Field theory and condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics is a very rich and diverse field. If we are to define it as being “whatever gets published in the condensed matter section of a physics journal,” we would conclude that it ranges from problems typical of material science to subjects as fundamental as particle physics and cosmology. Because of its diversity, it is sometimes hard to figure out where the field is going, particularly if you do not work in this field. Unfortunately, this is the case for people who have to make decisions about funding, grants, tenure, and other unpleasant aspects in the life of a physicist. They have a hard time figuring out where to put this subject which is neither applied science nor dealing with the smallest length scales or the highest energies. However, the richness of the field comes precisely from its diversity. The past few decades have witnessed the development of two areas of condensed matter physics that best illustrate the strengths of this field: critical phenomena and the quantum Hall effect. In both cases, it was the ability to produce extremely pure samples which allowed the discovery and experimental study of the phenomenon. Their physical explanation required the use of new concepts and the development of new theoretical tools, such as the renormalization group, conformal invariance, and fractional statistics.
Field theory and condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics is a very rich and diverse field. If we are to define it as being “whatever gets published in the condensed matter section of a physics journal,” we would conclude that it ranges from problems typical of material science to subjects as fundamental as particle physics and cosmology. Because of its diversity, it is sometimes hard to figure out where the field is going, particularly if you do not work in this field. Unfortunately, this is the case for people who have to make decisions about funding, grants, tenure, and other unpleasant aspects in the life of a physicist. They have a hard time figuring out where to put this subject which is neither applied science nor dealing with the smallest length scales or the highest energies. However, the richness of the field comes precisely from its diversity. The past few decades have witnessed the development of two areas of condensed matter physics that best illustrate the strengths of this field: critical phenomena and the quantum Hall effect. In both cases, it was the ability to produce extremely pure samples which allowed the discovery and experimental study of the phenomenon. Their physical explanation required the use of new concepts and the development of new theoretical tools, such as the renormalization group, conformal invariance, and fractional statistics.
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.
Providing a broad review of many techniques and their application to condensed matter systems, this book begins with a review of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, before moving onto real and imaginary time path integrals and the link between Euclidean quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. A detailed study of the Ising, gauge-Ising and XY models is included. The renormalization group is developed and applied to critical phenomena, Fermi liquid theory and the renormalization of field theories. Next, the book explores bosonization and its applications to one-dimensional fermionic systems and the correlation functions of homogeneous and random-bond Ising models. It concludes with Bohm-Pines and Chern-Simons theories applied to the quantum Hall effect. Introducing the reader to a variety of techniques, it opens up vast areas of condensed matter theory for both graduate students and researchers in theoretical, statistical and condensed matter physics.
Providing a broad review of many techniques and their application to condensed matter systems, this book begins with a review of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, before moving onto real and imaginary time path integrals and the link between Euclidean quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. A detailed study of the Ising, gauge-Ising and XY models is included. The renormalization group is developed and applied to critical phenomena, Fermi liquid theory and the renormalization of field theories. Next, the book explores bosonization and its applications to one-dimensional fermionic systems and the correlation functions of homogeneous and random-bond Ising models. It concludes with Bohm–Pines and Chern–Simons theories applied to the quantum Hall effect. Introducing the reader to a variety of techniques, it opens up vast areas of condensed matter theory for both graduate students and researchers in theoretical, statistical and condensed matter physics.
Over the past few decades, in concert with ground-breaking experimental advances, condensed matter theory has drawn increasingly from the language of low-energy quantum field theory. This primer is aimed at elevating graduate students of condensed matter theory to a level where they can engage in independent research. It emphasizes the development of modern methods of classical and quantum field theory with applications oriented around condensed matter physics. Topics covered include second quantization, path and functional field integration, mean-field theory and collective phenomena, the renormalization group, and topology. Conceptual aspects and formal methodology are emphasized, but the discussion is rooted firmly in practical experimental application. As well as routine exercises, the text includes extended and challenging problems, with fully worked solutions, designed to provide a bridge between formal manipulations and research-oriented thinking. This book will complement graduate level courses on theoretical quantum condensed matter physics.
Modern experimental developments in condensed matter and ultracold atom physics present formidable challenges to theorists. This book provides a pedagogical introduction to quantum field theory in many-particle physics, emphasizing the applicability of the formalism to concrete problems. This second edition contains two new chapters developing path integral approaches to classical and quantum nonequilibrium phenomena. Other chapters cover a range of topics, from the introduction of many-body techniques and functional integration, to renormalization group methods, the theory of response functions, and topology. Conceptual aspects and formal methodology are emphasized, but the discussion focuses on practical experimental applications drawn largely from condensed matter physics and neighboring fields. Extended and challenging problems with fully worked solutions provide a bridge between formal manipulations and research-oriented thinking. Aimed at elevating graduate students to a level where they can engage in independent research, this book complements graduate level courses on many-particle theory.
For most of the last century, condensed matter physics has been dominated by band theory and Landau's symmetry breaking theory. In the last twenty years, however, there has been an emergence of a new paradigm associated with fractionalization, emergent gauge bosons and fermions, topological order, string-net condensation, and long range entanglements. These new physical concepts are so fundamental that they may even influence our understanding of the origin of light and electrons in the universe. This book is a pedagogical and systematic introduction to the new concepts and quantum field theoretical methods in condensed matter physics. It discusses many basic notions in theoretical physics which underlie physical phenomena in nature, including a notion that unifies light and electrons. Topics covered include dissipative quantum systems, boson condensation, symmetry breaking and gapless excitations, phase transitions, Fermi liquids, spin density wave states, Fermi and fractional statistics, quantum Hall effects, topological/quantum order, and spin liquid and string-net condensation. Methods discussed include the path integral, Green's functions, mean-field theory, effective theory, renormalization group, bosonization in one- and higher dimensions, non-linear sigma-model, quantum gauge theory, dualities, projective construction, and exactly soluble models beyond one-dimension.