Recent progress in statistical mechanics and quantum field theory : Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southern California, 16-21 May 1994
The conference brought together leading researchers at the interface between statistical mechanics and quantum field theory, which is, and has been, a very rich, dynamic and useful area of theoretical physics. The following topics that are of very active and current interest were covered: the study of renormalization group flows between field theories using the methods of quantum integrability, S-matrix theory and the thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz; impurity problems approached both from the point of view of conformal field theory and quantum integrability; the Kondo effect and quantum wires; solvable models with 1/r2 interactions (Haldane-Shastri models); Yangian symmetries in 1/r2 models and in conformal field theories; correlation functions in integrable 1+1 field theories; integrability in three dimensions; conformal invariance and the quantum hall effect; supersymmetry in statistical mechanics; and relations to two-dimensional Yang-Mills and QCD.
The conference brought together leading researchers at the interface between statistical mechanics and quantum field theory, which is, and has been, a very rich, dynamic and useful area of theoretical physics. The following topics that are of very active and current interest were covered: the study of renormalization group flows between field theories using the methods of quantum integrability, S-matrix theory and the thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz; impurity problems approached both from the point of view of conformal field theory and quantum integrability; the Kondo effect and quantum wires; solvable models with 1/r2 interactions (Haldane-Shastri models); Yangian symmetries in 1/r2 models and in conformal field theories; correlation functions in integrable 1+1 field theories; integrability in three dimensions; conformal invariance and the quantum hall effect; supersymmetry in statistical mechanics; and relations to two-dimensional Yang-Mills and QCD.
Abstract This book is an introduction to statistical field theory, which is an important subject within theoretical physics and a field that has seen substantial progress in recent years. The book covers fundamental topics in great detail and includes areas like conformal field theory, quantum integrability, S-matrices, braiding groups, Bethe ansatz, renormalization groups, Majorana fermions, form factors, the truncated conformal space approach and boundary field theory. It also provides an introduction to lattice statistical models. Many topics are discussed at a fairly advanced level but via a pedagogical approach. In particular, the book presents in a clear way non-perturbative methods of quantum field theories that have become decisive tools in many different areas of statistical and condensed matter physics, and which are currently an essential foundation of the working knowledge of a modern theoretical physicist.
Abstract This book provides a thorough introduction to the fascinating world of phase transitions as well as many related topics, including random walks, combinatorial problems, quantum field theory and S-matrix. Fundamental concepts of phase transitions, such as order parameters, spontaneous symmetry breaking, scaling transformations, conformal symmetry, and anomalous dimensions, have deeply changed the modern vision of many areas of physics, leading to remarkable developments in statistical mechanics, elementary particle theory, condensed matter physics and string theory. This self-contained book provides an excellent introduction to frontier topics of exactly solved models in statistical mechanics and quantum field theory, renormalization group, conformal models, quantum integrable systems, duality, elastic S-matrix, thermodynamics Bethe ansatz and form factor theory. The clear discussion of physical principles is accompanied by a detailed analysis of several branches of mathematics, distinguished for their elegance and beauty, such as infinite dimensional algebras, conformal mappings, integral equations or modular functions. Besides advanced research themes, the book also covers many basic topics in statistical mechanics, quantum field theory and theoretical physics. Each argument is discussed in great detail, paying attention to an overall coherent understanding of physical phenomena. Mathematical background is provided in supplements at the end of each chapter, when appropriate. The chapters are also followed by problems of different levels of difficulty. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students will find a rich and challenging source for improving their skills and for accomplishing a comprehensive learning of the many facets of the subject.
