Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model

by Matthew D. Schwartz

Providing a comprehensive introduction to quantum field theory, this textbook covers the development of particle physics from its foundations to the discovery of the Higgs boson. Its combination of clear physical explanations, with direct connections to experimental data, and mathematical rigor make the subject accessible to students with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests. Assuming only an undergraduate-level understanding of quantum mechanics, the book steadily develops the Standard Model and state-of-the art calculation techniques. It includes multiple derivations of many important results, with modern methods such as effective field theory and the renormalization group playing a prominent role. Numerous worked examples and end-of-chapter problems enable students to reproduce classic results and to master quantum field theory as it is used today. Based on a course taught by the author over many years, this book is ideal for an introductory to advanced quantum field theory sequence or for independent study.

Genres: Physics, Science, Textbooks

850 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2013

About the author

Matthew D. Schwartz is an Associate Professor of Physics at Harvard University. He is one of the world's leading experts on quantum field theory and its applications to the Standard Model.

Reviews

[melina]

it took me 8 hours to understand one chapter, so now that seminar is done i count that as a textbook read

[Henrique Legoinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew D. Schwartz is such a serious competitor to Peskin and Schroeder that I think both books should be respected and read back to back in parallel.
Schwartz made very good use of every single word, delivering an outstanding introduction on the subject of interacting fields through the lens of perturbation theory. The author takes his arguments further by quantizing tensorial fields and discussing the associated phenomena. Being genuinely complete and well connected this book should be read by anyone interested in the subject.

[Nazir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A master class in high energy physics pedagogy. One of the most fun textbooks I’ve read in an otherwise gruelling set of textbooks out there. This textbook is a phenomenal introduction to QFT and a serious competitor to the standard Peskin & Schroeder (I’d personally say it’s even better, except for some minor details).

I worked through almost the entirety of this book (except for the standard model stuff. Though I started going through that as well as of recent). Schwartz gently guides you from classical field theory to second quantization. His detailed explanation of derivations and steps are what made the book so long, but also what made it so readable. I heavily appreciate the effort. The QED chapters are some of the most beautiful pieces of rigorous physics writing I’ve encountered next to some of Weinberg’s textbooks (which I place to the highest standards).

I would 100% recommend this book for a beginner wanting to learn the subject. The book has nice hints towards open questions as well (such as effective field theories, modern QFT techniques like conformal field theory and Wilsonian renormalization, and precission standard model calculations). Though of course keep your background in mind. If you know that you honestly lack certain pre-requisites, fill those in with an easier book like QFT for the Gifted Amateur. I had a difficult time for example with all the group theory lingo in chapter 10, so using a book like Physics from Symmetry by Jakob Schwichtenberg (chapter 2 in particular) really helped here. Still, I would definitely recommend you study aspects of QFT from this book.

[tenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best book out there on QFT. Maths and physical insights are both present here with great clarify; in the spectrum of QFT books I'd put this right between Peskin's and Zee's.

I recommended this book to my graduate students for a QFT course I gave 2 years ago.

[Mr Man]

Shelved for now. I was spending too much time getting stuck on the problems, which is silly because there are numerous other QFT books on the market with fully worked solutions available online. I will perhaps return to Schwartz after going through Peskin and Schroeder, or one of the other popular textbooks that are easier to get help with for someone who is self-studying QFT.