UCL - Théorie quantique des champs II

[PHY2122]

[30h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 2d semester.

Teacher(s): Jan Govaerts

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

Introduction to the basics of quantisation, perturbation theory and renormalisation of relativistic quantum field theories in four dimensional Minkowski spacetime, leading to the Feynman rules and the systematics of multiplicative renormalisation. With emphasis on the case of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED), and illustrative examples taken from that theory as well as the interacting scalar field theory.

Main themes

Quantisation of the scalar, Maxwell and Dirac fields
Green's functions, propagators and micro-causality
Interactions, electron-photon coupling and QED
S-matrix and perturbation theory
Feynman rules
Self-energies of the scalar particle, the electron and the photon
One-loop renormalization and the g-2 factor of spin ½ charged particles

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Method
Traditional lecture course in the classroom, with solid personal study on behalf of the student

Prerequisites
Special relativity, electromagnetism, quantum physics, quantum mechanics, canonical quantisation, Dirac's equation

Evaluation
Written examination on a problem set followed by an oral discussion

Course material and references
Mark Srednicki, Quantum Field Theory (Cambridge University Press, 2007)
M. E. Peskin and D. V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Perseus Books, 1995)
C. Itzykson and J.-B. Zuber, Quantum Field Theory (McGraw Hill, New York, 1980)
P. Ramond, Field Theory: A Modern Primer (Benjamin Cummings, Reading, 1981)
Cliff Burgess and Guy Moore, The Standard Model: A Primer (Cambridge University Press, 2007)