Quantum field theory (QFT) is a rich and robust part of mathematical and theoretical physics, with a wide range of applications in statistical physics, condensed matter physics, particle physics and string theory. Many (if not most) of the applications in four space-time dimensions require some sort of systematic approximations. In contrast, quantum field theories in lower dimensions often display special properties which open the door, at least in principle, to their exact solution. In many cases, the methods used to obtain exact solutions are peculiar to low-dimensional space-times, but the exact solutions thus obtained can teach us a great deal about more realistic QFTs in higher dimensions. Thus, lower-dimensional QFTs provide excellent models for exploring deep theoretical and computational issues, in addition to their direct applications to physical processes in reduced dimensions, which include polymers, boundary fluctuations, spin chains, and quantum Hall systems. Such models are also vital testing grounds for fundamental theoretical ideas such as integrability, phase transitions, collective and non-perturbative quantum behaviour, and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. We should also mention the effective dimensional reduction which occurs in the high temperature limit, or is induced by disorder. Low-dimensional quantum field theory thus sits at a unique intersection point of contemporary mathematics and physics, allowing many of these issues to be addressed rigorously and analytically. Surprising inter-relations continue to arise, from the ubiquitous nature of the Bethe ansatz and Calogero models, to the link between integrable spin chains and the anomalous dimensions of operators in gauge theories. Aspects of the latter connection have been known at least since the 1990s; they have recently received tremendous attention in connection with N =4 supersymmetric Yang--Mills theory (in four space-time dimensions) and the AdS/CFT correspondence. One unifying idea is the Bethe ansatz, whose 75th anniversary we celebrate this year, and whose wide-ranging impact in diverse branches of modern mathematical physics is made abundantly clear in this special issue. In addition, new ideas and techniques of significance to both mathematics and physics have emerged: the recent and spectacular progress on geometrical aspects of phase transitions made possible through the ideas of stochastic (Schramm) Loewner evolution, or SLE, is a particularly noteworthy example. All papers in this special issue are invited, refereed contributions from leading experts. Many are pedagogical reviews, capturing the current state of knowledge in a particular subject, putting the subject in context and outlining open challenges. Others are research papers, reflecting the rapid flux of new ideas and results in this rich and exciting field. Together, they represent a broad sample of the entire field. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the authors for their efforts in making this special issue possible, and Kazuhiro Hikami for his help in the early stages of this project. We hope it inspires many new developments!
Volume 1: From Brownian Motion to Renormalization and Lattice Gauge Theory. Volume 2: Strong Coupling, Monte Carlo Methods, Conformal Field Theory, and Random Systems. This two-volume work provides a comprehensive and timely survey of the application of the methods of quantum field theory to statistical physics, a very active and fruitful area of modern research. The first volume provides a pedagogical introduction to the subject, discussing Brownian motion, its anticommutative counterpart in the guise of Onsager's solution to the two-dimensional Ising model, the mean field or Landau approximation, scaling ideas exemplified by the Kosterlitz-Thouless theory for the XY transition, the continuous renormalization group applied to the standard phi-to the fourth theory (the simplest typical case) and lattice gauge theory as a pathway to the understanding of quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics. The second volume covers more diverse topics, including strong coupling expansions and their analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, two-dimensional conformal field theory, and simple disordered systems. The book concludes with a chapter on random geometry and the Polyakov model of random surfaces which illustrates the relations between string theory and statistical physics. The two volumes that make up this work will be useful to theoretical physicists and applied mathematicians who are interested in the exciting developments which have resulted from the synthesis of field theory and statistical physics.
Volume 1: From Brownian Motion to Renormalization and Lattice Gauge Theory. Volume 2: Strong Coupling, Monte Carlo Methods, Conformal Field Theory, and Random Systems. This two-volume work provides a comprehensive and timely survey of the application of the methods of quantum field theory to statistical physics, a very active and fruitful area of modern research. The first volume provides a pedagogical introduction to the subject, discussing Brownian motion, its anticommutative counterpart in the guise of Onsager's solution to the two-dimensional Ising model, the mean field or Landau approximation, scaling ideas exemplified by the Kosterlitz-Thouless theory for the XY transition, the continuous renormalization group applied to the standard phi-to the fourth theory (the simplest typical case) and lattice gauge theory as a pathway to the understanding of quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics. The second volume covers more diverse topics, including strong coupling expansions and their analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, two-dimensional conformal field theory, and simple disordered systems. The book concludes with a chapter on random geometry and the Polyakov model of random surfaces which illustrates the relations between string theory and statistical physics. The two volumes that make up this work will be useful to theoretical physicists and applied mathematicians who are interested in the exciting developments which have resulted from the synthesis of field theory and statistical physics.