PHYS 665,666
Quantum Field Theory

Winter Quarter and Spring Quarter 2001

These pages are from a two quarter course in quantum field theory course, Phy 665, 666 offered at the University of Oregon in 2001. The course explored both relativistic and non-relativistic quantum field theory. The course Phy 634, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, offered in Fall Quarter, led into this course. The notes for that course are included below.

Instructor:

• Davison Soper
• email:soper@physics.uoregon.edu
• phone: 6-5162
• office: 479 Willamette

Text:

• An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
• Michael E. Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder

Homework:

Class notes available in Portable Document Format:

1. The Lorentz Group, Relativistic Particles, and Quantum Mechanics. The classical construction of Eugene Wigner.
2. The Dirac Field. Everything you always wanted to know about gamma matrices and Dirac spinors.
3. The S-Matrix. The definition of the scattering matrix, its expansion in time-ordered perturbation theory, and its relation to the cross section.
4. From Classical to Quantum Field Theory. How classical mechanics and the classical hamiltonian is related to quantum mechanics. (Updated, 6 October 2010.)
5. Free Scalar Field Theory. The very simplest case of a quantum field theory.
6. Interactions. What happens if you add a self interaction to the scalar field. Feynman rules and the S-matrix.
7. Fermions and the Dirac Field. Non-relativistic field theory for fermions, then how the interacting Dirac field works.
8. Quantum Electrodynamics. A real gauge quantum field theory.
9. Renormalization of Quantum Electrodynamics. Renormalization does more than just cover up singularities, as the renormalization group shows.

1. The Lorentz Group, Relativistic Particles, and Quantum Mechanics.
2. The Dirac Field.
3. The S-Matrix.
4. From Classical to Quantum Field Theory.
5. Free Scalar Field Theory.
6. Interactions.
7. Fermions and the Dirac Field.
8. Quantum Electrodynamics.
9. Renormalization of Quantum Electrodynamics.