The Quantum Theory of Fields, Vol. 1: Foundations (Hardcover)

by Steven Weinberg (Author) "Our immersion in the present state of physics makes it hard for us to understand the difficulties of physicists even a few years ago, or..." (more)
Key Phrases: cluster decomposition principle, antiparticle creation operators, vertex carrying, New York, Nuovo Cimento, Cambridge University Press (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The [physics] community will not be disappointed....Volume 1 is six hundred pages of meticulous exposition of the fundamentals of the subject....In addition to a superb treatment of all the conventional topics there are numerous sections covering areas that are not normally emphasized, such as the subject of field redefinitions, higher-rank tensor fields and an unusually clear and thorough treatment of infrared effects....This latest book reinforces [Weinberg's] high scholarly standards. It provides a unique exposition that will prove invaluable both to new research students as well as to experienced research workers....this will become a classic text on a subject of central importance to a wide area of theoretical physics." Michael B. Green, CERN Courier

"...for over 20 years there has been no good modern textbook on [quantum field theory]. For all that time, Steven Weinberg has been promising to write one. That he has finally done it...is cause for celebration among those who try to teach and try to learn the subject. Weinberg's book is for serious students of field theory....[I]t is the first textbook to treat quantum field theory the way it is used by physicists today." Howard Georgi, Science

"...provides an impressively lucid and thorough presentation of the subject from this modern viewpoint....Weinberg manages to present difficult topics with richness of meaning and marvellous clarity. Full of valuable insights, his treatise is sure to become a classic..." Nature

"...a self-contained, comprehensive introduction to quantum field theory." Book News, Inc.

"...beautifully produced and meticulously edited...and it is a real bargain in price. If you want to learn quantum field theory, or have already learned it and want to have a definitive reference at hand, purchase this book." O.W. Greenberg, Physics Today

"I would recommend it to students who have completed a first course in field theory and hope that many of my colleagues will read it as well. Weinberg leads us to a frontier rich in possibilities. This is an optimistic book, written with much respect for ideas and nature--and for tools." Chris Quigg, Science

Product Description
In The Quantum Theory of Fields, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines his exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition to provide a self-contained, comprehensive, and up-to-date introduction to quantum field theory. This is a two-volume work. Volume I introduces the foundations of quantum field theory. The development is fresh and logical throughout, with each step carefully motivated by what has gone before, and emphasizing the reasons why such a theory should describe nature. After a brief historical outline, the book begins anew with the principles about which we are most certain, relativity and quantum mechanics, and the properties of particles that follow from these principles. Quantum field theory emerges from this as a natural consequence. The author presents the classic calculations of quantum electrodynamics in a thoroughly modern way, showing the use of path integrals and dimensional regularization. His account of renormalization theory reflects the changes in our view of quantum field theory since the advent of effective field theories. The book's scope extends beyond quantum electrodynamics to elementary particle physics, and nuclear physics. It contains much original material, and is peppered with examples and insights drawn from the author's experience as a leader of elementary particle research. Problems are included at the end of each chapter. This work will be an invaluable reference for all physicists and mathematicians who use quantum field theory, and it is also appropriate as a textbook for graduate students in this area.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 635 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (June 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521550017
• ISBN-13: 978-0521550017
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #359,854 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Quantum Theory of Fields Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant, September 4, 2002

By	Derek Lee (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

For those who are receptive to its charms, this book is simply indispensible to any high energy physicist. This book is not terribly "intuitive"(in the sense that things are derived heuristically just to the point that the result seeems plausible), nor does it take a purely mathematical standpoint, emphasizing the unbending rigour of all proofs. Instead, it offers something far, far more valuable to any physicist; namely it offers truly profound physical insight into the fundamental principles of nature. This book is so chock full of brilliant profound ideas that it seems as if Weinberg put into this book almost all of the insights he has had over the course of his long, productive, and Nobel Prize winning career. He offers a truly logical presentation of particle physics, starting from the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics (superposition principle especially) and the principle of invariance under the Poincare group modulo time and spatial inversion, as well as the principle that distant measurements do not affect each other, and derives, with a minimum of simplifying assumption, the whole, wonderful edifice of quantum field theory. This set of volumes contains almost all that we know about QFT, but somehow, magically, it is not encyclopedic; it is instead refreshingly original and, as I have said before, truly profound. Also, unlike many other QFT texts, it very clearly points out how the assumptions of the theory could be weakened, and also gives an indication of what sorts of theories come from these modified assumptions. The whole book is simply fascinating, but I found the chapter on general renormalization theory particularly enlightening, especially the section on "nonrenormlizable" theories. I learned, in a particularly clear, inspiring way, that these theories are not any more or less renormalizable than standard model theories, when all terms alowed by symmetry are included in the Lagrangian. Although these theories might seem as if they have little power of prediction (after all, there are an infinite number of parameters to the theory), but in fact Weinberg argues that the nonrenormalizalbe interactions are strongly suppressed at low momenta, so it is possible for low energies to create an effective perturbation theory, which yield in this regime astonishingly precise prediction. On the other hand, Weinberg is quick to point out that for large enough energies, this perturbation expansion simply does not make sense, and that THIS is the reason why quantum gravity based on the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangian makes no sense for energies at the scale of unification.
Although this book is truly wonderful, I would not recommend reading it as an introduction to QFT. This book is simply too intense and profound for the uninitiated. Instead, I would recommend as a first introduction Ryder's fine text, which yields enough insights to give the reader a taste of the ideas behing QFT but not so many that the reader is overwhelmed at first, followed by Peskin-Schroeder, which gives the student all of the tools that he/she will need for almost any QFT calculation.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Demanding but very readable book., November 2, 2000

By A Customer

I like this book because it explains everything from first principles to the most advanced results, and this is really the best way to master such a subject. Moreover, Weinberg managed to give full proofs of all intermediate steps using only maths available to the average physicist. I don't think it is a pedagogic text, like e.g. Peskin-Schroeder, it is too demanding at some places (however the most advanced sections that can be skipped at first reading are indicated by footnotes). Paradoxically, this can make the reader's task easier because he/she gets better equipped to tackle the difficult problems, and the systematic development does not tolerate any hiatus. The contrast is in the generality and completeness: Peskin-Schroeder discuss the representations of Lorentz group only in the context of spin 1/2. Weinberg discusses them in full generality. P-S do not explain canonical quantisation of the EM field; Weinberg explains it for any kind of field. On the other hand, the first QED process computation (Compton scattering) only appears at page 362 (page 131 in Peskin-Schroeder), and it appears as a unique example, while Peskin-Schroeder teaches you how to compute any known process. So this book is more focussed on the inner working and motivations or foundations of the theory than Peskin-Schroeder or other similar books, which have applications to particle physics in mind.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent treatment of quantum theory of fields, December 10, 1999

By	Oliver Lass (Cedar Grove, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Weinberg shows not only his mastery of the subject but also his skills as a teacher. The book is easy to understand provided one has mastered relativity and quantum mechanics. It would be an excellent complement for anyone who has read Bjorken/Drell or Peskin/Schroeder. In my opinion, a true understanding of quantum field theory can only be gained if one reads Bjorken/Drell, then Peskin/Schroeder and then finally Weinberg. In his book Weinberg is sort of recombining the best of Bjorken/Drell and Peskin/Schroeder and brings understanding to a new level. It is in a sense like with having read quantum mechanics by say Messiah and then reading Landau. Reading Landau first is not a good idea, but doing it after Messiah is. The same thing applies for Weinberg but for a different reason. His insight is more sparking that way.