This book is a concise introduction to the key concepts of classical field theory for beginning graduate students and advanced undergraduate students who wish to study the unifying structures and physical insights provided by classical field theory without dealing with the additional complication of quantization. In that regard, there are many important aspects of field theory that can be understood without quantizing the fields. These include the action formulation, Galilean and relativistic invariance, traveling and standing waves, spin angular momentum, gauge invariance, subsidiary conditions, fluctuations, spinor and vector fields, conservation laws and symmetries, and the Higgs mechanism, all of which are often treated briefly in a course on quantum field theory.

This comprehensive text begins with the standard quantization of electrodynamics and perturbative renormalization, advancing to functional methods, relativistic bound states, broken symmetries, nonabelian gauge fields, and asymptotic behavior. 1980 edition.

This book takes the reader from the preliminary ideas of the Special Theory of Relativity (STR) to the doorsteps of the General Theory of Relativity (GTR).The first part explains the main concepts in a layman's language, including STR, the Lorentz transformation, relativistic mechanics. Thereafter the concept of tensors is built up in detail, especially Maxwell's stress tensor with illustrative examples, culminating in the energy-momentum conservation in electromagnetic fields. Mathematical structure of Minkowski's space-time is constructed and explained graphically. The equation of motion is formulated and then illustrated by the example of relativistic rocket. The principle of covariance is explained with the covariant equations of classical electrodynamics. Finally, the book constructs the energy tensor which constitutes the source term in Einstein's field equation, which clears the passage to the GTR.In the book, the concepts of tensors are developed carefully and a large number of numerical examples taken from atomic and nuclear physics. The graphs of important equations are included. This is suitable for studies in classical electrodynamics, modern physics, and relativity.

The author uses a unique approach which emphasizes the field theoretic aspects of gravitation and the strong analogies between gravitation and the other areas that are studied in physics. The theory-centered text begins with the simplest experimental facts then proceeds to the corresponding differential equations, theoretical constructs such as energy, momentum and stress and several applications. End-of-chapter problems provide students with an opportunity to test their understanding, serve as an introduction to and a review of material not included in the book and can be used to develop examples, extensions and generalizations of the material presented.

Classical field theory has undergone a renaissance in recent years. Symplectic techniques have yielded deep insights into its foundations, as has an improved understanding of the variational calculus. Further impetus for the study of classical fields has come from other areas, such as integrable systems, Poisson geometry, global analysis, and quantum theory. This book contains the proceedings of the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Classical Field Theory, held in July 1991 at the University of Washington at Seattle. The conference brought together researchers in many of the main areas of classical field theory to present the latest ideas and results. The volume contains thirty refereed papers, both survey and research articles, and is designed to reflect the state of the art as well as chart the future course of the subject. The topics fall into four major categories: global analysis and relativity (cosmic censorship, initial value problem, quantum gravity), geometric methods (symplectic and Poisson structures, momentum mappings, Dirac constraint theory), BRST theory, and the calculus of variations (the variational bicomplex, higher order theories). Also included are related topics with a ``classical basis'', such as geometric quantization, integrable systems, symmetries, deformation theory, and geometric mechanics.

An overview of semi-classical gravity theory and stochastic gravity as theories of quantum gravity in curved space-time.

One of the most challenging problems of contemporary theoretical physics is the mathematically rigorous construction of a theory which describes gravitation and the other fundamental physical interactions within a common framework. The physical ideas which grew from attempts to develop such a theory require highly advanced mathematical methods and radically new physical concepts. This book presents different approaches to a rigorous unified description of quantum fields and gravity. It contains a carefully selected cross-section of lively discussions which took place in autumn 2010 at the fifth conference "Quantum field theory and gravity - Conceptual and mathematical advances in the search for a unified framework" in Regensburg, Germany. In the tradition of the other proceedings covering this series of conferences, a special feature of this book is the exposition of a wide variety of approaches, with the intention to facilitate a comparison. The book is mainly addressed to mathematicians and physicists who are interested in fundamental questions of mathematical physics. It allows the reader to obtain a broad and up-to-date overview of a fascinating active research area.

Classical field theory, which concerns the generation and interaction of fields, is a logical precursor to quantum field theory, and can be used to describe phenomena such as gravity and electromagnetism. Written for advanced undergraduates, and appropriate for graduate level classes, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to field theories, with a focus on their relativistic structural elements. Such structural notions enable a deeper understanding of Maxwell's equations, which lie at the heart of electromagnetism, and can also be applied to modern variants such as Chern–Simons and Born–Infeld. The structure of field theories and their physical predictions are illustrated with compelling examples, making this book perfect as a text in a dedicated field theory course, for self-study, or as a reference for those interested in classical field theory, advanced electromagnetism, or general relativity. Demonstrating a modern approach to model building, this text is also ideal for students of theoretical physics.

This textbook offers a detailed and uniquely self-contained presentation of quantum and gauge field theories. Writing from a modern perspective, the author begins with a discussion of advanced dynamics and special relativity before guiding students steadily through the fundamental principles of relativistic quantum mechanics and classical field theory. This foundation is then used to develop the full theoretical framework of quantum and gauge field theories. The introductory, opening half of the book allows it to be used for a variety of courses, from advanced undergraduate to graduate level, and students lacking a formal background in more elementary topics will benefit greatly from this approach. Williams provides full derivations wherever possible and adopts a pedagogical tone without sacrificing rigour. Worked examples are included throughout the text and end-of-chapter problems help students to reinforce key concepts. A fully worked solutions manual is available online for instructors.