Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell: Second Edition

Since it was first published, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell has quickly established itself as the most accessible and comprehensive introduction to this profound and deeply fascinating area of theoretical physics. Now in this fully revised and expanded edition, A. Zee covers the latest advances while providing a solid conceptual foundation for students to build on, making this the most up-to-date and modern textbook on quantum field theory available.

This expanded edition features several additional chapters, as well as an entirely new section describing recent developments in quantum field theory such as gravitational waves, the helicity spinor formalism, on-shell gluon scattering, recursion relations for amplitudes with complex momenta, and the hidden connection between Yang-Mills theory and Einstein gravity. Zee also provides added exercises, explanations, and examples, as well as detailed appendices, solutions to selected exercises, and suggestions for further reading.

The most accessible and comprehensive introductory textbook available
Features a fully revised, updated, and expanded text
Covers the latest exciting advances in the field
Includes new exercises
Offers a one-of-a-kind resource for students and researchers

Leading universities that have adopted this book include:

Arizona State University
Boston University
Brandeis University
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon
College of William & Mary
Cornell
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
Princeton University
Purdue University - Main Campus
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Stanford University
University of California - Berkeley
University of Central Florida
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
University of Montreal
University of Notre Dame
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Tech University

Customer Reviews:

Funny, chatty, physical. QFT education transformed!!

By M. Haque "masud/torun" - March 6, 2004

This Quantum Field Theory text stands apart from others in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all :-). A very unique QFT introductory text.

One problem with learning QFT is that it is so easy to get lost in the mathematical details that the core physics concepts often get obscured.

In my opinion, Tony Zee overcomes this particular problem quite successfully. He keeps algebra to a bare minimum, and tries to find the shortest route to the physics ideas. He chooses examples that illustrate concepts in the fastest possible way.

The chapters are short. So refreshing! Each chapter has one or two core ideas. You can go through one in ten minutes (glossing over the math), and then you go back and do the math.

Part I (first eighty or so pages) is called "Motivation and Foundation" and is a rapid introduction to QFT. It is also a summary and sweeping overview --- introducing path integrals and Feynman diagrams and making a very... read more

Required reading for QFT

By Alexander Scott - January 2, 2004

From my experiences in quantum field theory: The kind that you can read, the kind that work out examples, and the kind that your professors want you to understand. The last are Jackson-esque tomes like Peskin and Schroeder that dummies like me in a QFT class will never be able to use ("dummies in a QFT class" may sound like an oxymoron, but we're not all geniuses...). The kind of texts that works out examples, like the text by Lahiri and Pal, have been invaluable to me, but I still have not always been able to understand the IDEAS contained in the mathematics. "QFT in a Nutshell" heralds the introduction of a book on quantum field theory that you can sit down and read. My professor's lectures made much more sense as I followed along in this book, because concepts were actually EXPLAINED, not just worked out. I still recommend having all three types of texts, but I am glad that now I have three types and not just the last two.However, it might make sense... read more

A readable, and re-readable instant classic on QFT

By Flip Tomato "fliptomato" - June 28, 2005

I have often heard graduate students say that QFT is a course that one must really take twice to understand properly--once to pick up the math, and then once again to pick up the physics. Zee's QFT in a Nutshell may change this conventional wisdom.

I took a QFT course taught out of Peskin and Schroder as an undergraduate immediately after an undergrad-level Quantum Mechanics course taught out of Griffiths. Zee's book helped bridge the gap between the two courses and proved to be a golden resource for insight beyond the standard texts. While Peskin and Schroder (and many of the other modern standards--Ryder, Weinberg, Kaku to some extent) are very meticulous mathematically, "QFT in a Nutshell" introduces the mathematical tools and is then meticulous about a strong physical understanding of the topic. Zee won't let you lose sight of the big picture and his expertise in teaching the subject really shows up in his ability to highlight commonly misunderstood topics and to... read more