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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Physics and Astronomy : Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy)

Undergraduate Course: Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (PHYS11021)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Physics and Astronomy CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) Credits10
Home subject areaUndergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis 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.
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 Tensors and Fields (PHYS10016) 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.
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  No Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
King's BuildingsLecture1-11 12:10 - 13:00
King's BuildingsLecture1-11 12:10 - 13:00
King's BuildingsTutorial1-11 10:00 - 10:50
First Class First class information not currently available
Additional information Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours:Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Relativistic Quantum Field Theory2:00
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1) WebCT enabled:  No Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
King's BuildingsLecture1-11 12:10 - 13:00
King's BuildingsLecture1-11 12:10 - 13:00
King's BuildingsTutorial1-11 10:00 - 10:50
First Class Week 1, Tuesday, 12:10 - 13:00, Zone: King's Buildings. ROOM 6324 - SUPA - JCMB
Additional information Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours:Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (VS1)2:00
Summary of Intended 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
Assessment Information
Degree Examination, 100%
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
Degree Examination, 100%
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus &· 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.
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsRQFT
Contacts
Course organiserProf Arjun Berera
Tel: (0131 6)50 5246
Email: ab@ph.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Paula Wilkie
Tel: (0131) 668 8403
Email: paw@roe.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:41 am