Fall Semester 2011
Also available at http://physics.wm.edu/~carlson/phys721.html
Goals:
Learn to
¥Combine quantum mechanics with special
relativity,
¥Describe creation and destruction of matter and
other physical states,
¥Calculate decay rates and scattering
probabilities when states are created or destroyed and relativity is important.
General Information
Professor Carl E. Carlson
Class meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 12:20
PM, Small Hall, Room 233
Office: Small 326C
E-mail:
carlson@physics.wm.edu
Office telephone:
221-3509
Office hours:
Tuesday 2:00--3:00 PM
Text: M. Peskin and D. Schroeder,
Quantum Field Theory
(misprints are listed at http://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/qftbook.html )
Recommended
extra text: F. Gross, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory
Other books
(listed by author):
¥ S. Weinberg (3 vol.), The Quantum Theory Of
Fields, Foundations/Modern Applications/Supersymmetry.
¥ J. Bjorken and S. Drell (2 volumes), Relativistic quantum
mechanics/Relativistic quantum fields
¥ Pierre Ramond, Field
Theory: A Modern Primer
¥ J. J. Sakurai, Advanced Quantum Mechanics
¥ C. Itzykson and J. Zuber, Quantum Field Theory
¥ A. Zee, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell
Homework: Given out roughly every other week (possibly more
often), due 1 week later.
Midterm Exam: 1 November 2011---if in class. May be take-home.
Final Exam:
Friday, December 9, 2:00 PM
Grading: 30% midterm, 50% final, 20% homework
Fall 2011
|
Lecture |
Date |
Topic |
|
1 |
25 August |
Relativistic notation and Lorentz group |
|
2 |
30 |
Klein-Gordon eq., Lagrangian, Noether thm., QM of cont. media |
|
3 |
1 September |
Commutation rel., QM solutions for free KG eqn., H, P |
|
4 |
6 |
General commutation relations, propagator |
|
5 |
8 |
Dirac equation |
|
6 |
13 |
Lorentz transformations |
|
7 |
15 |
Free solutions, bilinears |
|
8 |
20 |
QM of Dirac field, anticommutators |
|
9 |
22 |
H, P, states |
|
10 |
27 |
Discrete symmetries: Parity |
|
11 |
29 |
T and C |
|
12 |
4 October |
Dirac propagator |
|
13 |
6 |
Interactions, perturbation thy, time development, Wick theorem |
|
14 |
13 |
Feynman diagrams |
|
15 |
18 |
Scattering amplitudes |
|
16 |
20 |
Cross sections |
|
17 |
25 |
Fermion Feynman rules, Yukawa theory |
|
18 |
27 |
QED: example of e+e– ¨ m+m-, trace theorems |
|
|
1 November |
Midterm Exam if in class |
|
|
3 |
No class meeting |
|
19 |
8 November |
e+e– ¨ m+m- with spin, Mandelstam variables, crossing |
|
20 |
10 |
Compton scattering or pair creation |
|
21 |
15 |
Higher order corrections, general remarks, bremsstrahlung |
|
22 |
17 |
Bremsstrahlung II |
|
23 |
22 |
Electron vertex correction |
|
24 |
29 |
Magnetic moment correction |
|
25 |
1 December |
Charge renormalization |
|
26 |
squeeze |
Infrared divergence elimination |
|
|
09 (Fri.) |
Final Exam, 2:00 PM Final_Exam_2009 |