Selected topics in thermal field theory

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• The Gell-Mann–Low formula and the closed time-path formalism

• The functional integral approach

  • Generating functionals for Green's functions

  • The Feynman–Matthews–Salam formula

  • More on generating functionals

• The effective action and the Schwinger–Dyson equations

• Imaginary-time formalism

• Geometric background for thermal field theories

  • The η-ξ spacetime

  • Fields in η-ξ spacetime

• Appendix M Thermal Wick theorem

• Appendix N Coherent state functional integrals

• Appendix O Imaginary-time formalism and phase transitions

• Appendix P Proof of Bogoliubov inequality