Advanced Topics in Quantum Field Theory

Mikhail Shifman is the Ida Cohen Fine Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Minnesota. He was awarded the 1999 Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, the 2006 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize and the 2016 Dirac Medal and Prize for outstanding contributions to physics. In 2018, he was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.

• Introduction; Part I. Before Supersymmetry: 1. Phases of gauge theories; 2. Kinks and domain walls; 3. Vortices and flux tubes (strings); 4. Monopoles and Skyrmions; 5. Instantons; 6. Isotropic (anti)ferromagnet: O(3) sigma model and extensions, including CP(N-1); 7. False-vacuum decay and related topics; 8. Chiral and other anomalies; 9. Confinement in 4D gauge theories and models in lower dimensions; Part II. Introduction to Supersymmetry: 10. Basics of supersymmetry with emphasis on gauge theories; 11. Supersymmetric solitons; Part III. Problems and Solutions; Index.

'The book begins a remarkable and excellent review of the history of quantum field theory. Part I presents ideas and developments before supersymmetry. Part II […] presents a systematic and rather complete introduction to supersymmetry from a modern perspective. Aimed at advanced students as well as researchers, the book is a unique combination of a basic guide to modern quantum field theory and a manual of new research topics.' Gert Roepstorff, Zentralblatt MATH