Conformal field theory and solvable lattice models. Introduction to conformal field theory antonin rovai contents foreword 2 introduction 3 1. It introduces conformal field theory at a basic level, kacmoody algebras, oneloop partition functions, superconformal field theories, gepner models and boundary conformal field theory. Introduction to conformal field theory, lecture 1 youtube. Conformal field theory and solvable lattice models contains nine papers based on the symposium conformal field theory and solvable lattice models held at rims, kyoto, may 1986. Eventually, the concept of orientifold constructions is explained.
After presenting the basic facts of the theory of compact riemann surfaces and the representation theory of affine lie algebras in chapters 1 and 2, conformal blocks for pointed riemann surfaces with coordinates are constructed in chapter 3. The application to string theory was explained by friedan, martinec and shenker in conformal invariance, supersymmetry and string theory, nucl. It provides an ideal resource for cft techniques from related fields. The conformally invariant quantum field theories have fields for whom the correlation functions have a specific behaviour accounting for the conformal dimension of the fields.
Aug 12, 2015 pitp 2015 introduction to topological and conformal field theory 1 of 2 robbert dijkgraaf. Based on classtested notes, this text offers an introduction to conformal field theory with a special emphasis on computational techniques of relevance for string theory. The aim of this book is to provide the reader with an introduction to conformal field theory and its applications to topology. While i am not a huge fan of the book, students seem to love srednickis quantum field theory. Introduction to conformal field theory with applications. Dec, 1996 filling an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. Conformal field theory is an elegant and powerful theory in the field of high energy physics and statistics. Eventually, the concept of orientifold constructions is explained in detail for the example of the bosonic string. Introduction to conformal field theory book depository.
Show less conformal invariance and string theory is an account of the series of lectures held in summer school regarding conformal invariance and string theory in september 1987. Conformal field theory philippe francesco, philippe di. The book is a helpful source of reference to students and researchers in the field of physics, specifically quantum and theoretical. Hence the book provides in a selfcontained way the necessary knowledge and \conformal\ intuition which underline the various applications of conformal field theory. Conformal field theory philippe francesco springer. In practice, we nished by talking about the modular bootstrap approach in twodimensional cfts and simpli cations to the bootstrap program in the limit of large spin. Hence the book provides in a selfcontained way the necessary knowledge and \ conformal \ intuition which underline the various applications of conformal field theory. Hence the book provides in a selfcontained way the necessary knowledge and conformal intuition which underline the various applications of conformal field theory. Jul 11, 2009 introduction to conformal field theory. With applications to string theory ebook written by ralph blumenhagen, erik plauschinn. A conformal field theory cft is a quantum field theory that is invariant under conformal transformations. It introduce the theory of conformal fields in a really pedagogical way so that any person not familiar at all with the subject can enjoy it.
What is the best book to learn quantum field theory on. Filling an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. It introduces conformal field theory at a basic level, kacmoody algebras, oneloop partition functions, superconformal field theories, gepner models and boundary conformal. These papers cover the following active areas in mathematical physics. Pitp 2015 introduction to topological and conformal field theory 2 of 2 robbert dijkgraaf duration. Read download conformal field theory pdf pdf download. The treatment is selfcontained, pedagogical, and exhaustive, and includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, lie algebras and affine lie algebras. More recently, schwartzs quantum field theory and the standard model is a great book from my inspection and students seem to enjoy it, though ive n. It introduces conformal field theory at a basic level, kacmoody algebras, oneloop partition functions, superconformal field. Conformal field theory for string theorists christopher p. Conformal field theory has important applications to condensed.
Basic mathematical materials main motivation of this part is to develop underlying mathematical objects appeared in two dimensional conformal field theory cft and to provide a reasonable selfcontained mathematical treatment. Instead of concentrating on the numerous applications of the theory, the author puts forward a discussion of the general methods of conformal field theory as a physical theory. An introduction to conformal field theory to cite this article. If you already have experience with conformal eld theory, you may nd that these. They are intended as an introduction to conformal field theories in various dimensions, with applications related to topics of particular interest.
