Postgraduate Course: Quantum Chromodynamics (PGPH11096)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | The first part of the QCD course builds upon the knowledge acquired in Relativistic QFT to compute tree-level cross sections, and applies it to collider physics applications. The second part of the course lays the foundations of Lattice QCD. |
| Course description |
- Local gauge invariance, QCD Lagrangian, Feynman rules.
- Colour algebra, colour Fierz identity, the double-line notation, the large Nc limit
- Spinor helicity method; tree-level amplitudes; recursion relations.
- The beta function and the running coupling constant.
- e+e- annihilation to hadrons: total cross sections; jet cross sections; infrared safety, event shape variables.
- Deep inelastic scattering structure functions, collinear factorization, parton density functions, splitting functions, scaling violation and the Altarelli-Parisi equations.
- Drell-Yan and Higgs production.
- Why we need non-perturbative methods in QCD [large coupling and RG argument for hadron masses].
- Relation between QM in imaginary time and equilibrium statistical mechanics, the transfer matrix.
- Scalar fields on the lattice: action, classical continuum limit, path integral for free lattice scalar field, the "boson determinant", continuum limit obtained at continuous phase transitions, universality.
- Fermion fields on the lattice: naive+doubling, Wilson, staggered, Nielsen-Ninomiya theorem, domain-wall/overlap/Ginsparg-Wilson. Fermion path integral, fermion determinant, pseudofermions.
- Gauge fields on the lattice: Wilson action, classical continuum limit, strong coupling expansion - string tension and glueball masses. Inclusion of fermions - hopping parameter expansion. Weak coupling expansion, lambda parameters. (Anomalies?)
- QCD on the lattice: two-point hadron correlators -» masses and decay constants; three-point hadron correlators -» matrix elements, form factors. Examples: semileptonic decays, neutral kaon mixing.
- Numerical techniques: Markov Chain Monte Carlo - Metropolis-Hastings for pure QCD (and quenched approximation); Hybrid Monte Carlo for full QCD. Critical slowing down in continuum and chiral limits - topological charge.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
52 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
20% coursework
80% examination |
| Feedback |
Comments on returned coursework. Interaction at workshops. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Know the field theoretical formulation of QCD, the theory of the strong interactions.
- Be able to compute tree-level processes in QCD using Feynman diagram techniques.
- Be able to apply these methods to analyse scattering processes within QCD, including understanding of infrared safety and collinear factorization.
- Understand the need for a non-perturbative formulation of QCD and way this is accomplished by the lattice regularization of the theory.
- Be able to compute in the strong and weak coupling expansions and appreciate the need for numerical methods.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | QCD |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Anthony Kennedy
Tel: (0131 6)50 5272
Email: Tony.Kennedy@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Yuhua Lei
Tel: (0131 6) 517067
Email: yuhua.lei@ed.ac.uk |
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