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.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Lagrangian Dynamics (PHYS10015) AND Methods of Mathematical Physics (PHYS10034) AND Quantum Theory (PHYS11019) AND Symmetries of Classical Mechanics (PHYS10088) AND Classical Electrodynamics (PHYS11045)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	At least 80 credit points accrued in courses of SCQF Level 9 or 10 drawn from Schedule Q.

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)		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 S2 (April/May)	Relativistic Quantum Field Theory		2:00

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