Welcome to the Canvas information page for the course

FYTN10/FYTN19/NATF013: Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, 7.5 credits

given by the Department of Physics. Lectures are given by Roman Pasechnik.

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General information

This is a 7.5 hp Master/PhD course in theoretical physics at Lund University with the main focus on fundamental concepts of Quantum Field Theory in the canonical formulation. This course introduces the theoretical concepts based on quantum mechanics and the special theory of relativity that are needed in order to describe relativistic particles and their interactions. The course starts out with the Klein-Gordon equation that describes free scalar particles and then continues with a discussion on the Dirac and Maxwell equations that describe the fermion and massless vector boson particles respectively. The canonical quantisation of a free (scalar, spinor, vector) field theory is presented. It is then shown how interactions can be treated in the framework of perturbation theory and how they can be described through Feynman diagrams, with $LaTeX: \phi^4$ and Yukawa theory as important examples. These latter ideas are, in the following, extended in order to include charged fermions (e.g. electrons) and gauge bosons (e.g. photons), yielding the theory of Quantum Electro-Dynamics (QED). Diagrammatical techniques are applied mainly to calculate tree-level processes in QED. The final lectures of the course are devoted to the introduction of higher order processes and radiative corrections as well as the of the description of ultraviolet and infrared singularities of quantum scattering amplitudes.

Semester: spring
Study period: 1
Level: advanced (master/PhD)
Language: English
Form of teaching: blackboard lectures and problem-solving sessions
Assessment: written and oral examination
Grading scale: U-G-VG
Application: through antagning.se

The official description of the course contents and requirements can be found here, and a translation into English can be found here. It contains information about prerequisites, learning goals, etc.

Entry requirements

The prerequisites required for admission to the course are 135 credits of science studies out of which 90 credits in Physics and 45 credits in Mathematics or a Bachelor of Science in Physics, in both cases including quantum mechanics (particularly time-dependent perturbation theory) corresponding to FYSN17, Quantum Mechanics, 7.5 credits and advanced knowledge corresponding to at least one of the courses FYTN18, Theoretical Particle Physics, 7.5 credits or FYST37, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, 7.5 credits as well as English 6/B or the equivalent.

Course plan

In Swedish and in English

Course book

The course is mainly based on the following book:

- M. E. Peskin and D. V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, 1995 (ISBN 0201503972)

and on these lecture notes by David Tong.

As side-literature, any of the following books is recommended:

- A. Lahiri and P. B. Pal, A first book of Quantum Field Theory, Alpha Science Intl Ltd; 2 edition (November 30, 2005) (ISBN-13: 978-1842652497)
- A. Zee, Quantum field theory in a nutshell, 2003 (ISBN: 0-691-01019-6)
- S. Weinberg, The quantum theory of fields, vol. I "Foundations"
- M. D. Schwartz, Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model (especially useful for gauge boson quantization)
- M. Srednicki Quantum Field Theory (ISBN-13: 978-0521864497), can be found here
- J. D. Bjorken, S. Drell, vol. IRelativistic Quantum Mechanics and vol. II Relativistic Quantum Fields
- N. N. Bogoliubov, D. V. Shirkov, Introduction to the Theory of Quantized Field
- Ashok Das, Lectures on Quantum Field Theory, 2008 (ISBN-10 981-283-285-8)
- W. Greiner and J. Reinhardt, Field Quantization, 2008 (ISBN-10: 3540591796)

Problem-solving sessions

There are normally three problem-solving sessions. The course participants are segregated into groups and each group should (attempt to) solve a set of exercises to further discuss the solutions at the respective sessions. Attending the problem-solving sessions is not compulsory, but highly recommended. Upon request, additional problem-solving sessions can be arranged. For further information, problems sets, and materials concerning the problem-solving sessions, see the corresponding section in "Modules".

Exam

The examination consists of two parts: written and oral exams. The written exam concerns solving three sets of take-home exercises and timely handing them in by the respective deadline and being passed on those. Passing all three sets of exercises is necessary to be admitted for the final (oral) examination. A passing level on a given set of exercises means that, at least, 70% of exercises are correctly solved. The oral exam is the most crucial part and tests the understanding of theoretical foundations of the quantum field theory. The final grade is derived based on the students' performance at the oral exam only.

There is a list of typical oral exam questions.

Schedule

The schedule can be found here.

Contacts

In the case of any problem, please, do not hesitate to send an e-mail to the responsible lecturer Roman Pasechnik, phone 046-2223192.