Description
Book SynopsisThis monograph presents recent developments in quantum field theory at finite temperature. By using Lie groups, ideas from thermal theory are considered with concepts of symmetry, allowing for applications not only to quantum field theory but also to transport theory, quantum optics and statistical mechanics. This includes an analysis of geometrical and topological aspects of spatially confined systems with applications to the Casimir effect, superconductivity and phase transitions. Finally, some developments in open systems are also considered. The book provides a unified picture of the fundamental aspects in thermal quantum field theory and their applications, and is important to the field as a result, since it combines several diverse ideas that lead to a better understanding of different areas of physics.
Table of ContentsGeneral Principles: Elements of Thermodynamics; Elements of Statistical Mechanics; Partition Function and Path Integral; Interacting Fields; Thermal Field Theory: Thermofield Dynamics (TFD); Thermal Oscillators: Bosons and Fermions; Representation of the Thermo-Poincare Group; Free Fields at Finite Temperature; Thermal Interacting Fields; Scattering Processes and Reaction Rates via TFD; Applications to Quantum Optics: Thermal Quantum States of Field Mode; Non-classical Properties of Thermal States; Bipartite Systems and Thermal States; Measure of Non-classicality and Temperature; SU(2) and SU(1,1) States; Thermal Confined Fields: About Confinement and Thermal Theories; Casimir Effect for the Electromagnetic Field in Box; Casimir Effect for Fermions; Superconducting Transition Temperature in Films, Wires and Grains; Critical Behavior of Type II Superconducting Films in a Magnetic Field; First-Order Phase Transition in Superconducting Films; Compactified GrossA-Neveu Model at T=0; Compactified GrossA-Neveu Model at Finite Temperature; Applications to Open Systems: TFD, Wigner Functions and Kinetic Theory; Schrodinger Approach, TFD and Nonequilibrium Systems; Dressed State Approach to the Thermalization Processes.
