- pt. I. Classical electrodynamics. Lecture I. Historical background
- Lecture II. The problems of classical field theory
- Lecture III. The Wheeler-Feynman absorber theory of radiation
- Lecture IV. Action at a distance in curved spacetime
- Lecture V. Cosmological models
- Lecture VI. Response of the expanding universe
- pt. II. Quantum electrodynamics non-relativistic processes
- Lecture VII. The path-integral approach to quantum mechanics
- Lecture VIII. Perturbation theory and the influence functional
- Lecture IX. Absorption and stimulated emission
- Lecture X. Spontaneous emission
- Lecture XI. The complete influence functional and the level shift formula
- pt. III. Relativistic quantum electrodynamics
- Lecture XII. Path integrals for relativistic particles
- Lecture XIII. Many particle interactions and the quantum response of the universe
- Lecture XIV. Self action
- Lecture XV. Cosmological cut-offs to radiative corrections
- Lecture XVI. Concluding remarks.
This book describes the subject of electrodynamics at classical as well as quantum level, developed as an interaction at a distance. Thus it has electric charges interacting with one another directly and not through the medium of a field. In general such an interaction travels forward and backward in time symmetrically, thus apparently violating the principle of causality. It turns out, however, that in such a description the cosmological boundary conditions become very important. The theory therefore works only in a cosmology with the right boundary conditions; but when it does work it is free from the divergences that plague a quantum field theory.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)
This volume describes the subject of electrodynamics at classical as well as quantum level, developed as an interaction at a distance. Thus it has electric charges interacting with one another directly and not through the medium of a field.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)