Related papers: Topological quantum field theories
Several years ago, I suggested a quantum field theory which has many attractive features. (1) It can explain the quantization of electric charge. (2) It describes symmetrized Maxwell equations. (3) It is manifestly covariant. (4) It…
We study some topological aspects of non-abelian gauge theories intimately connected to the Lie algebras of the gauge groups and the homotopy theory in the generalized gauge orbit space. The physics connection to the non-perturbative…
In this expository paper written for physicists and geometers we introduce the notions of TQFT and of orbifold. Then we survey the construction of TQFT's originating from orbifolds such as Chen-Ruan theory and Orbifold String Topology.
This talk introduces perturbative quantum field on a heuristic level. It is directed at an audience familiar with elements of quantum mechanics, but not necessarily with high energy physics. It includes a discussion of the strategies behind…
Various connections between the theory of permutation groups and the theory of topological groups are described. These connections are applied in permutation group theory and in the structure theory of topological groups. The first draft of…
We reconsider perturbative unitarity in quantum field theory and upgrade several arguments and results. The minimum assumptions that lead to the largest time equation, the cutting equations and the unitarity equation are identified. Using…
We describe the basic assumptions and key results of loop quantum gravity, which is a background independent approach to quantum gravity. The emphasis is on the basic physical principles and how one deduces predictions from them, at a level…
The antibracket formalism for gauge theories, at both the classical and quantum level, is reviewed. Gauge transformations and the associated gauge structure are analyzed in detail. The basic concepts involved in the antibracket formalism…
I discuss effective field theories for heavy bound systems, particularly bound systems involving two heavy quarks. The emphasis is on the relevant concepts and on interesting physical applications and results.
We present the summary of the general discussion on the probabilistic foundations of quantum theory that took place during the round table at the Int. Conf. "Foundations of Probability and Physics", V\"axj\"o, Sweden-2000. It is possible to…
Modern cosmology has created a tight link between particle physics / field theory and a wealth of new observational data on the structure of the Universe. These lecture notes focus on some of the most important aspects concerning the…
I sketch what it is supposed to mean to quantize gauge theory, and how this can be made more concrete in perturbation theory and also by starting with a finite-dimensional lattice approximation. Based on real experiments and computer…
A review is given of recent research on two-dimensional gauge theories, with particular emphasis on the equivalence between these theories and certain string theories with a two-dimensional target space. Some related open problems are…
Algebraic quantum field theory provides a general, mathematically precise description of the structure of quantum field theories, and then draws out consequences of this structure by means of various mathematical tools -- the theory of…
This is an introduction to the basic ideas and to a few further selected topics in conformal quantum field theory and in the theory of Kac-Moody algebras.
This thesis discusses various aspects of duality in quantum field theory and string theory. In the first part we consider duality in topological quantum field theories, concentrating on the Donaldson and Seiberg-Witten theories as (dual)…
I present a method of quantization using cohomology groups extended via coefficient groups of different types. This is possible according to the Universal Coefficient Theorem (UCT). I also show that by using this method new features of…
What is the shape of the Universe? Is it finite or infinite ? Is space multi-connected to create ghost images of faraway cosmic sources? After a "dark age" period, the field of cosmic topology has now become one of the major concerns in…
The formalism of quantum mechanics is presented in a way that its interpretation as a classical field theory is emphasized. Two coupled real fields are defined with given equations of motion. Densities and currents associated to the fields…
We consider the coupling of quantum fields to classical gravity in the formalism of ensembles on configuration space, a model that allows a consistent formulation of interacting classical and quantum systems. Explicit calculations show that…