and Quantum Field Theory written by Charles Nash and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1991 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The remarkable developments in differential topology and how these recent advances have been applied as a primary research tool in quantum field theory are presented here in a style reflecting the genuinely two-sided interaction between mathematical physics and applied mathematics. The author, following his previous work (Nash/Sen: Differential Topology for Physicists, Academic Press, 1983), covers elliptic differential and pseudo-differential operators, Atiyah-Singer index theory, topological quantum field theory, string theory, and knot theory. The explanatory approach serves to illuminate and clarify these theories for graduate students and research workers entering the field for the first time. Treats differential geometry, differential topology, and quantum field theory Includes elliptic differential and pseudo-differential operators, Atiyah-Singer index theory, topological quantum field theory, string theory, and knot theory Tackles problems of quantum field theory using differential topology as a tool
Download or read book A Mathematical Introduction to Conformal Field Theory written by Martin Schottenloher and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-09-15 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part I gives a detailed, self-contained and mathematically rigorous exposition of classical conformal symmetry in n dimensions and its quantization in two dimensions. The conformal groups are determined and the appearence of the Virasoro algebra in the context of the quantization of two-dimensional conformal symmetry is explained via the classification of central extensions of Lie algebras and groups. Part II surveys more advanced topics of conformal field theory such as the representation theory of the Virasoro algebra, conformal symmetry within string theory, an axiomatic approach to Euclidean conformally covariant quantum field theory and a mathematical interpretation of the Verlinde formula in the context of moduli spaces of holomorphic vector bundles on a Riemann surface.
Download or read book Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Field Theory and Perturbative String Theory written by Hisham Sati and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2011-12-07 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conceptual progress in fundamental theoretical physics is linked with the search for the suitable mathematical structures that model the physical systems. Quantum field theory (QFT) has proven to be a rich source of ideas for mathematics for a long time. However, fundamental questions such as ``What is a QFT?'' did not have satisfactory mathematical answers, especially on spaces with arbitrary topology, fundamental for the formulation of perturbative string theory. This book contains a collection of papers highlighting the mathematical foundations of QFT and its relevance to perturbative string theory as well as the deep techniques that have been emerging in the last few years. The papers are organized under three main chapters: Foundations for Quantum Field Theory, Quantization of Field Theories, and Two-Dimensional Quantum Field Theories. An introduction, written by the editors, provides an overview of the main underlying themes that bind together the papers in the volume.
Download or read book Geometric and Topological Methods for Quantum Field Theory written by Sylvie Paycha and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2007 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume, based on lectures and short communications at a summer school in Villa de Leyva, Colombia (July 2005), offers an introduction to some recent developments in several active topics at the interface between geometry, topology and quantum field theory. It is aimed at graduate students in physics or mathematics who might want insight in the following topics (covered in five survey lectures): Anomalies and noncommutative geometry, Deformation quantisation and Poisson algebras, Topological quantum field theory and orbifolds. These lectures are followed by nine articles on various topics at the borderline of mathematics and physics ranging from quasicrystals to invariant instantons through black holes, and involving a number of mathematical tools borrowed from geometry, algebra and analysis.
Download or read book Homotopy Quantum Field Theory written by Vladimir G. Turaev and published by European Mathematical Society. This book was released on 2010 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homotopy Quantum Field Theory (HQFT) is a branch of Topological Quantum Field Theory founded by E. Witten and M. Atiyah. It applies ideas from theoretical physics to study principal bundles over manifolds and, more generally, homotopy classes of maps from manifolds to a fixed target space. This book is the first systematic exposition of Homotopy Quantum Field Theory. It starts with a formal definition of an HQFT and provides examples of HQFTs in all dimensions. The main body of the text is focused on $2$-dimensional and $3$-dimensional HQFTs. A study of these HQFTs leads to new algebraic objects: crossed Frobenius group-algebras, crossed ribbon group-categories, and Hopf group-coalgebras. These notions and their connections with HQFTs are discussed in detail. The text ends with several appendices including an outline of recent developments and a list of open problems. Three appendices by M. Muger and A. Virelizier summarize their work in this area. The book is addressed to mathematicians, theoretical physicists, and graduate students interested in topological aspects of quantum field theory. The exposition is self-contained and well suited for a one-semester graduate course. Prerequisites include only basics of algebra and topology.
Download or read book Geometry and Quantum Field Theory written by Daniel S. Freed and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 1995 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first title in a new series, this book explores topics from classical and quantum mechanics and field theory. The material is presented at a level between that of a textbook and research papers making it ideal for graduate students. The book provides an entree into a field that promises to remain exciting and important for years to come.
