Conformal invariance has been a spectacularly successful tool in advancing our understanding of the two-dimensional phase transitions found in classical systems at equilibrium. This volume sharpens ou
This book provides an introduction to conformal field theory and a review of its applications to critical phenomena in condensed-matter systems. After reviewing simple phase transitions and explaining
Providing a new perspective on quantum field theory, this book gives a pedagogical and up-to-date exposition of non-perturbative methods in relativistic quantum field theory and introduces the reader to modern research work in theoretical physics. It describes in detail non-perturbative methods in quantum field theory, and explores two- dimensional and four- dimensional gauge dynamics using those methods. The book concludes with a summary emphasizing the interplay between two- and four- dimensional gauge theories. Aimed at graduate students and researchers, this book covers topics from two-dimensional conformal symmetry, affine Lie algebras, solitons, integrable models, bosonization, and 't Hooft model, to four-dimensional conformal invariance, integrability, large N expansion, Skyrme model, monopoles and instantons. Applications, first to simple field theories and gauge dynamics in two dimensions, and then to gauge theories in four dimensions and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in partic
Percolation theory was initiated some fifty years ago as a mathematical framework for the study of random physical processes such as flow through a disordered porous medium. It has proved to be a remarkably rich theory, with applications beyond natural phenomena to topics such as network modelling. The aims of this book, first published in 2006, are twofold. First to present classical results in a way that is accessible to non-specialists. Second, to describe results of Smirnov in conformal invariance, and outline the proof that the critical probability for random Voronoi percolation in the plane is 1/2. Throughout, the presentation is streamlined, with elegant and straightforward proofs requiring minimal background in probability and graph theory. Numerous examples illustrate the important concepts and enrich the arguments. All-in-all, it will be an essential purchase for mathematicians, physicists, electrical engineers and computer scientists working in this exciting area.
This monograph provides the first up-to-date and self-contained presentation of a recently discovered mathematical structure—the Schrodinger-Virasoro algebra. Just as Poincare invariance or conformal
This book provides an introduction to (1) various zeta functions (for example, Riemann, Hurwitz, Barnes, Epstein, Selberg, and Ruelle), including graph zeta functions; (2) modular forms (Eisenstein series, Hecke and Dirichlet L-functions, Ramanujan's tau function, and cusp forms); and (3) vertex operator algebras (correlation functions, quasimodular forms, modular invariance, rationality, and some current research topics including higher genus conformal field theory). Various concrete applications of the material to physics are presented. These include Kaluza-Klein extra dimensional gravity, Bosonic string calculations, an abstract Cardy formula for black hole entropy, Patterson-Selberg zeta function expression of one-loop quantum field and gravity partition functions, Casimir energy calculations, atomic Schrödinger operators, Bose-Einstein condensation, heat kernel asymptotics, random matrices, quantum chaos, elliptic and theta function solutions of Einstein's equations, a soliton-bla
This book provides an introduction to (1) various zeta functions (for example, Riemann, Hurwitz, Barnes, Epstein, Selberg, and Ruelle), including graph zeta functions; (2) modular forms (Eisenstein series, Hecke and Dirichlet L-functions, Ramanujan's tau function, and cusp forms); and (3) vertex operator algebras (correlation functions, quasimodular forms, modular invariance, rationality, and some current research topics including higher genus conformal field theory). Various concrete applications of the material to physics are presented. These include Kaluza-Klein extra dimensional gravity, Bosonic string calculations, an abstract Cardy formula for black hole entropy, Patterson-Selberg zeta function expression of one-loop quantum field and gravity partition functions, Casimir energy calculations, atomic Schrödinger operators, Bose-Einstein condensation, heat kernel asymptotics, random matrices, quantum chaos, elliptic and theta function solutions of Einstein's equations, a soliton-bla
Over the past 25 years, there has been an explosion of interest in the area of random tilings. The first book devoted to the topic, this timely text describes the mathematical theory of tilings. It starts from the most basic questions (which planar domains are tileable?), before discussing advanced topics about the local structure of very large random tessellations. The author explains each feature of random tilings of large domains, discussing several different points of view and leading on to open problems in the field. The book is based on upper-division courses taught to a variety of students but it also serves as a self-contained introduction to the subject. Test your understanding with the exercises provided and discover connections to a wide variety of research areas in mathematics, theoretical physics, and computer science, such as conformal invariance, determinantal point processes, Gibbs measures, high-dimensional random sampling, symmetric functions, and variational problems
This monograph provides the first up-to-date and self-contained presentation of a recently discovered mathematical structure—the Schrodinger-Virasoro algebra. Just as Poincare invariance or conformal
Contains 36 reviews and technical papers presented under these topical heads: quantum coherence, tunneling & dissipation; conformal invariance and phase transitions; chaos; disorder and localizati
