Physics 851 Syllabus
Spring 2007
Contact information
Professor: Markus A. Luty
Office: PHYS 4119
Phone: (301) 405-6018
E-mail: markusluty(at)gmail.com
Office hours: By appointment
I am generally available, but I do ask that you make an appointment in
advance.
Course outline
- Path integrals
- Correlation functions and diagrammatic expansion
- Relation to statistical mechanics
- Path integrals for fermions
- Symmetry
- Renormalization
- Physical interpretation of ultraviolet divergences
- Symmetry and renormalization
- Wilson's renormalization group
- The renormalization group in perturbation theory
- Higher orders in perturbation theory
- Effective field theory
- Effective quantum mechanics
- Matching and running in quantum field theory
- Gauge theory
- Why spin 1 requires gauge theory
- Abelian gauge theory
- Non-abelian gauge theory
- Asymptotic freedom and QCD
- Spontaneous symmetry breaking
- Goldstone's theorem
- Effective lagrangians for Goldstone bosons
- Higgs mechanism
- The standard model
- Electroweak gauge bosons
- Fermion masses
- The Higgs boson
- Operator analysis and precision electroweak tests
The subjects covered are standard, but I will treat them from the point
of view of an active practitioner in the field. In particular, the
renormalization and effective field theory are conventionally given a
superficial treatment, but in this course they will be discussed in
detail. (These topics are the "soul" of the course.) I will try to
emphasize physical arguments and the "big picture" that make this
subject understandable—and hopefully reveal its beautiful structure.
I will not guarantee that we will make it through everything listed
above, since I don't like to speed up just to get through material. I
agree with Victor Weiskopff, who said "It is better to uncover a
little, than to cover a lot." I will use student feedback to try and
optimize the pace.
The recommended text is Peskin
and Schroeder, Introduction to
Quantum Field Theory. I will not be following the book closely,
but it is a good reference that covers most of the same material.
Grading
Grading will be based on the homework assigned throughout the semester.
Revised 1/17/06