Boundary bound states in integrable quantum field theories

Abstract

The purpose of this talk is to sketch some recent progress which has been made in calculating non-perturbatively the reflection factors for the sinh-Gordon model restricted to a half-line by integrable boundary conditions. The essential idea is to calculate the energy spectrum of boundary breathers in two independent ways; firstly by using the boundary bootstrap and secondly by quantizing the classical solutions corresponding to boundary breathers. Comparing these two calculations provides a way to determine the dependence of the reflection factors on the parameters introduced into the Lagrangian by the boundary conditions. The basic idea is illustrated using a massive free scalar field with a linear boundary condition confining it to a half-line.