Symmetries and Symmetry Breaking in Field Theory [Paperback]

Many courses on modern quantum field theory focus on the formulation and application of field theory, leaving topics related to symmetry underdeveloped. This leads to students often having an incomplete understanding of symmetries. Filling this gap, Symmetries and Symmetry Breaking in Field Theory sheds light on various aspects of symmetry in field theory.

The book presents a broad selection of important topics, including constraint theory, generalized PauliVillars regularization, the measure approach to anomalies, zeta function regularization, and anomalous gauge theories. The author explains how some classical symmetries are broken by anomalies and how other symmetries of the theory are spontaneously broken. He discusses all of the ideas in as simple a way as possible.

Introduction. Elements of Classical Field Theory. Global Symmetries. Local Symmetry and Constraint Theory. Functional Integral Formulation of Field Theory. Nonabelian Gauge Symmetry. Discrete Symmetries. Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking. Breaking of Chiral Symmetry on Quantization: The Anomaly. Index.

This book sheds light on various aspects of symmetry in field theory, including constraint theory, generalized PauliVillars regularization, the measure approach to anomalies, zeta function regularization, and anomalous gauge theories. Unlike most field theory books, this one uses constraint theory in discussing gauge theories. The author explains how some classical symmetries are broken by anomalies and how other symmetries of the theory are spontaneously broken. He discusses all of the ideas in as simple a way as possible.