Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime
This book develops quantum field theory in curved spacetime in a pedagogical style, suitable for graduate students. The authors present detailed, physically motivated, derivations of cosmological and black hole processes in which curved spacetime plays a key role. They explain how such processes in the rapidly expanding early universe leave observable consequences today, and how in the context of evaporating black holes, these processes uncover deep connections between gravitation and elementary particles. The authors also lucidly describe many other aspects of free and interacting quantized fields in curved spacetime.
- Emphasises physically motivated derivations to gradually introduce the material to the reader
- Takes the reader from introductory to research level, by including comprehensive discussions of applications to cosmology and black holes
- Describes many other aspects of free and interacting quantized fields in curved spacetime to provide a deeper understanding of the material
Reviews & endorsements
"While readers of Birrel and Davies will certainly like this new book, newcomers and students will appreciate the breadth and the style of a treatise written by two well known scientists who have dedicated their lives to the understanding of the treatment of quantum fields in a fixed gravitational background."
Massimo Giovannini, CERN Courier
"This is an interesting book which contains a lot of material about an important topic of theoretical physics."
Michael Keyl, Mathematical Reviews
Product details
September 2009Hardback
9780521877879
472 pages
253 × 180 × 30 mm
1kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Conventions and notation
- 1. Quantum fields in Minkowski spacetime
- 2. Basics of quantum fields in curved spacetimes
- 3. Expectation values quadratic in fields
- 4. Particle creation by black holes
- 5. The one-loop effective action
- 6. The effective action: non-gauge theories
- 7. The effective action: gauge theories
- Appendixes
- References
- Index.