An Introduction To Quantum Field Theory 1st Edition by Michael E. Peskin (PDF)

Description

An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory is a textbook intended for the graduate physics course covering relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and Feynman diagrams. The authors make these subjects accessible through carefully worked examples illustrating the technical aspects of the subject, and intuitive explanations of what is going on behind the mathematics. After presenting the basics of quantum electrodynamics, the authors discuss the theory of renormalization and its relation to statistical mechanics, and introduce the renormalization group. This discussion sets the stage for a discussion of the physical principles that underlie the fundamental interactions of elementary particle physics and their description by gauge field theories.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Sidney Coleman says this: “…a notorious reputation for difficulty.” (1975 Lecture One, Quantum Field Theory). Peskin and Schroeder say this: “we feel that students who want to become experts in elementary-particle theory and to fully understand its unified view of the fundamental interactions should master every topic in this book.” (preface). If you do not desire to “become an expert” or “master every topic,” turn to another resource ! However, there is more to this book than just that (of becoming an expert). Read: “As we expose more applications of the (Feynman) diagrams they begin to take on a life and significance of their own….we hope that this book will enable you (the reader) to take up this tool and apply it in novel and enlightening ways.” (page 12). That is the reason for studying this book, or, at least the reason I study this book. It is a challenging text, as it should be (being a graduate-level text). My limited outlook:(1) You wait until chapter four for Feynman diagrams, everything else (up to page 77) is merely warming-up. Glance at the exercises in the initial three chapters. An introduction to supersymmetry (problem #3.5, “linking fermions and bosons.”). That exercise utilizes Grassmann numbers (introduced earlier, exercise #3.4, pages 73-74). A clue: exercises introduce auxiliary material and they are somewhat interdependent. At least, read every exercise in order, one after the other and attempt to solve each of them. Problem #4.3 (page 127) introduces linear sigma-model, a model discussed in detail later (chapter 11, page 349). The book has a linear structure.(2) Another pedagogic strategy: introducing a topic heuristically, presenting a detailed examination of the topic later. For instance, chapter four (page 80) will utilize dimensional analysis to “throw out nearly all candidate interactions,” this precedes a detailed discussion of renormalization (chapter ten). Read: “it can be shown that, however complicated a fundamental theory appears at very- high energies, the low-energy approximation to this theory that we see in experiments should be a renormalizable quantum field theory (page 81). A discussion, “guessing the magnitude of the top-Quark width,” (page 747) then follows.(3) If you have not learned by now that analogy is an important pedagogic device, then you will not appreciate Peskin and Schroeder. Analogy is oft-utilized. Examples abound: “by analogy we can construct a similar quantity” (page 365, to statistical mechanics), neutrino cross-section (page 560, analogous to electron-proton scattering), two-dimensional axial current has analogues in four-dimensions (page 659), working out the analogue to electron-splitting for photon-splitting (page 584), the list of “analogies” continues unabated (note the table on page 367, magnetic system).(4) Mathematics is straightforward: details regarding dimensional regularization (page 249) is as forthright as possible, then you are asked to assist in those calculations ( “you can easily verify the more general integration formulae.” ).If you are unable to verify those integration formulae, then you are lost (page 251) !(5) Functional methods, delightful. Read: “we consider that the Lagrangian to be the most fundamental specification of quantum field theory.” (chapter nine, page 283). Learn of Faddeev-Popov (“isolate the interesting part”) then you churn out the photon propagator (page 297). Read: “the functional integral formalism makes the symmetries of the problem manifest.” (page 306). You get the chance to use the product expansion for hyperbolic-sine in problem #9.2,a five-part exercise. There are other instances to learn of interesting mathematics (the integral, page 262).(6) Read: “this book is primarily a textbook of theoretical methods rather than a review and interpretation of experimental data.” (page 545). That statement precedes an introductory chapter of quantum chromodynamics. This superb chapter seventeen sets the scene (via asymptotic freedom) as preparation for the following chapter (details via renormalization and scaling laws). The conclusion here: “it is remarkable that these simple considerations have led to a description of the strong interactions that is quantitatively correct for a broad range of phenomena…” (page 594).(7) Footnotes are invaluable. Sometimes they expand upon a qualitative discussion. For example, a paper by Coleman and Gross (1973, Physical Review Letters) expands upon the discussion of page 543, “among renormalizable quantum field theories in four space-time dimensions, only the non-Abelian gauge theories are asymptotically free.” (Section # 16.7, pages 541-543, presenting the qualitative survey). Another footnote, another paper: “for every spontaneously broken continuous symmetry, the theory must contain a massless particle.“ (1962, Goldstone, Salam, Weinberg). If you do not care to peruse journal literature for elaboration, Peskin and Schroeder will prove less fulfilling because of that !(8) No textbook is perfect, there are shortcomings: You do not find cluster decomposition (chapter four of Weinberg). We are informed “we have avoided giving a careful treatment of the energy-momentum tensor of a quantum field theory.” (page 682). We are informed “we will not discuss canonical quantization of the electromagnetic field at all in this book.” (page 79; see Mandl and Shaw for that).(9) At 850 pages, there is a surfeit of material. The authors have provided more on their webpage: expanding section # 10.5, supplemental material for chapters 13, 16, 19 and 20. More from them about Jets (arXiv 1101.2414).(10) I am convinced that quantum field theory should be developed through multiple volumes (thus, my preference for Steven Weinberg). In a single-volume text, too much material can prove daunting. It is easy to see where Peskin and Schroeder can be overwhelming. In reality, no single resource is sufficient for everlasting comprehension.(11) Conclusion: I can only offer a personal opinion (not teaching from the book nor having taken a course based on the book). This is a graduate level text and there is no reason to include every step of every derivation. If you are not used to “filling in the steps” by the time you reach graduate-level, that is an issue for which Peskin and Schroeder are not responsible (they are explicit regards prerequisites). I like this textbook quite a bit, although my favorite remains Steven Weinberg. I have studied from many texts (30 of them) at one time or another (from 1959 to 2017). If you do not appreciate Peskin and Schroeder, there are plenty of options to choose from (including Coleman, Srednicki, Duncan and, of course, Weinberg).

