Conformal Field Theory: Sergei V. Ketov

Conformal Field Theory: Sergei V. Ketov

World Scientific Publishing Company | ISBN: 9810216084 | 1995-01 | PDF / djvu (ocr) | 486 pages | 2.26 / 1.78 Mb

Conformal field theory is an elegant and powerful theory inthe field of high energy physics and statistics. In fact, it can besaid to be one of the greatest achievements in the development of thisfield. Presented in two dimensions, this book is designed for studentswho already have a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics, field theoryand general relativity. The main idea used throughout the book is thatconformal symmetry causes both classical and quantumintegrability. Instead of concentrating on the numerous applicationsof the theory, the author puts forward a discussion of the generalmethods of conformal field theory as a physical theory. Hence the bookprovides in a self-contained way the necessary knowledge and"conformal" intuition which underline the various applications ofconformal field theory. It is aimed to assist students andprofessionals in the study of the theory from its first principles andin applying the methods in their own research. The first of its kind,this book promises to give a detailed and comprehensive insight intothe workings of conformal field theory.

Review:

Ketov's CFT is a very concise review of CFT and its applications to string theory and statistical mechanics. It is written well, although some effort has to be put into it to grasp all topics; more effort than with the book by di Francesco et al.. The book is nearly self-contained and might serve as a reference on CFT with some interesting examples. Each chapter provides some problems (mainly within the text) that are generally intended to do the steps between derivations. It is comparable to di Francesco's book, but on some topics they complement each other, where di Francesco presents the subjects slightly more detailed. Ketov's presentation is somewhat more mathematically oriented than di Francesco's. All in all, a very useful book on CFT for graduates.

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