Path Integral Approach to Quantum Physics: An Introduction (Texts & Monographs in Physics)

Apart from giving a broad introduction to the theory of the random walk and stochastic processes in general, the author emphasizes the close relationship between Brownian motion and the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics due to R. Feynman and M. Kac. Various recent advances in statistical mechanics and quantum field theory are included; they are presented in such a way as to make this a textbook suitable teaching purposes. This new edition also contains notes, exercises, and an updated list of references which will help the student to acquire a deeper grasp of the subject and to acquaint himself with the current research activity in this field. The greatly enlarged English edition has been completely rewritten by the author; the German original was first published in 1991.