Last updated 2012-May-01

Physics 552, Quantum Field Theory II, Spring 2012

Take-home final will be Fri May 4th to Mon May 7th.
For details see grading below.

Teaching

The course meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am-12noon in Crow 205.

Instructor: Prof. Mark Alford

Office: Compton 358; Phone: 5-5034; 
Office hour: Wednesday, 3-4pm. (Department colloquium is at 4pm.)
Students are also welcome to make appointments to see Prof. Alford at other times.

Books

Course Textbook: Quantum Field Theory by Mark Srednicki, ISBN 0-521-86449-6.
You must own a copy of this book: the course will follow it closely. There is a list of errata for the textbook at Mark Srednicki's web site. If you find an error in the textbook, Prof. Alford will be impressed. Please discuss it with him before sending an email to Prof. Srednicki.
Other useful books:
Quantum field theory  (Lowell Brown) Full and deep explanations. Very readable.
An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory  (Peskin & Schroeder) Another standard textbook, more calculational than conceptual.
Quantum field theory  (Lewis Ryder) Emphasizes particle physics applications.
Quantum field theory  (V.P. Nair) More mathematical, but still understandable.
Renormalization  (John Collins) Deeper discussion of this fundamental topic; discusses φ3 in 6D.
Quantum field theory in a nutshell  (A. Zee) Enjoyable collection of intuitive insights.

Course outline

This is the second semester of a two-semester sequence that introduces students to relativistic quantum mechanics, i.e. quantum field theory. This semester we will learn about spin-½ fermionic fields, which requires us to understand Grassmann numbers. We will study Weyl, Majorana, and Dirac fermions, then, if there is time, move on to spin-1 fields, Abelian gauge theories (quantum electrodynamics) and non-Abelian gauge fields (QCD and the electroweak interaction).

Grading

The final grade will be an average of homework (50%), and the final exam (50%).

Homework: Problem sets will be handed out every week. Students are expected to hand in the solutions on the due date, typically a Friday. Late homework will only be accepted by prior arrangement with Prof. Alford.
Students are encouraged to form study groups and discuss the homework with each other, but each student must formulate his or her own solutions.
To get full credit you need to give reasons why your answer is correct.
Students are encouraged to use software tools such as Mathematica, Maple, etc to perform and check their calculations. Please include printout showing how you used the program to to obtain your answers.
Final: The final exam will be take-home exam, over the weekend Fri May 4th to Mon May 7th. You can collect the exam from Sarah Hedley (or whoever else is on duty) in the department office, any time from 9am on Fri May 4th. Your solutions must be handed in to her by 11am on Mon May 7th.
Exam rules:
  1. The exam will be an open-book take-home exam. You can use any books that you like, but you may not consult with other people.
  2. You are welcome to use Mathematica or other software, but you must include a printout showing how you use the software to get the results.
  3. If you have questions about the exam, you can email Prof. Alford during the weekend.

Course materials

Homework assigned so far: PDF version
Rules for manipulating Weyl indices: PDF version
Information about Mathematica: Basic Instructions Wolfram's Mathematica Documentation
Notes from Mar 27 section on electrodynamics: PDF version
Notes from Apr 10 section: PDF version
Notes from Apr 24 section: PDF version
Notes from Apr 16 lecture: PDF version
Notes from Apr 18 lecture: PDF version
Notes from Apr 20 lecture: PDF version
Notes from Apr 23 and 25 lecture: PDF version
Notes from Apr 27 lecture: PDF version

Course Evaluation

During the evaluation period, Tues April 10th to Wed May 2nd, you can supply your evaluation of the course at the course evaluation website.

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