Wilson lines (also known as gauge links or eikonal lines) can be introduced in any gauge field theory. Although the concept of the Wilson exponentials finds an enormously wide range of applications in a variety of branches of modern quantum field theory, from condensed matter and lattice simulations to quantum chromodynamics, high-energy effective theories and gravity, there are surprisingly few books or textbooks on the market which contain comprehensive pedagogical introduction and consecutive exposition of the subject. The objective of this book is to get the potential reader acquainted with theoretical and mathematical foundations of the concept of the Wilson loops in the context of modern quantum field theory, to teach him/her to perform independently some elementary calculations with Wilson lines, and to familiarize him/her with the recent development of the subject in different important areas of research. The target audience of the book consists of graduate and postgraduate students working in various areas of quantum field theory, as well as researchers from other fields.

Autorentext

I. O. Cherednikov, T. Mertens, F.F. Van der Veken, Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium.

Inhalt

1. INTRODUCTION: PRIMER AND VOCABULARY
   
   2. STRUCTURE OF THE LOOP SPACE
   3. RENORMALIZATION OF WILSON LOOPS
   4. GAUGE LINKS IN QCD FACTORIZATION THEOREMS
   5. WILSON POLYGONS ON THE LIGHT-CONE
   6. CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK
   7. APPENDICES AND EXERCISES