This invaluable book is an extensive set of lecture notes on various aspects of non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics ? the fundamental theory of strong interaction on which nuclear and hadronic physics is based.The original edition of the book, written in the mid-1980's, had more of a review style. In the second edition the outline remains the same, but the text has been completely rewritten, and extended. Apart from the new developments over the years, this edition has benefited from several graduate courses which the author has taught at Stony Brook during the last decade. The text is now complemented by exercises and has a total of about 1000 references to major works, arranged by subject.Three major issues ? the structure of the QCD vacuum, the structure of hadrons, and the physics of hot/dense matter ? are addressed as physics problems. Therefore, when discussing any specific subject, the book attempts to incorporate (1) all the solid theoretical results, (2) experimental information, and (3) results of numerical (lattice) simulations, which are playing an increasing role in quantum field theory in general, and the development of QCD in particular.The QCD Vacuum, Hadrons and Superdense Matter takes the reader from the first encounter with the subject to the front line of research, as quickly as possible.

This invaluable book is an extensive set of lecture notes on various aspects of non-perturbative quantum chromodynamics — the fundamental theory of strong interaction on which nuclear and hadronic physics is based.The original edition of the book, written in the mid-1980's, had more of a review style. In the second edition the outline remains the same, but the text has been completely rewritten, and extended. Apart from the new developments over the years, this edition has benefited from several graduate courses which the author has taught at Stony Brook during the last decade. The text is now complemented by exercises and has a total of about 1000 references to major works, arranged by subject.Three major issues — the structure of the QCD vacuum, the structure of hadrons, and the physics of hot/dense matter — are addressed as physics problems. Therefore, when discussing any specific subject, the book attempts to incorporate (1) all the solid theoretical results, (2) experimental information, and (3) results of numerical (lattice) simulations, which are playing an increasing role in quantum field theory in general, and the development of QCD in particular.The QCD Vacuum, Hadrons and Superdense Matter takes the reader from the first encounter with the subject to the front line of research, as quickly as possible.

This is probably the only textbook available that gathers QCD, many-body theory and phase transitions in one volume. The presentation is pedagogical and readable. It provides materials interesting to both students and researchers of astrophysics, nuclear physics and high energy physics.

This is probably the only textbook available that gathers QCD, many-body theory and phase transitions in one volume. The presentation is pedagogical and readable. It provides materials interesting to both students and researchers of astrophysics, nuclear physics and high energy physics.

Focusing on experimental results, this updated edition approaches the problem of quantum phase transitions from a new and unifying perspective.

This book shows how the study of multi-hadron production phenomena in the years after the founding of CERN culminated in Hagedorn's pioneering idea of limiting temperature, leading on to the discovery of the quark-gluon plasma -- announced, in February 2000 at CERN. Following the foreword by Herwig Schopper -- the Director General (1981-1988) of CERN at the key historical juncture -- the first part is a tribute to Rolf Hagedorn (1919-2003) and includes contributions by contemporary friends and colleagues, and those who were most touched by Hagedorn: Tamás Biró, Igor Dremin, Torleif Ericson, Marek Gaździcki, Mark Gorenstein, Hans Gutbrod, Maurice Jacob, István Montvay, Berndt Müller, Grazyna Odyniec, Emanuele Quercigh, Krzysztof Redlich, Helmut Satz, Luigi Sertorio, Ludwik Turko, and Gabriele Veneziano. The second and third parts retrace 20 years of developments that after discovery of the Hagedorn temperature in 1964 led to its recognition as the melting point of hadrons into boiling quarks, and to the rise of the experimental relativistic heavy ion collision program. These parts contain previously unpublished material authored by Hagedorn and Rafelski: conference retrospectives, research notes, workshop reports, in some instances abbreviated to avoid duplication of material, and rounded off with the editor's explanatory notes. About the editor: Johann Rafelski is a theoretical physicist working at The University of Arizona in Tucson, USA. Bor n in 1950 in Krakow, Poland, he received his Ph.D. with Walter Greiner in Frankfurt, Germany in 1973. Rafelski arrived at CERN in 1977, where in a joint effort with Hagedorn he contributed greatly to the establishment of the relativistic heavy ion collision, and quark-gluon plasma research fields. Moving on, with stops in Frankfurt and Cape Town, to Arizona, he invented and developed the strangeness quark flavor as the signature of quark-gluon plasma.

The ideal textbook for a one-semester introductory course for graduate students or advanced undergraduates This book provides an essential introduction to the physics of quantum many-body systems, which are at the heart of atomic and nuclear physics, condensed matter, and particle physics. Unlike other textbooks on the subject, it covers topics across a broad range of physical fields—phenomena as well as theoretical tools—and does so in a simple and accessible way. Edward Shuryak begins with Feynman diagrams of the quantum and statistical mechanics of a particle; in these applications, the diagrams are easy to calculate and there are no divergencies. He discusses the renormalization group and illustrates its uses, and covers systems such as weakly and strongly coupled Bose and Fermi gases, electron gas, nuclear matter, and quark-gluon plasmas. Phenomena include Bose condensation and superfluidity. Shuryak also looks at Cooper pairing and superconductivity for electrons in metals, liquid 3He, nuclear matter, and quark-gluon plasma. A recurring topic throughout is topological matter, ranging from ensembles of quantized vortices in superfluids and superconductors to ensembles of colored (QCD) monopoles and instantons in the QCD vacuum. Proven in the classroom, Quantum Many-Body Physics in a Nutshell is the ideal textbook for a one-semester introductory course for graduate students or advanced undergraduates. Teaches students how quantum many-body systems work across many fields of physics Uses path integrals from the very beginning Features the easiest introduction to Feynman diagrams available Draws on the most recent findings, including trapped Fermi and Bose atomic gases Guides students from traditional systems, such as electron gas and nuclear matter, to more advanced ones, such as quark-gluon plasma and the QCD vacuum