Yang institute for theoretical physics, department of physics and astronomy stony brook university, stony brook, ny 11794 abstract a write up of about ten lectures on conformal eld theory given as part of. Pdf conformal field theory download full pdf book download. The aim of these lectures is to present an introduction at a fairly elementary level to recent developments in. Pitp 2015 introduction to topological and conformal field. Conformal invariance and string theory sciencedirect. This class of theories have the property that they are invariant under so called conformal transformations, that may be seen as local scale tranformations. Dec 06, 2012 filling an important gap in the literature, this comprehensive text develops conformal field theory from first principles. By means of the holonomy of conformal field theory he defines topological invariants for knots and 3manifolds. Related content logarithmic conformal field theory. The treatment is selfcontained, pedagogical, and exhaustive, and includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory.
Pdf lectures on conformal field theory researchgate. Presented in two dimensions, this book is designed for students who already have a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics, field theory and. Conformal theories in d dimensions, conformal theories in 2 dimensions, the central charge and the virasoro algebra, and free bosons and fermions. Pitp 2015 introduction to topological and conformal field theory 2 of 2.
A conformal field theory cft is accordingly a functor on such a richer category of conformal cobordisms. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read introduction to conformal field theory. The volume begins with an analysis of 1 and 2 point correlation functions of the gibbs measure of random matrices. Ginsparg, 1989, and by john cardy on conformal invariance and statistical mechanics cardy, 1996. In two dimensions, there is an infinitedimensional algebra of local conformal transformations, and conformal field theories can sometimes be exactly solved or classified. I would recommend the book introduction to conformal field theory by blumenhagen and plauschinn. It is aimed to assist students and professionals in the study of the theory from its first principles and in applying the methods in their own research. The treatment is selfcontained, pedagogical, and exhaustive, and includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, lie algebras and.
Conformal field theory edition 1 by philippe francesco. Also they may not be suitable for a gentle introduction. What is a gentle accessible introduction to conformal. In fact, it can be said to be one of the greatest achievements in the development of this field.
The links below provide errata on the first and second printing on the book. A mathematical introduction to conformal field theory 2nd ed. An excellent book for individual study, the book includes a great deal of background material on quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, lie algebras and affine lie algebras. Topics to be covered for parti are as follows tentative. Other excellent presentations are found in the book conformal field theory by philippe di francesco, paul mathieu and daniel s. Conformal field theory philippe di francesco, pierre. The many exercises, with a wide spectrum of difficulty and subjects. Following references are, i think, best for learning two dimensional cft.
Semiriemannian manifolds, conformal transformations and conformal killing fields, classification of. Introduction to conformal field theory springerlink. This selfcontained book develops conformal field theory from first principles and provides many proofs and exercises. These lectures notes are based on courses given at national taiwan university, national chiao. This book presents a systematic approach to conformal field theory with gauge symmetry from the point of view of complex algebraic geometry. Conformal field theory graduate texts in contemporary.
Introduction to conformal field theory with applications to. Introduction to conformal field theory antonin rovai introduction these lecture notes consist of an elementary introduction to conformal field theory cft. Conformal field theory philippe francesco, pierre mathieu. Quallsa adepartment of physics, national taiwan university, taipei, taiwan email. This free online textbook presents the elementary introduction to conformal field theory, with some applications to statistical mechanical systems, and fewer to string theory. It is aimed to assist students and professionals in the study of the theory from its first principles and in applying the methods in.
Conformal field theory by sergei v ketov 9789810216085. Pitp 2015 introduction to topological and conformal. Reading list and book recommendation on conformal field theory. It covers the basics of cft in the first 3 chapters and then in the remaining 3 it goes on to introduce the cft concepts that will appear most frequently in string theory. Conformal field theory world scientific publishing company. It is quite sort and can serve as a perfect introduction to cft. Conformal field theory 5 finally, we should mention that a number of treatments of conformal. The author starts with a description of geometric aspects of conformal field theory based on loop groups. This book covers many aspects of conformal field theory with the intent of presenting concrete computational techniques in examples relevant for string theory.
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