A Gentle Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

This textbook is a digestible yet authoritative introduction to the foundations of quantum field theory, making use of explicit notation and step-by-step reasoning. While many QFT texts serve as a reference for practitioners, a compendium of applications, and a review of recent research, this textbook focuses solely on introducing the subject. The tools necessary to canonically quantize scalar and electromagnetic fields are built from the ground up, going all the way to the renormalization group. This textbook tackles fundamental topics that are frequently passed over, such as the interpretation of a quantum field, the cluster decomposition principle, and spontaneous symmetry breaking at the quantum level. More than a hundred problems are included, with selected solutions being made available to instructors. Written primarily for beginning graduate students taking their first course in QFT, this standalone textbook features detailed mathematical derivations and conceptual justifications.