⭐This is the ideal book to use a basis for learning QFT. That isn’t to say that it’s the only book that you’ll need or that it can replace a course on QFT, but the good thing about the book is that it shows you how to actually calculate things. So my way of using this book is to go try to do a calculation until I run into an idea that the book does not explain well. At this point, I turn to some other book for more details. Quite a few times, the other books are not necessarily books on QFT. Ideally you want to be in a short course on QFT that shows you what the ideas in QFT are so that you can go crazy, compute a scattering amplitude and learn the details of the tricks involved in the calculations from a text. Which brings me to the the topic of backup texts to help understand things that this text does not treat well. A great set of supplementary notes for understanding the ideas involved in QFT are David Tong’s ‘Lectures on Quantum Field Theory’ ([…]) that are freely available on the net. Unfortunately, they don’t go very far but another great set of notes are Michael Luke’s version of Sidney Coleman’s ‘QFT Lecture Notes’ ([…]) that are also freely available on the net. A good text for more basic QFT stuff is Franz Gross’ ‘Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory’ (http://www.amazon.com/Relativistic-Quantum-Mechanics-science-paperback/dp/0471353868/). Gross’ book assumes less knowledge on the part of the student and spends a lot of time on the EM field and the K-G and Dirac equations. A good supplement for (mostly) classical fields and gauges is ‘Geometry, Particles and Fields’ by Bjorn Felsager (http://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Particles-Graduate-Contemporary-Physics/dp/0387982671/). At a much more elementary level is Davison Soper’s ‘Classical Field Theory’ (http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Field-Theory-Dover-Physics/dp/0486462609/). Special relativity and electrodynamics are covered well by Asim Barut’s ‘Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles’ (http://www.amazon.com/Electrodynamics-Classical-Theory-Fields-Particles/dp/0486640388/). A good book for a more laid back, overviewing, historical, pedagogical and well-written view of QFT is Steven Weinberg’s ‘The Quantum Theory of Fields: Vol I, II & III’ (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Theory-Fields-Foundations/dp/0521670535/), although, like most texts written by Weinberg, it’s great and scholarly for people who already know some QFT but probably not a good text for someone seeing it all for the first time. Finally, mention must be made of the excellent, but sadly out of print, text on QED by Josef Jauch and Fred Rohrlich ‘The Theory of Photons and Electrons’ (http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Photons-Electrons-Relativistic-Mathematical/dp/3540072950/). Jauch and Rohrlich cover most of QED but none of the developments involving the Weak or Strong Force because they were not understood at all the time of the publication of the first edition of the book (1955). An update in 1976 included more QED but the death of Josef Jauch prevented it from becoming a full-blown QFT text.In conclusion, you’ll probably wannt Peskin and Schroeder as a sort of ‘hammer, saw and screwdriver’ text (a carpenter’s basic tools are hammers, saws and screwdrivers) but you’ll need to go grab other tools every now and then.

⭐An excellent student addition. I found it quite hard going for my level of understanding as I have not reached the more advanced courses yet. But I think that many students that have, will find this book will give a thorough foundation and more advanced content for their studies with quantum physics. I’m struggling happy with it. But really I’m not up to it. Finally I have tried other quantum physics books at this level. This has been in my opinion one of the better ones.

⭐From the Klein-Gordon equation, to the Unification Theories, trough renormalization and gauge symetry, Peskin’s book covers deeply and formally each topic. Excellent writing style, almost every calculation is done. One thing I hate about this book is that it has phrases such ‘it’s straightforward that…’ an then it writes a result that you need 4-5 pages of calculations where you need identities explained many chapters before. Nevertheless I recomend this book, it’s the best one i’ve ever read on Quantum Field Theory.

⭐Very pleased with this book the book is in excellent condition and i am finding it interesting and fascinating read thank you

⭐und das Buch ist immer noch DAS Standard-Nachschlagewerk auf meinem Schreibtisch. Sowas nenne ich mal eine lohnende Investition :-)Als ich es neu gekauft hatte, studierte ich noch und war gerade bei der Vorlesung zur relativistischen Quantenmechanik angelangt. Damals habe ich das Buch als sehr schwere Kost empfunden – als Einsteigerlehrbuch ist es also nicht ideal, da gibt es bessere! Aber so muehsam die Lektuere war, so sehr hat mich das Buch fasziniert, der Informationsgehalt ist einfach unglaublich. Kein Wunder, dass dieses Buch eins der absoluten Standardwerke auf dem Schreibtisch eines jeden Teilchenphysikers ist.Il libro e’ molto interessante e ben scritto. Tuttavia noto che tralascia molte parti importanti della materia (una su tutte, la teoria dei gruppi) e tende a mantenere un taglio un po’ troppo elementare su tutto il resto. Personalmente ci ho studiato soltanto la regolarizzazione dimensionale, che ho notato con piacevole sorpresa essere spiegata molto meglio qui’ che sulle dispense del mio professore o che su altri libri che ho consultato. In ogni caso penso che sia un libro da avere.

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