Heat Kernel and Quantum Gravity

• Author(s): Ivan G. Avramidi,
• Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
• Pages: 152
• ISBN_10: 3540465235
  ISBN_13: 9783540465232
  
• Language: en
• Categories: Science / Physics / Quantum Theory , Science / Physics / Mathematical & Computational , Science / Physics / Relativity , Science / Physics / General ,

Description:... This book tackles quantum gravity via the so-called background field method and its effective action functional. The author presents an explicitly covariant and effective technique to calculate the de Witt coefficients and to analyze the Schwinger-de Wit asymptotic expansion of the effective action. He also investigates the ultraviolet behaviour of higher-derivative quantum gravity.
The book addresses theoretical physicists, graduate students as well as researchers, but should also be of interest to physicists working in mathematical or elementary particle physics.