Description
Book SynopsisQuantum mechanics is a subject that has captured the imagination of a range of thinkers. This book presents quantum field theory, and also offers a view of the theory and debates that surround the theory. It is aimed at students of physics as well as students of philosophy.
Trade Review"This is a valuable book... [It] reflects a welcome trend toward a reassessment of the notions of meaning and visualization in contemporary science."--Peter Holland, Nature "Provides a concise but probing introduction into the fundamentals of quantum field theory... The reader who wishes to pursue the philosophical consequences that ensue when not only properties of things but the things themselves become subject to quantum superposition can do no better than to begin with Teller's book. Its combination of careful exposition and thoughtful philosophical critique is an ideal starting place for this inquiry."--Lawrence Sklar, Foundations of Physics "Paul Teller ... does here what philosophers do best ... : verbalizing abstruse scientific concepts and arguments to stimulate thoughtful discourse about fundamental ideas."--Eugen Merzbacher, Physics Today "This is a very readable book for initiates of relativity theory, nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, and the philosophical problems associated with the foundations of each."--Choice
Table of ContentsPrefaceCh. 1Preliminaries and Overview3Ch. 2From Particles to Quanta16Ch. 3Fock Space37Ch. 4Free Quantum Field Theory53Ch. 5What the Quantum Field Is Not: Field and Quantal Aspects of Quantum Field Theory93Ch. 6Interactions114Ch. 7Infinite Renormalization149Bibliography171Index175
