Euclidean Quantum Gravity on Mainfolds with Boundary: 85 (Fundamental Theories of Physics) - Hardcover

Kamenshchik, Alexander Yu; Esposito, Giampiero; Pollifrone, Guiseppe

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0792344723 ISBN 13: 9780792344728

Verlag: Springer, 1997

Inhaltsangabe

This book reflects our own struggle to understand the semiclassical behaviour of quantized fields in the presence of boundaries. Along many years, motivated by the problems of quantum cosmology and quantum field theory, we have studied in detail the one-loop properties of massless spin-l/2 fields, Euclidean Maxwell the­ ory, gravitino potentials and Euclidean quantum gravity. Hence our book begins with a review of the physical and mathematical motivations for studying physical theories in the presence of boundaries, with emphasis on electrostatics, vacuum v Maxwell theory and quantum cosmology. We then study the Feynman propagator in Minkowski space-time and in curved space-time. In the latter case, the corre­ sponding Schwinger-DeWitt asymptotic expansion is given. The following chapters are devoted to the standard theory of the effective action and the geometric im­ provement due to Vilkovisky, the manifestly covariant quantization of gauge fields, zeta-function regularization in mathematics and in quantum field theory, and the problem of boundary conditions in one-loop quantum theory. For this purpose, we study in detail Dirichlet, Neumann and Robin boundary conditions for scalar fields, local and non-local boundary conditions for massless spin-l/2 fields, mixed boundary conditions for gauge fields and gravitation. This is the content of Part I. Part II presents our investigations of Euclidean Maxwell theory, simple super­ gravity and Euclidean quantum gravity.

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Reseña del editor

The book begins with a review of the physical and mathematical motivations for studying physical theories in the presence of boundaries, with emphasis on electrostatics, vacuum Maxwell theory and quantum cosmology. The Feynman propagator is then studied in Minkowski space- time and in curved space-time. In the latter case, the corresponding Schwinger-DeWitt asymptotic expansion is given. The following chapters introduce the theory of the effective action and the geometric improvement due to Vilkovisky, the manifestly covariant quantization of gauge fields, zeta-function regularization in mathematics and in quantum field theory, and the choice of local or non-local boundary conditions in one-loop quantum theory. In the second part, the authors present their investigations of Euclidean Maxwell theory, simple supergravity and Euclidean quantum gravity. The recurring themes are the evaluation of conformal anomalies and one-loop divergences on manifolds with boundary, the relation between covariant and non-covariant formalisms for the quantization of gauge fields and the choice of boundary condition in the one-loop semiclassical analysis of Euclidean quantum gravity and simple supergravity. Audience: This work will appeal to research workers involved in quantum field theory, relativity and gravitation, electromagnetic theory, cosmology and quantum mechanics.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Springer
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1997
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0792344723
• ISBN 13: 9780792344728
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Anzahl der Seiten: 340
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: CMN Printpool Inh. Mathis Neumann; https://www.also.com/ec/cms5/en_6000/6000/index.jsp; ; Friedrich-Karl-Str. 9; Hamburg; Deutschland