Theoretical physics is a cornerstone of modern physics and provides a
foundation for all modern quantitative science. It aims to describe all
natural phenomena using mathematical theories and models, and in
consequence develops our understanding of the fundamental nature of the
universe. This books offers an overview of major areas covering the
recent developments in modern theoretical physics. Each chapter
introduces a new key topic and develops the discussion in a
self-contained manner. At the same time the selected topics have common
themes running throughout the book, which connect the independent
discussions. The main themes are renormalization group, fixed points,
universality, and continuum limit, which open and conclude the work.
The development of modern theoretical physics has required important
concepts and novel mathematical tools, examples discussed in the book
include path and field integrals, the notion of effective quantum or
statistical field theories, gauge theories, and the mathematical
structure at the basis of the interactions in fundamental particle
physics, including quantization problems and anomalies, stochastic
dynamical equations, and summation of perturbative series.