Lectures on Field Theory and Topology

Lectures on Field Theory and Topology
Author: Daniel S. Freed
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2019-08-23
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1470452065

These lectures recount an application of stable homotopy theory to a concrete problem in low energy physics: the classification of special phases of matter. While the joint work of the author and Michael Hopkins is a focal point, a general geometric frame of reference on quantum field theory is emphasized. Early lectures describe the geometric axiom systems introduced by Graeme Segal and Michael Atiyah in the late 1980s, as well as subsequent extensions. This material provides an entry point for mathematicians to delve into quantum field theory. Classification theorems in low dimensions are proved to illustrate the framework. The later lectures turn to more specialized topics in field theory, including the relationship between invertible field theories and stable homotopy theory, extended unitarity, anomalies, and relativistic free fermion systems. The accompanying mathematical explanations touch upon (higher) category theory, duals to the sphere spectrum, equivariant spectra, differential cohomology, and Dirac operators. The outcome of computations made using the Adams spectral sequence is presented and compared to results in the condensed matter literature obtained by very different means. The general perspectives and specific applications fuse into a compelling story at the interface of contemporary mathematics and theoretical physics.

Lectures on Field Theory and Topology

Lectures on Field Theory and Topology
Author: Daniel S. Freed
Publisher:
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2019
Genre: Algebraic topology
ISBN: 9781470453916

These lectures recount an application of stable homotopy theory to a concrete problem in low energy physics: the classification of special phases of matter. While the joint work of the author and Michael Hopkins is a focal point, a general geometric frame of reference on quantum field theory is emphasized. Early lectures describe the geometric axiom systems introduced by Graeme Segal and Michael Atiyah in the late 1980s, as well as subsequent extensions. This material provides an entry point for mathematicians to delve into quantum field theory.

Geometric and Topological Methods for Quantum Field Theory

Geometric and Topological Methods for Quantum Field Theory
Author: Sylvie Paycha
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2007
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821840622

This volume, based on lectures and short communications at a summer school in Villa de Leyva, Colombia (July 2005), offers an introduction to some recent developments in several active topics at the interface between geometry, topology and quantum field theory. It is aimed at graduate students in physics or mathematics who might want insight in the following topics (covered in five survey lectures): Anomalies and noncommutative geometry, Deformation quantisation and Poisson algebras, Topological quantum field theory and orbifolds. These lectures are followed by nine articles on various topics at the borderline of mathematics and physics ranging from quasicrystals to invariant instantons through black holes, and involving a number of mathematical tools borrowed from geometry, algebra and analysis.

Lectures on Factorization Homology, ∞-Categories, and Topological Field Theories

Lectures on Factorization Homology, ∞-Categories, and Topological Field Theories
Author: Hiro Lee Tanaka
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2020-12-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030611639

This book provides an informal and geodesic introduction to factorization homology, focusing on providing intuition through simple examples. Along the way, the reader is also introduced to modern ideas in homotopy theory and category theory, particularly as it relates to the use of infinity-categories. As with the original lectures, the text is meant to be a leisurely read suitable for advanced graduate students and interested researchers in topology and adjacent fields.

Monoidal Categories and Topological Field Theory

Monoidal Categories and Topological Field Theory
Author: Vladimir Turaev
Publisher: Birkhäuser
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2017-06-28
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3319498347

This monograph is devoted to monoidal categories and their connections with 3-dimensional topological field theories. Starting with basic definitions, it proceeds to the forefront of current research. Part 1 introduces monoidal categories and several of their classes, including rigid, pivotal, spherical, fusion, braided, and modular categories. It then presents deep theorems of Müger on the center of a pivotal fusion category. These theorems are proved in Part 2 using the theory of Hopf monads. In Part 3 the authors define the notion of a topological quantum field theory (TQFT) and construct a Turaev-Viro-type 3-dimensional state sum TQFT from a spherical fusion category. Lastly, in Part 4 this construction is extended to 3-manifolds with colored ribbon graphs, yielding a so-called graph TQFT (and, consequently, a 3-2-1 extended TQFT). The authors then prove the main result of the monograph: the state sum graph TQFT derived from any spherical fusion category is isomorphic to the Reshetikhin-Turaev surgery graph TQFT derived from the center of that category. The book is of interest to researchers and students studying topological field theory, monoidal categories, Hopf algebras and Hopf monads.

