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

Providing a new perspective on quantum field theory, this book is useful for graduate students and researchers within and outside the field. It describes non-perturbative methods, and explores two-dimensional and four-dimensional gauge dynamics using those methods. Applications are thoroughly described.

Publisher Description

During the past 15 years, quantum field theory and classical statistical mechanics have merged into a single field, and the need for nonperturbative methods for the description of critical phenomena in statistical mechanics as well as for problems in elementary particle physics are generally acknowledged. Such methods formed the central theme of the 1987 Cargese Advanced Study Institut. e on "Nonpert. urbat. ive Quantum Field Theory." The use of conformal symmet. ry has been of central interest in recent years, and was a main subject at. t. he ASI. Conformal invariant quantum field theory describes statistical mechanical systems exactly at a critical point, and can be analysed to a remarkable ext. ent. by group t. heoretical methods. Very strong results have been obtained for 2-dimensional systems. Conformal field theory is also the basis of string theory, which offers some hope of providing a unified t. heory of all interactions between elementary particles. Accordingly, a number of lectures and seminars were presented on these two topics. After syst. ematic introductory lectures, conformal field theory on Riemann surfaces, orbifolds, sigma models, and application of loop group theory and Grassmannians were discussed, and some ideas on modular geometry were presented. Other lectures combined' traditional techniques of constructive quant. um field theory with new methods such as the use of index-t. heorems and infinite dimensional (Kac Moody) symmetry groups. The problems encountered in a quantum mechanical description of black holes were discussed in detail.

This volume presents a selection of current developments in quantum chromodynamics, with some emphasis on the borderline between the perturbative and the nonperturbative regime. The topics include: effective QCD, sum rules, vacuum structure, confinement, bound states, quark masses, lattice QCD, deconfinement, deep inelastic scattering and structure functions, strong coupling constant, radiative corrections.

The book discusses fundamental aspects of Quantum Field Theory and of Gauge theories, with attention to mathematical consistency. Basic issues of the standard model of elementary particles (Higgs mechanism and chiral symmetry breaking in quantum Chromodynamics) are treated without relying on the perturbative expansion and on instanton calculus.

Quantum Chromodynamics is a thorough introduction for students in theoretical physics and scientists needing a reference and exercise book in this field. The book presents the necessary mathematical tools together with many examples and worked problems. In introductory chapters the reader becomes familiar with the hadron spectrum, while the SU(N) symmetry groups and the relativistic field theory are briefly recapitulated; then a discussion of scalar quantum electrodynamics and scattering reactions follow before gauge quark-quark interactions, perturbational QCD, renormalization groups, and tests of pertubational QCD are all treated in detail. Chapters on non-perturbational QCD and quasi-phenomenological applications conclude the text.