Daniel S. Freed

The lectures featured in this book treat fundamental concepts necessary for understanding the physics behind these mathematical applications. Freed approaches the topic with the assumption that the basic notions of supersymmetric field theory are unfamiliar to most mathematicians. He presents the material intending to impart a firm grounding in the elementary ideas.

Five Lectures on Supersymmetry

David R. Morrison

Pierre Deligne

Edward Witten

David Kazhdan

Pavel Etingof

John W. Morgan

Lisa C. Jeffrey

A run-away bestseller from the moment it hit the market in late 1999. This impressive, thick softcover offers mathematicians and mathematical physicists the opportunity to learn about the beautiful and difficult subjects of quantum field theory and string theory. Cover features an intriguing cartoon that will bring a smile to its intended audience.

Volume 2

Quantum Fields and Strings: A Course for Mathematicians

Volume 1

David Ayala

Ryan E. Grady

This volume contains the proceedings of the NSF-CBMS Regional Conference on Topological and Geometric Methods in QFT, held from July 31–August 4, 2017, at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. In recent decades, there has been a movement to axiomatize quantum field theory into a mathematical structure. In a different direction, one can ask to test these axiom systems against physics. Can they be used to rederive known facts about quantum theories or, better yet, be the framework in which to solve open problems? Recently, Freed and Hopkins have provided a solution to a classification problem in condensed matter theory, which is ultimately based on the field theory axioms of Graeme Segal. Papers contained in this volume amplify various aspects of the Freed–Hopkins program, develop some category theory, which lies behind the cobordism hypothesis, the major structure theorem for topological field theories, and relate to Costello's approach to perturbative quantum field theory. Two papers on the latter use this framework to recover fundamental results about some physical theories: two-dimensional sigma-models and the bosonic string. Perhaps it is surprising that such sparse axiom systems encode enough structure to prove important results in physics. These successes can be taken as encouragement that the axiom systems are at least on the right track toward articulating what a quantum field theory is.

Topology and Quantum Theory in Interaction

American Mathematical Society

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)

Karen K. Uhlenbeck

The first title in a new series, this book explores topics from classical and quantum mechanics and field theory. The material is presented at a level between that of a textbook and research papers making it ideal for graduate students. The book provides an entree into a field that promises to remain exciting and important for years to come.

Geometry and Quantum Field Theory

From the reviews of the first edition: "This book exposes the beautiful confluence of deep techniques and ideas from mathematical physics and the topological study of the differentiable structure of compact four-dimensional manifolds, compact spaces locally modeled on the world in which we live and operate... The book is filled with insightful remarks, proofs, and contributions that have never before appeared in print. For anyone attempting to understand the work of Donaldson and the applications of gauge theories to four-dimensional topology, the book is a must." #Science#1 "I would strongly advise the graduate student or working mathematician who wishes to learn the analytic aspects of this subject to begin with Freed and Uhlenbeck's book." #Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society#2

Instantons and Four-Manifolds

Sergei Gukov

Ciprian Manolescu

Constantin Teleman

Ulrike Tillmann

This volume contains lectures from the Graduate Summer School “Quantum Field Theory and Manifold Invariants” held at Park City Mathematics Institute 2019. The lectures span topics in topology, global analysis, and physics, and they range from introductory to cutting edge. Topics treated include mathematical gauge theory (anti-self-dual equations, Seiberg-Witten equations, Higgs bundles), classical and categorified knot invariants (Khovanov homology, Heegaard Floer homology), instanton Floer homology, invertible topological field theory, BPS states and spectral networks. This collection presents a rich blend of geometry and topology, with some theoretical physics thrown in as well, and so provides a snapshot of a vibrant and fast-moving field. Graduate students with basic preparation in topology and geometry can use this volume to learn advanced background material before being brought to the frontiers of current developments. Seasoned researchers will also benefit from the systematic presentation of exciting new advances by leaders in their fields.

Quantum Field Theory and Manifold Invariants

Daniel S. Freed

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