Introduction to Statistical Field Theory

Knowledge of the renormalization group and field theory is a key part of physics, and is essential in condensed matter and particle physics. Written for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, this textbook provides a concise introduction to this subject. The textbook deals directly with the loop-expansion of the free-energy, also known as the background field method. This is a powerful method, especially when dealing with symmetries, and statistical mechanics. In focussing on free-energy, the author avoids long developments on field theory techniques. The necessity of renormalization then follows.

Edouard Brzin is Honorary Professor of Physics at the Ecole Polytechnique, and Emeritus Professor at the Ecole Normale Suprieure (Paris). A former President of the French Academy of Sciences, he is also a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society and Academia Europaea.