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An Introduction to Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

Small book cover: An Introduction to Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking

An Introduction to Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking
by

Publisher: arXiv.org
Number of pages: 149

Description:
In these lecture notes, starting from a careful definition of symmetry in physics, we introduce symmetry breaking and its consequences. Emphasis is placed on the physics of singular limits, showing the reality of symmetry breaking even in small-sized systems. Topics covered include Nambu-Goldstone modes, quantum corrections, phase transitions, topological defects and gauge fields. We provide many examples from both high energy and condensed matter physics. These notes are suitable for graduate students.

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