Instantons in QCD

Abstract

The authors review the theory and phenomenology of instantons in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). After a general overview, they provide a pedagogical introduction to semiclassical methods in quantum mechanics and field theory. The main part of the review summarizes our understanding of the instanton liquid in QCD and the role of instantons in generating the spectrum of light hadrons. The authors also discuss properties of instantons at finite temperature and how instantons can provide a mechanism for the chiral phase transition. They give an overview of the role of instantons in some other models, in particular low-dimensional sigma models, electroweak theory, and supersymmetric QCD.