Green's Functions in Quantum Physics

In this third edition the book has been expanded in three directions: 1. Problems have been added at the end of each chapter (40% of which are solved in the last section of the book) together with suggestions for further reading. Furthermore, the number of appendices (marked with a grey stripe) has been substantially enlarged in order to make the book more self-su?cient. These additions, together with many clari?cations in the text, render the book more suitable as a companion in a course on Green s functions and their applications. 2. Theimpressivedevelopmentsofthe1980sand1990sinmesoscopicphysics, and in particular in transport properties, found their way to a c- tain extent in the new Chaps.8 and 9 (which also contain some of the material of the old Chap.7). This is a natural expansion, since Green s functions have played an important role as a theoretical tool in this new ?eld of physics, a role that continues in nanoregime research (see, e.g., recent publications dealing with carbon nanotubes). Thus, the powerful and unifying formalism of Green s functions ?nds applications not only in standard physics subjects such as perturbation and scattering theory, bound-state formation, etc., but also at the forefrontof current and, most likely, future developments. 3. Over the last 15 yearsor so Green s functions havefound applications not only in condensed matter electronicmotion but in classicalwavepropa- tion in both periodic and random media; photonic and phononic crystals aretheoutcomesofthislineofresearchwhoseunderlyingbasictheoretical principles are summarized in Sect.7.2.4.