Undergraduate Course: Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (PHYS11021)
Course Outline
School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
Summary | This course begins with a review of relativistic wave equations. It introduces the Lagrangian formulation for classical fields and then discusses the quantisation of free fields with spins 0, 1/2 and 1. An outline is given of perturbation theory for interacting fields and Feynman diagram methods for Quantum Electrodynamics are introduced. |
Course description |
- Introduction and revision
- Classical Lagrangian field theory.
- Lorentz covariance of relativistic field equations.
- Quantisation of the Klein-Gordon field.
- Quantisation of the Dirac field.
- The Electromagnetic field.
- Interacting fields.
- Feynman diagrams.
- Transition rates and cross-sections.
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Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
61 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
Additional Information (Assessment) |
Degree Examination 80%
Coursework 20% |
Feedback |
Not entered |
Exam Information |
Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Relativistic Quantum Field Theory | 2:00 | |
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Academic year 2015/16, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
|
Quota: None |
Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
61 )
|
Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
Additional Information (Assessment) |
Degree Examination 80%
Coursework 20% |
Feedback |
Not entered |
Exam Information |
Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (VS1) | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course a student will be able to:
1)Appreciate the need for a field-theoretical approach to relativistic quantum theory
2)Write down the Lagrangian and derive the field equations for scalar, spinor and vector fields, demonstrate Lorentz covariance of the field equations
3)Derive and appreciate the significance of Noether's theorem
4)Quantise the real and complex scalar fields using canonical commutation relations, derive the quantum Hamiltonian, interpret the spectrum, appreciate relativistic normalisation
5)Derive the conserved current and charge operators for the complex scalar field and explain the connection between charge conservation and symmetry
6)Derive the propagator for real and complex scalar fields
7)Quantise the Dirac field using anticommutators, derive the Hamiltonian, interpret the spectrum, derive the conserved current and charge operator, appreciate the connection between charge conservation and symmetry, derive the propagator for the Dirac field
8)Understand the difficulties of em field quantisation due to gauge invariance, quantise the EM field using the Gupta-Bleuler formalism, derive the Hamiltonian, spectrum, and propagator
9)Explain the minimal coupling presciption for adding electromagnetic interactions, understand the gauge principle
10)Understand the interaction picture, the S-matrix, Wick's Theorem
11)Explain the origin of Feynman diagrams and Feynman rules; draw the Feynman diagrams for Compton scattering, electron scattering, electron and photon self-energies
12)Apply the Feynman rules to derive the amplitudes for elementary processes in QED
13)Explain the origin of the expressions for the transition rate, decay rates and unpolarised cross section
14)Apply all of the above to unseen problems in relativistic quantum field theory
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Additional Class Delivery Information |
Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged. |
Keywords | RQFT |
Contacts
Course organiser | Prof Anthony Kennedy
Tel: (0131 6)50 5272
Email: |
Course secretary | Yuhua Lei
Tel: (0131 6) 517067
Email: |
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© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 27 July 2015 11:53 am
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