Field Theory, Disorder and Simulations

This volume is a collection of lectures and selected papers by Giorgio Parisi on the subjects of Field Theory (perturbative expansions, nonperturbative phenomena and phase transitions), Disordered Systems (mainly spin glasses) and Computer Simulations (lattice gauge theories).

The basic problems discussed in the Field Theory section concern the interplay between perturbation theory and nonperturbative phenomena which are present when one deals with infrared or ultraviolet...
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This volume is a collection of lectures and selected papers by Giorgio Parisi on the subjects of Field Theory (perturbative expansions, nonperturbative phenomena and phase transitions), Disordered Systems (mainly spin glasses) and Computer Simulations (lattice gauge theories).

The basic problems discussed in the Field Theory section concern the interplay between perturbation theory and nonperturbative phenomena which are present when one deals with infrared or ultraviolet divergences or with nonconvergent perturbative expansions. The section on Disordered Systems contains a complete discussion about the replica method and its probabilistic interpretation, and also includes a short paper on multifractals. In the Simulations section, there is a series of lectures devoted to the study of quantum chromodynamics and a review paper on simulations in complex systems.

The works of Giorgio Parisi have repeatedly displayed a remarkable depth of originality and innovation, and have paved the way for new research in many areas. This personal selection of his lectures and papers, complete with an original introduction by him, undoubtedly serves as a vital reference book for physicists and mathematicians working in these fields.Contents: "Field Theory: "Field-Theoretical Approach to Second-Order Phase Transitions in Two- and Three-Dimensional SystemsAn Introduction to Scaling ViolationsOn Non-Renormalizable InteractionsThe Physical Basis of the Asymtotic Estimates in Perturbation TheoryThe Borel Transform and the Renormalization GroupSingularities of the Borel Transform in Gauge TheoriesOn Infrared DivergencesCritical Exponents and Large-Order Behavior of Perturbation TheoryQuartic Oscillator"Disordered Systems: "An Introduction to the Statistical Mechanics of Amorphous SystemsSupersymmetric Field Theories and Stochastic Differential EquationsSpin Glasses and Optimization Problems Without ReplicasSpin Glass TheoryOn the Emergence of Tree-Like Structures in Complex SystemsOn the Multifractal Nature of Fully Developed Turbulence and Chaotic Systems"Simulations: "Recent Progresses in Gauge TheoriesThe Strategy for Computing the Hadronic Mass SpectrumProlegomena to any Future Computer Evaluation of the QCD Mass SpectrumA Short Introduction to Numerical Simulations of Lattice Gauge TheoriesThe APE Computer: An Array Processor Optimized for Lattice Gauge Theory SimulationsPrinciples of Numerical Simulationsand other papers
Readership: Physicists.