Lectures on Three-Manifold Topology

Lectures on Three-Manifold Topology
Author: William H. Jaco
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 266
Release: 1980-12-31
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821816934

This manuscript is a detailed presentation of the ten lectures given by the author at the NSF Regional Conference on Three-Manifold Topology, held October 1977, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The purpose of the conference was to present the current state of affairs in three-manifold topology and to integrate the classical results with the many recent advances and new directions.

Advanced Topics in Quantum Mechanics

Advanced Topics in Quantum Mechanics
Author: Marcos Mariño
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2021-12-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1108852858

Quantum mechanics is one of the most successful theories in science, and is relevant to nearly all modern topics of scientific research. This textbook moves beyond the introductory and intermediate principles of quantum mechanics frequently covered in undergraduate and graduate courses, presenting in-depth coverage of many more exciting and advanced topics. The author provides a clearly structured text for advanced students, graduates and researchers looking to deepen their knowledge of theoretical quantum mechanics. The book opens with a brief introduction covering key concepts and mathematical tools, followed by a detailed description of the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) method. Two alternative formulations of quantum mechanics are then presented: Wigner's phase space formulation and Feynman's path integral formulation. The text concludes with a chapter examining metastable states and resonances. Step-by-step derivations, worked examples and physical applications are included throughout.

Lectures on Algebraic Topology

Lectures on Algebraic Topology
Author: Sergeĭ Vladimirovich Matveev
Publisher: European Mathematical Society
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2006
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9783037190234

Algebraic topology is the study of the global properties of spaces by means of algebra. It is an important branch of modern mathematics with a wide degree of applicability to other fields, including geometric topology, differential geometry, functional analysis, differential equations, algebraic geometry, number theory, and theoretical physics. This book provides an introduction to the basic concepts and methods of algebraic topology for the beginner. It presents elements of both homology theory and homotopy theory, and includes various applications. The author's intention is to rely on the geometric approach by appealing to the reader's own intuition to help understanding. The numerous illustrations in the text also serve this purpose. Two features make the text different from the standard literature: first, special attention is given to providing explicit algorithms for calculating the homology groups and for manipulating the fundamental groups. Second, the book contains many exercises, all of which are supplied with hints or solutions. This makes the book suitable for both classroom use and for independent study.

Geometry and Quantum Field Theory

Geometry and Quantum Field Theory
Author: Daniel S. Freed
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 476
Release: 1995
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780821886830

The first title in a new series, this book explores topics from classical and quantum mechanics and field theory. The material is presented at a level between that of a textbook and research papers making it ideal for graduate students. The book provides an entree into a field that promises to remain exciting and important for years to come.

Quantum Field Theory: Batalin–Vilkovisky Formalism and Its Applications

Quantum Field Theory: Batalin–Vilkovisky Formalism and Its Applications
Author: Pavel Mnev
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2019-08-20
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1470452715

This book originated from lecture notes for the course given by the author at the University of Notre Dame in the fall of 2016. The aim of the book is to give an introduction to the perturbative path integral for gauge theories (in particular, topological field theories) in Batalin–Vilkovisky formalism and to some of its applications. The book is oriented toward a graduate mathematical audience and does not require any prior physics background. To elucidate the picture, the exposition is mostly focused on finite-dimensional models for gauge systems and path integrals, while giving comments on what has to be amended in the infinite-dimensional case relevant to local field theory. Motivating examples discussed in the book include Alexandrov–Kontsevich–Schwarz–Zaboronsky sigma models, the perturbative expansion for Chern–Simons invariants of 3-manifolds given in terms of integrals over configurations of points on the manifold, the BF theory on cellular decompositions of manifolds, and Kontsevich's deformation quantization formula.