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An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

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An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
AuthorMichael Peskin
Daniel V. Schroeder
LanguageEnglish
SubjectQuantum field theory
Particle physics
PublisherAddison-Wesley
Publication date
1995
Publication placeMassachussets, United States
ISBN0-201-50397-2

An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory is a standard graduate textbook on quantum field theory and particle physics, written by Michael Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder. Commonly known as Peskin and Schroeder for short, it was originally published by Addison-Wesley in 1995.[1]

Table of contents

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Here is the table of contents of the main chapters:[1]

  1. Feynman Diagrams and Quantum Electrodynamics
    1. Invitation: Pair Production and in e e Annhilitation
    2. The Klein–Gordon Field
    3. The Dirac Field
    4. Interacting Fields and Feynman Diagrams
    5. Elementary Processes of Quantum Electrodynamics
    6. Radiative Corrections: Introduction
    7. Radiative Corrections: Some Formal Developments
      Final Project: Radiation of Gluon Jets
  2. Renormalization
    1. Invitation: Ultraviolet Cutoffs and Critical Fluctuations
    2. Functional Methods
    3. Systematics of Renormalization
    4. Renormalization and Symmetry
    5. The Renormalization Group
    6. [a]Critical Exponents and Scalar Field Theory
      [a]Final Project: Coleman–Weinberg Potential
  3. Non-Abelian Gauge Theories
    1. Invitation: The Parton Model of Hadron Structure
    2. Non-Abelian Gauge Invariance
    3. Quantization of Non-Abelian Gauge Theories
    4. Quantum Chromodynamics
    5. [a]Operator Products and Effective Vertices
    6. [a]Perturbation Theory Anomalies
    7. Gauge Theories with Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking
    8. Quantization of Spontaneously Gauge Theories
      Final Project: Decays of the Higgs Boson
  4. Epilogue
    1. Quantum Field Theory at the Frontier

Reception

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The textbook has been well received when it was released and it has become a standard textbook in the field.[2][3][4][5] Emil Martinec praised how theory was developed in order to connect with experiments.[6] Martinec said that before the book, his students needed to consult many different sources.[6] Michelangelo Mangano writing for the CERN Courier indicated that the third chapter could be a book by itself and was previously not available in textbook form.[7]

Tom Banks praised Peskin and Schroeder's treatment of quantum electrodynamics (chapter 5) and Wilsonian renormalization.[8] Banks only criticized that Feynman rules were derived twice in the book, and that it omitted topics in the non-perturbative treatment of quantum field theory like color confinement and chiral symmetry breaking.[8]

Nima Arkani-Hamed considers the book by Peskin and Schroeder one of the two classics in the field, along with the 1964 Relativistic Quantum Mechanics by Sidney Drell and James Bjorken.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Sections suggested to be omitted in less formal courses on particle physics.

References

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  1. ^ a b "An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory". physics.weber.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
  2. ^ Lancaster, Tom; Blundell, Stephen (2014). Quantum Field Theory for the Gifted Amateur. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-969932-2.
  3. ^ Lellouch, Laurent (2011-08-25). Modern Perspectives in Lattice QCD: Quantum Field Theory and High Performance Computing: Lecture Notes of the Les Houches Summer School: Volume 93, August 2009. OUP Oxford. ISBN 978-0-19-969160-9.
  4. ^ a b "Reviews | Quantum Field Theory and Standard Model". schwartzqft.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  5. ^ Berg, Michael (2016). "MAA Review: An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory". Mathematical Association of America. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019.
  6. ^ a b Martinec, Emil (1996-08-01). "An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory". Physics Today. 49 (8): 69–72. doi:10.1063/1.2807734. ISSN 0031-9228.
  7. ^ Mangano, Michelangelo (March 1997). "Bookshelf: Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, by Michael Peskin and Daniel Schroeder, Addison Wesley, ISBN 0 201 503972" (PDF). CERN Courier. 37 (2): 19–20.
  8. ^ a b Banks, Tom (1998-07-01). "Post-Use Review. An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory". American Journal of Physics. 66 (7): 646. doi:10.1119/1.18927. ISSN 0002-9505.
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