Overview
- Presents a unique combination of the most relevant field theories in one textbook: Electrodynamics, Gauge Theory and Gravitation
- Mathematical background material is provided, making this textbook self-contained
- Provides detailed discussions for each theory and emphasizes analogies, giving a clear overview of relation between topics
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Graduate Texts in Physics (GTP)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
The book describes Maxwell's equations first in their integral, directly testable form, then moves on to their local formulation. The first two chapters cover all essential properties of Maxwell's equations, including their symmetries and their covariance in a modern notation. Chapter 3 is devoted to Maxwell theory as a classical field theory and to solutions of the wave equation. Chapter 4 deals with important applications of Maxwell theory. It includes topical subjects such as metamaterials with negative refraction index and solutions of Helmholtz' equation in paraxial approximation relevant for the description of laser beams.
Chapter 5 describes non-Abelian gauge theories from a classical, geometric point of view, in analogy to Maxwell theory as a prototype, and culminates in an application to the U(2) theory relevant for electroweak interactions. The last chapter 6 gives a concise summary of semi-Riemannian geometry as the framework for the classical field theory of gravitation. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the Schwarzschild solution of Einstein's equations and the classical tests of general relativity (perihelion precession of Mercury, and light deflection by the sun).
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Textbook features: detailed figures, worked examples, problems and solutions, boxed inserts, highlighted special topics, highlighted important math etc., helpful summaries, appendix, index.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Florian Scheck
University Mainz
Successful author of German language textbook series (5 volumes)
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Classical Field Theory
Book Subtitle: On Electrodynamics, Non-Abelian Gauge Theories and Gravitation
Authors: Florian Scheck
Series Title: Graduate Texts in Physics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27985-0
Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-43128-9Published: 11 June 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-27985-0Published: 08 May 2012
Series ISSN: 1868-4513
Series E-ISSN: 1868-4521
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 436
Topics: Theoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics, Classical and Quantum Gravitation, Relativity Theory, Mathematical Methods in Physics