Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Recitations: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session
Prerequisites
8.322 Quantum Theory II and 8.323 Relativistic Quantum Field Theory I
Description
This course is the second course of the quantum field theory trimester sequence beginning with Relativistic Quantum Field Theory I (8.323) and ending with Relativistic Quantum Field Theory III (8.325). It develops in depth some of the topics discussed in 8.323 and introduces some advanced material.
Texts
Three books will be used in this course.
Peskin, Michael E., and Daniel V. Schroeder. An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1995. ISBN: 9780201503975.
A comprehensive and pedagogical treatment of QFT starting from the basics and reaching up to the physics of the standard model.
Weinberg, S. The Quantum Theory of Fields. Vol. 1: Foundations. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780521550017.
A comprehensive and insightful treatment of the foundations of QFT.
———. The Quantum Theory of Fields. Vol. 2: Modern Applications. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780521550024.
A detailed presentation of advanced material.
See the readings section for a complete list of recommended texts.
Assignments, Exams, Grading
There are no exams for this course. The course grade will be based 100% on the eight homework assignments. The faculty may alter grades to reflect class participation, improvement, effort and other qualitative measures of performance.
Calendar
| LEC # | TOPICS |
|---|---|
| Non-Abelian Gauge Theories | |
| 1 | Symmetries, Lie Groups and Lie Algebras |
| 2 | The Gauge Principle (Quantum Electrodynamics Revisited) |
| 3 | Non-Abelian Generalizations: Yang-Mills Theory |
| 4 | Non-Abelian Generalizations: Yang-Mills Theory (cont.) |
| 5 | Quantization of Non-Abelian Gauge Theories |
| 6 | Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) Symmetry, Physical States and Unitarity |
| General Aspects | |
| 7 | Field and Mass Renormalizations |
| 8 | An Explicit Example |
| 9 | Removing Ultraviolet Divergences |
| 10 | Unstable Particles and Resonances |
| 11 | S-Matrix Elements and LSZ Reduction |
| General Aspects of QED | |
| 12 | Renormalized Lagrangian |
| 13 | Renormalized Lagrangian (cont.) |
| 14 | Vertex Function |
| 15 | Anomalous Magnetic Moment |
| 16 | Vacuum Polarization |
| General Renormalization Theory | |
| 17 | Degrees of Divergences |
| 18 | Cancellation of Divergences |
| 19 | Cancellation of Divergences (cont.) |
| Renormalization Group | |
| 20 | Wilson's Approach to Field Theories |
| 21 | Renormalization Group Flow |
| 22 | Renormalization Group Flow (cont.) |
| 23 | Renormalization Group Flow (cont.); Beta-Functions from the Traditional Approach |
| 24 | Beta-Functions from the Traditional Approach (cont.) |
| 25 | Beta-Functions from the Traditional Approach (cont.) |
| 26 | Beta-Functions from the Traditional Approach (cont.) |