This book aims to provide advanced students and researchers with the text on a nonperturbative, thermodynamically grounded, and largely analytical approach to four-dimensional Quantum Gauge Theory. The terrestrial, astrophysical, and cosmological applications, mostly within the realm of low-temperature photon physics, are treated.

This latest edition enhances the material of the first edition with a derivation of the value of the action for each of the Harrington-Shepard calorons/anticalorons that are relevant for the emergence of the thermal ground state. Also included are discussions of the caloron center versus its periphery, the role of the thermal ground state in U(1) wave propagation, photonic particle-wave duality, and calculational intricacies and book-keeping related to one-loop scattering of massless modes in the deconfining phase of an SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. Moreover, a derivation of the temperature-redshift relation of the CMB in deconfining SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics and its application to explaining an apparent early re-ionization of the Universe are given. Finally, a mechanism of mass generation for cosmic neutrinos is proposed.

This latest edition enhances the material of the first edition with a derivation of the value of the action for each of the Harrington-Shepard calorons/anticalorons that are relevant for the emergence of the thermal ground state. Also included are discussions of the caloron center versus its periphery, the role of the thermal ground state in U(1) wave propagation, photonic particle-wave duality, and calculational intricacies and book-keeping related to one-loop scattering of massless modes in the deconfining phase of an SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. Moreover, a derivation of the temperature-redshift relation of the CMB in deconfining SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics and its application to explaining an apparent early re-ionization of the Universe are given. Finally, a mechanism of mass generation for cosmic neutrinos is proposed.

Ralf Hofmann postuliert, dass Wissen als Produkt der Unternehmensberatung anzusehen ist und infolgedessen einem Produktentwicklungs- und Produktlebenszyklus unterliegt. Auf dieser Basis zeigt er die Defizite im Umgang mit dem Produkt Wissen im Bereich der Unternehmensberatungen auf und formuliert Anforderungen an ein Konzept zum Einsatz von Wissensmanagement unter Berucksichtigung des Absatzmarkts.