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Can anyone summarize what conformal field theory is actually about,i.e.

1) what are its goals? (for example, to study such-and-such fields/functions/maps/etc. to see whether they have such-and such properties, and what it means)

2)it is described as "a quantum field theory". How many quantum field theories are there then? Which one does this correspond to. I don't have background in QFT but I thought the division was only between bosonic/fermionic fields.

3) which techniques it uses? (for example, perturbation expansion)

I know there are many good books and references, but I was wondering if I could get a self-contained answer here. A few questions have been asked on this website, but none address my two questions above in a straightforward way, without referencing to books. I have a background in quantum mechanics and classical electrodynamics.

Any help will be appreciated! Even if it just involves broad analogies!

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    $\begingroup$ You have a background in Quantum mechanics and QUANTUM electrodynamics or classical electrodynamics? It's a huge difference... Anyhow, your question seems much, much too broad to be answered properly on this site. $\endgroup$
    – Danu
    Commented May 14, 2014 at 11:30
  • $\begingroup$ @Danu just edited the question $\endgroup$
    – user46446
    Commented May 14, 2014 at 12:10
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    $\begingroup$ @Danu I don't think it's too broad compared to the other question that have been asked, and answered here: like "how does gravity/information" escape a black hole, explained in the manner easy to follow. $\endgroup$
    – user46446
    Commented May 14, 2014 at 12:22
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    $\begingroup$ For one thing, you have multiple not-too-closely-related questions here. #1 would probably be a good question on its own. #2 might be; #3 seems pretty broad by itself. Also, when you want a summary of a topic, that's really the place for Wikipedia or a textbook to step in. If you've checked those resources and others and can identify a specific reason they're all lacking, then that could make a good question, but I'm pretty sure the answer to what you asked can be found in those standard references. $\endgroup$
    – David Z
    Commented May 15, 2014 at 17:14

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