Henley E.M., Thirring W. Elementary Quantum Field Theory

McGraw-Hill, 1962. - 287 pp.
The aim of this book is to present that aspect of quantum field theory which is not obscured by mathematical difficulties and which does not require a deep understanding of special relativity. Within this scope the emphasis has been placed on particle physics rather than on other
applications of quantum field theory. To make the book comprehensible to a wide range of readers, only a knowledge of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics is presupposed. All other tools that are needed are developed in the text.
In the first part both the mathematical and physical descriptions of a quantum field are introduced. The conceptual aspects of the field are stressed. However, only fields that obey Bose-Einstein statistics are examined. Observables, invariants of the field, and internal symmetries are
discussed.
In the second part of the book further techniques are developed by considering the interactions of a quantum field with various static sources. Those problems that are known to have exact solutions, namely, the neutral scalar theory, the pair theory, and the Lee model, are treated from both classical and quantum-mechanical points of view.
In the third part both the mathematical tools and the physical insight acquired in earlier chapters are applied to low-energy pion physics. After describing a classical approach and various other methods that have been used to analyze the problem in the past, the authors turn to the model that is not based on uncontrolled mathematical approximations, namely, the static model developed by Chew and Low. In terms of this model they attempt to give the reader an understanding of pion-nucleon scattering, the static properties of nucleons, electromagnetic phenomena, and nuclear forces.