Functional Integral Methods in Condensed Matter Physics

The course is only given upon agreement with lecturer. The course gives an introduction to the application of functional integral methods to quantum mechanical many-body problems. Coherent states. Grassmann algebra. Gaussian integrals. Feynman path integrals along imaginary time. Generating functional. Green's functions. Matsubara sums. Functional bosonization of fermion theories. Saddle point approximation. Applications.

The student is expected to obtain insight into functional integral methods, and how these can be applied to solve many-body problems within condensed matter theory. The course is well suited for PhD-students who want an introduction to advanced and moderm methods of treating quantum many-body systems.

Lectures, colloquia, or guided self study, depending on the number of students in the course. Calculation exercises. When lectures and lecture material are in English, the exam may be given in English only.