Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime
Quantized Fields and Gravity

Suitable for graduate students, this book develops quantum field theory in curved spacetime in a pedagogical style.

Leonard Parker (Author), David Toms (Author)

9780521877879, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 August 2009

472 pages
25.3 x 18 x 3 cm, 1 kg

"This is an interesting book which contains a lot of material about an important topic of theoretical physics."
Michael Keyl, Mathematical Reviews

Quantum field theory in curved spacetime has been remarkably fruitful. It can be used to explain how the large-scale structure of the universe and the anisotropies of the cosmic background radiation that we observe today first arose. Similarly, it provides a deep connection between general relativity, thermodynamics, and quantum field theory. 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.

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.

Subject Areas: Mathematical physics [PHU], Statistical physics [PHS]