Finite Quantum Electrodynamics

Book Details

• Publisher: Dover

• Author: Günter Scharf

• Language: English

• Edition: 3rd Edition

• ISBN: 9780486492735

• Pages: 416

• Cover: Paperback

• Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches

About The Book
In Quantum Electrodynamics: A Mathematical Approach, Günter Scharf offers a comprehensive and mathematically rigorous exploration of the role of causality in quantum electrodynamics (QED). Aimed at advanced undergraduates and graduate students of physics, this classic text dives deeply into scattering processes and the fundamental principles of QED with full proofs and detailed calculations.

The third edition includes revisions, corrections, and a new Epilogue discussing the gauge invariance of quantum electrodynamics to all orders. Starting with Dirac's theory, Scharf carefully develops the quantum theory of free fields and causal perturbation theory—a method that circumvents ultraviolet divergences and resolves the infrared problem through the adiabatic limit.

As the text progresses, Scharf discusses essential topics such as the properties of the S-matrix, including renormalizability, gauge invariance, and unitarity, along with the renormalization group and interactions of fields. Further exploration includes electromagnetic couplings and the extension of these methods to non-abelian gauge theories. The book concludes with problems at the end of each chapter, enhancing the learning experience for readers. Four appendices provide additional resources and support for the material covered in the book.

This text serves as both an introduction to the formal mathematical treatment of quantum electrodynamics and as a reference for those advancing their studies in quantum field theory and related disciplines.