This text presents an intuitive and robust mathematical image of fundamental particle physics based on a novel approach to quantum field theory, which is guided by four carefully motivated metaphysical postulates. In particular, the book explores a dissipative approach to quantum field theory, which is illustrated for scalar field theory and quantum electrodynamics, and proposes an attractive explanation of the Planck scale in quantum gravity. Offering a radically new perspective on this topic, the book focuses on the conceptual foundations of quantum field theory and ontological questions. It also suggests a new stochastic simulation technique in quantum field theory which is complementary to existing ones. Encouraging rigor in a field containing many mathematical subtleties and pitfalls this text is a helpful companion for students of physics and philosophers interested in quantum field theory, and it allows readers to gain an intuitive rather than a formal understanding.

PrefaceAcknowledgements1. Approach to quantum field theory2. Scalar field theory3. Quantum electrodynamics4. PerspectivesAppendix A. An efficient perturbation schemeAppendix B. Properties of Dirac matricesAppendix C. Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formulasReferencesAuthor indexSubject index.

Hans Christian Öttinger, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ZürichHans Christian Öttinger is Professor of Polymer Physics at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich (ETH Zürich). His research is focused on developing a general framework of nonequilibrium thermodynamics as a tool for describing dissipative classical and quantum systems.