These notes give an introduction to the description of hadrons, i.e., mesons and baryons, within a quark model based on a chirally invariant quantum field theory. Emphasis is put on a didactic approach intended for graduate students with some background on functional integral techniques. Starting from QCD a motivation of a specific form of the effective quark interaction is given. Functional integral bosonization leads to a theory describing successfully meson properties. It possesses solitonic solutions which are identified as baryons. Via functional integral techniques a Faddeev equation for baryons describing them as bound states of a diquark and a quark is derived. Finally, a unification of these two complementary pictures of baryons is proposed.

The phenomenon of dynamical symmetry breaking (DSB) in quantum field theory is discussed in a detailed and comprehensive way. The deep connection between this phenomenon in condensed matter physics and particle physics is emphasized. The realizations of DSB in such realistic theories as quantum chromodynamics and electroweak theory are considered. Issues intimately connected with DSB such as critical phenomenona and effective lagrangian approach are also discussed.

Chiral Perturbation Theory, as effective field theory, is a commonly accepted and well established working tool, approximating quantum chromodynamics at energies well below typical hadron masses. This volume, based on a number of lectures and supplemented with additional material, provides a pedagogical introduction for graduate students and newcomers entering the field from related areas of nuclear and particle physics. Starting with the the Lagrangian of the strong interactions and general symmetry principles, the basic concepts of Chiral Perturbation Theory in the mesonic and baryonic sectors are developed. The application of these concepts is then illustrated with a number of examples. A large number of exercises (81, with complete solutions) are included to familiarize the reader with helpful calculational techniques.

This is the sequel to the first volume to treat in one effective field theory framework the physics of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions. This is vital for understanding the high temperature phenomena taking place in relativistic heavy ion collisions and in the early Universe, as well as the high-density matter predicted to be present in compact stars. The underlying thesis is that what governs hadronic properties in a heat bath and/or a dense medium is hidden local symmetry which emerges from chiral dynamics of light quark systems and from the duality between QCD in 4D and bulk gravity in 5D as in AdS/QCD. Special attention is paid to hot matter relevant for relativistic heavy ion processes and to dense matter relevant for compact stars that are either stable or on the verge of collapse into black holes.

Almost all theories of fundamental interactions are nowadays based on the gauge concept. Starting with the historical example of quantum electrodynamics, we have been led to the successful unified gauge theory of weak and electromagnetic interactions, and finally to a non abelian gauge theory of strong interactions with the notion of permanently confined quarks. The. early theoretical work on gauge theories was devoted to proofs of renormalizability, investigation of short distance behaviour, the discovery of asymptotic freedom, etc . . , aspects which were accessible to tools extrapolated from renormalised perturbation theory. The second phase of the subject is concerned with the problem of quark confinement which necessitates a non-perturbative understanding of gauge theories. This phase has so far been marked by the introduc tion of ideas from geometry, topology and statistical mechanics in particular the theory of phase transitions. The 1979 Cargese Institute on "Recent Developments on Gauge Theories" was devoted to a thorough discussion of these non-perturbative, global aspects of non-abelian gauge theories. In the lectures and seminars reproduced in this volume the reader wilf find detailed reports on most of the important developments of recent times on non perturbative gauge fields by some of the leading experts and innovators in this field. Aside from lectures on gauge fields proper, there were lectures on gauge field concepts in condensed matter physics and lectures by mathematicians on global aspects of the calculus of variations, its relation to geometry and topology, and related topics.

Aimed at graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics, this book presents the modern theory of strong interaction: quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The book exposes various perturbative and nonperturbative approaches to the theory, including chiral effective theory, the problems of anomalies, vacuum tunnel transitions, and the problem of divergence of the perturbative series. The QCD sum rules approach is exposed in detail. A great variety of hadronic properties (masses of mesons and baryons, magnetic moments, form factors, quark distributions in hadrons, etc.) have been found using this method. The evolution of hadronic structure functions is presented in detail, together with polarization phenomena. The problem of jets in QCD is treated through theoretical description and experimental observation. The connection with Regge theory is emphasized. The book covers many aspects of theory which are not discussed in other books, such as CET, QCD sum rules, and BFKL. • Provides a deep understanding of various aspects of the modern theory of strong interaction • Presents the general properties of QCD, before exploring perturbative and nonperturbative approaches • Discusses aspects of the theory such as CET, QCD sum rules, and BFKL, which are not covered in other books