Download or read book Strings Conformal Fields and M Theory written by Michio Kaku and published by Springer. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 531 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on the foundations laid in his Introduction to Superstrings and M Theory, Professor Kaku discusses such topics as the classification of conformal string theories, knot theory, the Yang-Baxter relation, quantum groups, and the insights into 11-dimensional strings recently obtained from M-theory. New chapters discuss such topics as Seiberg-Witten theory, M theory and duality, and D-branes. Throughout, the author conveys the vitality of the current research and places readers at its forefront. Several chapters reviewing the fundamentals of string theory, making the presentation of the material self-contained while keeping overlap with the earlier book to a minimum.
Download or read book Lectures on Tensor Categories and Modular Functors written by Bojko Bakalov and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gives an exposition of the relations among the following three topics: monoidal tensor categories (such as a category of representations of a quantum group), 3-dimensional topological quantum field theory, and 2-dimensional modular functors (which naturally arise in 2-dimensional conformal field theory). The following examples are discussed in detail: the category of representations of a quantum group at a root of unity and the Wess-Zumino-Witten modular functor. The idea that these topics are related first appeared in the physics literature in the study of quantum field theory. Pioneering works of Witten and Moore-Seiberg triggered an avalanche of papers, both physical and mathematical, exploring various aspects of these relations. Upon preparing to lecture on the topic at MIT, however, the authors discovered that the existing literature was difficult and that there were gaps to fill. The text is wholly expository and finely succinct. It gathers results, fills existing gaps, and simplifies some proofs. The book makes an important addition to the existing literature on the topic. It would be suitable as a course text at the advanced-graduate level.
Download or read book Field Theory Topology and Condensed Matter Physics written by Hendrik B. Geyer and published by Springer. This book was released on 1995-08-18 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This topical volume contains five pedagogically written articles on the interplay between field theory and condensed matter physics. The main emphasis is on the topological aspects, and especially quantum Hall fluids, and superconductivity is treated extensively. Other topics are conformal invariance and path integrals. The articles are carefully edited so that the book could ideally serve as a text for special graduate courses.
Download or read book Introduction to Conformal Field Theory written by Ralph Blumenhagen and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-07-11 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on class-tested notes, this text offers an introduction to Conformal Field Theory with a special emphasis on computational techniques of relevance for String Theory. It introduces Conformal Field Theory at a basic level, Kac-Moody algebras, one-loop partition functions, Superconformal Field Theories, Gepner Models and Boundary Conformal Field Theory. Eventually, the concept of orientifold constructions is explained in detail for the example of the bosonic string. In providing many detailed CFT calculations, this book is ideal for students and scientists intending to become acquainted with CFT techniques relevant for string theory but also for students and non-specialists from related fields.
Download or read book Renormalization and Effective Field Theory written by Kevin Costello and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2011 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantum field theory has had a profound influence on mathematics, and on geometry in particular. However, the notorious difficulties of renormalization have made quantum field theory very inaccessible for mathematicians. This provides complete mathematical foundations for the theory of perturbative quantum field theory, based on Wilson's ideas of low-energy effective field theory and on the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism.
Download or read book Vertex Algebras and Algebraic Curves written by Edward Frenkel and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2004-08-25 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vertex algebras are algebraic objects that encapsulate the concept of operator product expansion from two-dimensional conformal field theory. Vertex algebras are fast becoming ubiquitous in many areas of modern mathematics, with applications to representation theory, algebraic geometry, the theory of finite groups, modular functions, topology, integrable systems, and combinatorics. This book is an introduction to the theory of vertex algebras with a particular emphasis on the relationship with the geometry of algebraic curves. The notion of a vertex algebra is introduced in a coordinate-independent way, so that vertex operators become well defined on arbitrary smooth algebraic curves, possibly equipped with additional data, such as a vector bundle. Vertex algebras then appear as the algebraic objects encoding the geometric structure of various moduli spaces associated with algebraic curves. Therefore they may be used to give a geometric interpretation of various questions of representation theory. The book contains many original results, introduces important new concepts, and brings new insights into the theory of vertex algebras. The authors have made a great effort to make the book self-contained and accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Reviewers of the first edition anticipated that it would have a long-lasting influence on this exciting field of mathematics and would be very useful for graduate students and researchers interested in the subject. This second edition, substantially improved and expanded, includes several new topics, in particular an introduction to the Beilinson-Drinfeld theory of factorization algebras and the geometric Langlands correspondence.
Download or read book Field Theories of Condensed Matter Physics written by Eduardo Fradkin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 855 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presenting the physics of the most challenging problems in condensed matter using the conceptual framework of quantum field theory, this book is of great interest to physicists in condensed matter and high energy and string theorists, as well as mathematicians. Revised and updated, this second edition features new chapters on the renormalization group, the Luttinger liquid, gauge theory, topological fluids, topological insulators and quantum entanglement. The book begins with the basic concepts and tools, developing them gradually to bring readers to the issues currently faced at the frontiers of research, such as topological phases of matter, quantum and classical critical phenomena, quantum Hall effects and superconductors. Other topics covered include one-dimensional strongly correlated systems, quantum ordered and disordered phases, topological structures in condensed matter and in field theory and fractional statistics.
