Physics 6433 Quantum Field Theory

Physics 6433, Quantum Field Theory

Course Syllabus, Fall 2009

Instructor: Dr. Kim Milton
milton@nhn.ou.edu

phone: 405-325-3961 x 36325, fax: 405-325-7557

Office Hours: 2:30 am-3:30 pm, MWF, NH 325

Class meetings: 12:30-1:20 am, MWF, NH 203

Course Content:

Text: Field Theory : A Modern Primer by Pierre Ramond

References:

There are many valuable and well-written books on the subject, including the following which have been placed on reserve in the Library.

Selected Papers on Quantum Electrodynamics ed. J. Schwinger (1958)
Introduction to the Theory of Quantized Fields by N. N. Bogoliubov and D. V. Shirkov (1959)
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics (1964) and Relativistic Quantum Fields (1965) by J. D. Bjorken and S. D. Drell
Quantum Electrodynamics by A. Akhiezer and V. B. Brestetskii (1965)
Particles, Sources, and Fields, vol. 1-3, by J. Schwinger (1970), (1973), (1989)
Relativistic Quantum Theory by V. B. Berestetskii, E. M. Lifshitz, and L. P. Pitaevskii (1971)
Quantum Electrodynamics by G. Kallen (1972)
Quantum Electrodynamics by R. P. Feynman (1973)
Gauge Theories of Weak Interactions by J. C. Taylor (1976)
The Theory of Photons and Electrons by J. M. Jauch and F. Rohrlich (1976)
Relativistic Quantum Fields by C. Nash (1978)
Gauge Fields: Introduction to Quantum Theory by L. D. Faddeev and A. A. Slavnov (1980)
Quantum Field Theory by C. Itzykson and J.-B. Zuber (1980)
Particle Physics and Introduction to Field Theory by T. D. Lee (1981)
Gauge Theories of the Strong, Weak, and Electromagnetic Interactions by C. Quigg (1983)
Renormalization by J. Collins (1984)
Gauge Theory of Elementary Particle Physics by T.-P. Cheng and L.-F. Li (1984)
Quantum Field Theory by L. H. Ryder (1984)
Gauge Field Theory by P. H. Frampton (1987)
Quantum Field Theory by L. S. Brown (1992)
Introduction to Gauge Field Theory by D. Balian and A. Love (1993)
Quantum Field Theory by F. Mandl and G. Shaw (1993)
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Field Theory by Franz Gross (1993)
Quantum Field Theory: A Modern Introduction by M. Kaku (1993)
An Introduction To Quantum Field Theory by M. E. Peskin and D. V. Schroeder (1995)
The Quantum Theory of Fields, vol. 1-3, by S. Weinberg (1995), (1996), (1998)
Quantum Field Theory and Critical Phenomena by J. Zinn-Justin (1996)
Field Quantization by W. Greiner and J Reinhardt (1996)
Quantum Field Theory: From Operators to Path Integrals by Kerson Huang (1998)
Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell by A. Zee (2003)
Modern Quantum Field Theory: A Concise Introduction, by T. Banks (2008)
Lectures on Quantum Field Theory, by Ashok Das (2008)

Tentative Class Outline:

I. Review of Quantum Mechanics

Hamiltonian Formalism
Quantum Action Principle
Path Integral Formulation

II. Symmetries and Conservation Laws for Classical Fields

Energy-Momentum Tensor
Internal Symmetries

III. Canonical Quantization of a Scalar Field
IV. Perturbation Theory

Feynman Diagrams

V. Renormalization
VI. Path Integral Formulation
VII. Renormalization Group
VIII. Quantum Electrodynamics

Spinors and Gauge Invariance
The anomalous magnetic moment of the electron
Scattering corrections
Lamb shift

IX. Non-Abelian Gauge Fields

The Glashow-Weinberg-Salam Model
Quantum Chromodynamics

Lecture Notes will be posted on the web here in pdf format.

Grading Specifics:

Homework problems will be assigned on a biweekly basis; they will constitute 70% of the course grade. The take-home final exam or paper will be worth 30%. Late homework, not more than two weeks overdue, will be accepted for 1/2 credit. Since your participation is vital for learning, your performance on the homework constitutes most of the course grade. You should feel free to consult with one another and with the instructor on these problems, but do not merely copy from each other!

Policy on Religious Holidays:

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy:

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your [sic] educational opportunities.

Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK 73019-2061 USA
phone: 405-325-3961 x 36325
fax: 405-325-7557

H. L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy Home Page

Email to: milton@nhn.ou.edu

Updated August 24, 2009.