QUANTUM FIELD THEORY: AN INTRO FOR CHEMICAL PHYSICISTS

This introduction to quantum field theory (QFT) is written by a physical chemist for physical chemists, chemical physicists, and other non-physicists with knowledge of quantum theory but who want to explore ways in which they might use the power of QFT in their investigations. This book starts where many graduate courses in quantum theory that are offered to chemistry students leave off and first develops some of the necessary tools, such as Fock algebra, which is applied to solving the quantum oscillator problem. Then it is used to develop the theory of coherent states, time-dependent perturbation theory, and the treatment of bosons and fermions. With this background, the QFT of a perfect gas is derived and a connection to thermodynamics is demonstrated. Application to imperfect gases provides a new approach to modelling gas-liquid phase transitions. The book concludes with photons and their interaction with molecular ensembles, and brings us to full circle by deriving the blackbody radiation law, which started it all. The power of the QFT methodology and the breadth of its applications should fascinate the reader as it has the author.

Contents:

• Preface
• About the Author
• Introduction
• The Harmonic Oscillator: A Treatment by Fock Operators
• Time-Dependent Perturbation Expansions
• Spinless Particles
• Charge and Spin
• The Perfect Molecular Gas
• Real Gases and Phase Transitions
• Photons
• Light-Molecule Interaction
• Conclusions, Acknowledgements, and References

Readership: Graduate and upper undergraduate students in advanced elective courses on chemical physics. Theoretical/physical chemists who want an introduction to quantum field theory. Atomic and molecular spectroscopists.

'There are indeed many books on QFT on the market already, written mostly by physicists for physicists or mathematicians. This proposed book has the exclusive feature that it is geared toward chemical physicists, which makes it unique among the crowded field of QFT books. This book should be useful for chemical physicists and graduate students.' - Donald YauProfessor of Mathematics, Ohio State University, USAAuthor of Homotopical Quantum Field Theory

Key Features:

• The first QFT textbook that is written for chemical physicists and theoretical chemists
• Discusses features of quantum field theory that have been ignored by most QFT books, such as modeling of gases and gas-liquid phase transitions