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arXiv · 0802.1862

Lectures on instantons

Stefan Vandoren·Peter van Nieuwenhuizen
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Abstract

This is a self-contained set of lecture notes on instantons in (super) Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions and in quantum mechanics. First the basics are derived from scratch: the regular and singular one-instanton solutions for Yang-Mills theories with gauge groups SU(2) and SU(N), their bosonic and fermionic zero modes, the path integral instanton measure, and supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories in Euclidean space. Then we discuss applications: the θ-angle of QCD, the solution of the U(1) problem, the way Higgs fields solve the large-instanton problem, and tunneling and phase transitions in quantum mechanics and in nonabelian gauge theories. These lecture notes are an extension of a review on Yang-Mills and D-instantons written in 2000 by both authors and A.Belitsky

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Stefan Vandoren, Peter van Nieuwenhuizen. 2008-02-13. Lectures on instantons. https://arxiv.org/abs/0802.1862

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