Fachbereich Physik und Astronomie

Masterprogramm

Quantum Field Theory II

General course information

All the details on place, time and ECTS credit points are available on the KSL

Please register via the KSL if you are planning to take this course (or contact me in case this is not possible).

Course description

Second (of two) semester of a basic course on quantum field theory. The course subjects include:

  • Part III: the vector field
    • gauge invariance in classical field theories (Abelian and non-Abelian case)
    • the massive vector field (canonical quatization and Feynman rules)
    • derivative interactions and ghost fields
    • path integral quantization for Abelian and non-Abelian gauge theory (Fadeev-Popov prescription)
  • Part IV: renormalization
    • Concepts: renormalizatin group, beta-functions, RG flow, fixed points
    • RG flow for scalar field theories (Gaussian and Wilson-Fisher fixed points)
    • Renormalized perturbation theory
      • scalar phi^4 theory at one loop
      • renormalization of QED at one loop
      • the running gauge coupling

The exercise sessions and exercise sheets are integral part of the course, as some essential concepts are developed there.

Literature

  • S. Coleman, Quantum Field Theory Lectures, World Scientific, 2019
  • T. Hollowood, Renormalization Group and Fixed Points in Quantum Field Theory, Springer 2013
  • L. Alvarez-Gaume & M. Vazquez-Mozo, An Invitation to Quantum Field Theory, Springer 2012
  • M.E. Peskin, D.V. Schroeder, An introduction to quantum field theory, Addison-Wesley, 1995 
  • A. Zee, Quantum field theory in a nutshell, Princeton University Press, 2003
  • E. Fradkin, Quantum Field Theory - an integrated approach, Princeton University Press 2021