Quantum Field Theory — Physics 722

 

Spring Semester 2017

 

Also available at http://physics.wm.edu/~carlson/phys722.htm

 

 

Professor Carl E. Carlson

Office:  Small 326C

E-mail: carlson@physics.wm.edu

Telephone: 221–3509

Office hour: Tuesday 3:00–4:00 pm

 

HW1

HW2               HW2_answers

HW3               HW3_answers

HW4

HW5              

 

Final Exam 2010                     Final Exam 2012

Final Exam 2010 Solution

 

Final_2017  (The file has a cover sheet that you can examine at any time.)

 

Text:    M. Peskin and D. Schroeder, Quantum Field Theory

            (misprints are listed at physics.weber.edu/schroeder/qftbook.html)

 

Other books (listed by author):

F. Gross, Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory

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. Sakurai, Advanced Quantum Mechanics

C. Itzykson and J. Zuber, Quantum Field Theory

L. Ryder, Quantum Field Theory (2nd ed.)

 

Homework:      Given out roughly every other Thursday (possibly more often), due 1 week later.

Midterm Exam:            Tuesday, February 28, 2017 (if it happens and if in-class)

Final Exam:     Wednesday, May 3, 2017, 2:00 pm

Grading: 25% midterm, 50% final, 25% homework   (or 60% final and 40% hwk., if no midterm)

 

Goals:  Study

 

1.  Functional integrals in QFT.  First example: re-obtain Feynman rules for QED. (P&S ch. 9;  ca. 5 lectures)

            ¥  Path integral in ordinary QM

            ¥  Path integral for QFT

            ¥  Scalar propagators and Feynman rules from path integrals; generating functions

            ¥  Photon and fermion cases

 

2.  Renormalization, to lowest non-trivial order, and to extent not done in 721.  Interactions affect the mass and charge that one measures.  Includes dimensional regularization.

(P&S ch. 7 and 10;   6 lectures or fewer, depending)

 

3.  Advanced renormalization theory: 

            ¥ General renormalization theory and

            ¥ ÒrunningÓ of coupling parameters (dependence on how one measures them). 

              (P&S, ch. 11, 12, and 16;  ca. 6 lectures)

 

4.  Possible: Muon decay or neutron decay in detail: real and useful calculation.  Weak interactions, polarization observables, three-body phase space.  (ca. 3 lectures) 

 

5.  Possible Fundamentals of string theory.  How do we get a particle mass spectrum, and why all those dimensions?  (ca. 6 lectures, , based on paper by Goddard et al., which is also approximately the first half of ZweibachÕs book)