Department of Physics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Room 2119 ESB, MC-704,
1110 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801-3080
Phone: 217-333-4409
Fax: 217-244-7704
E-mail efradkin@illinois.edu
Eduardo Fradkin's
Homepage
Time: 12:30pm-1:50 Tuesday-Thursday
Place: Rm. 158 Loomis
Office Hours: Tuesdays 4:00pm-5:00pm, Rm 2119 ESB
Credit: 1 unit.
CRN: 30717
TA: Mr. Di Zhou
Office Hours: Thursdays 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Rm 4105 ESB
Phone: 217-550-1890
E-mail: dizhou2@illinois.edu
In many areas of Physics,
such as High Energy Physics, Gravitation,
and in Statistical and Condensed Matter Physics, the understanding
of the essential physical phenomena requires the consideration of
the collective effects of a large number of degrees of freedom.
Quantum Field Theory is the tool as well as the language that has been developed
to describe the physics of problems in such apparently dissimilar fields.
Physics 582 is the first half of a two-semester sequence of courses
in Quantum Field Theory. The second half, Physics 583, will be taught in the
Spring Semester, 2012. The aim of this sequence is to provide the basic tools
of Field Theory to students (both theorists and
experimentalists) with a wide range of interests in Physics. These ideas and
tools will be used in subsequent and more specialized courses.
As a
prerequisite I will assume that the students have mastered the contents of the Physics
580/581 sequence on graduate level Quantum Mechanics (or equivalent).
In Physics 582 we will study the basic conceptual and computational tools of
quantum field theory. We will discuss the applications of these methods to several areas of Physics,
such as High Energy and
Statistical and Condensed Matter Physics, both in the Lectures and in the
Problem Sets.
In Physics 583 we will discuss advanced topics including Gauge Theories,
the Renormalization Group
in Field Theory and in Statistical Physics, non-perturbative methods in QFT
(solitons and instantons), elementary Conformal Field Theory and its applications
to String Theory and Critical Phenomena,
and QFT, Topology and quantum Hall physics.
Below you will find a detailed Course Plan (or Syllabus) for Physics 582. It is
divided in items and there you will find links to my class notes.
I will post them as
they become available.
You will also find links to the homework sets and to their
solutions. There will be a total of six homework sets. The homeworks are
very important. There you will find many applications to different problems in various
areas of Physics in which Field Theory plays an essential role. You will not be able
to master the subject unless you do (and discuss) the problem sets. All homework sets
are due on 9:00 pm of the assigned due date. you must put your solution sets in the
Physics 582 drop box (located near the Loomis end of the LLP-MRL Interpass, 2nd floor).
No late solution sets will be accepted unless you prearrange that with the TA and with
me. There will be a penalty for late solution sets.
There will not be
a midterm exam but there will be a Final Exam. It will be a take home exam. You may
prepare your solution set electronically, and you have the choice of either
preparing the solution in LateX (strongly preferred) and to send me the pdf file by
email no later than Tuesday December 13 at 5:00 pm. Alternatively you may prepare a
handwriten solution. In that case you must write with dark ink and be clearly legible.
You should put your solution in my mailbox in Loomis Lab or send it to me electronically.
You should not put your solution neiher in the Physics
582 homework box nor in my mail box as I will be out of town. Please recall that the Final Exam is
obligatory and I will ahve to give an F to any student who does not turn a solution in time. There
will be no extansions as I need to turn the grades in promptly.
You can access the Physics 582 Gradebook
here
Homeworks:
Homework Set No. 1 pdf file;
Posted: : Friday August 26; Due: Sunday September 18, 2011
Solutions to homework set 1;
Posted: Sunday September 25, 2011
Homework Set No. 2 pdf file;
Posted: September 10, 2011 Due: October 2, 2011
Solutions to homework set 2;
Posted: October 12, 2011.
Homework Set No. 3 pdf file;
Posted: September 10, 2011Due: October 16, 2011
Solutions to homework set 3;
Posted: October 28, 2011
Homework Set No. 4 pdf file;
Posted: September 10, 2011 Due: October 30, 2011
Solutions to homework set 4;
Posted: Posted on November 8, 2011
Homework Set No. 5 pdf file;
Posted: Spetember 10, 2011 Due: November 20, 2011 (new deadline),
Solutions to homework set 5;
Posted: December 4, 2011.
Homework Set No. 6 pdf file;
Posted: September 10, 2011 Due: December 13, 2011 at 5:00 pm CST in
my mailbox in Loomis.
This homework will be the Take Home Final Exam for Physics 582
Course Plan
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory ( pdf
file),
Classical Field Theory:
( pdf file
)
Fields, Lagrangians and Hamiltonians. The action. Real and
complex fields. Space-Time and Internal symmetries.
The Least Action Principle. Field Equations. Minkowski
and Euclidean spaces.
The free massive relativistic scalar field. The Klein Gordon Equation, its solutions
and their physical interpretation. Relativistic Covariance.
Statistical Mechanics as a Field Theory. Coarse graining and hydrodynamic picture. The Landau Theory of Phase Transitions and
Landau functionals. Symmetries. Analogy with the Klein-Gordon field.
Field Theory and the Dirac Equation.
The Dirac Equation: The Dirac and the Klein Gordon operators.
Spinors. The Dirac Algebra. Relativistic Covariance. Solutions and their
physical
interpretation. Symmetries. Holes. Massless particles and chirality.
Maxwell's Electrodynamics as a Field Theory. Maxwell's Equations.
Gauge invariance. Solutions and gauge fixing. Helicity.
Classical Field Theory in the Canonical Formalism.
Analytic Continuation
to imaginary time and the connection between Quantum Field Theory
and Classical Statistical
Mechanics.
Symmetries and Conservation Laws ( pdf file
)
Continuous Symmetries, Conservation Laws and
Noether's Theorem.
Internal Symmetries.
Global Symmetries and Group Representations.
Local Symmetries and Gauge Invariance.
Non-Abelian Gauge Invariance. Minimal Coupling.
The role of topology: the Aharonov-Bohm effect.
Space-Time Symmetries and the Energy-Momentum Tensor.
The Energy-Momentum tensor and the geometry of
space-time.
Canonical Quantization ( pdf file
)
Elementary Quantum Mechanics.
Canonical Quantization in Field Theory.
A simple example: Quantized elastic waves.
Quantization of the Free Scalar Field Theory.
Symmetries of the Quantum Theory: the case of the free charged scalar field.
Path Integral Quantization in Quantum Mechanics and in Quantum Field Theory
( pdf file )
Path Integrals and Quantum Mechanics. Density matrix.
Evauating Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics
Path Integral quantization of the Scalar Field Theory.
Schrodinger, Heisenberg and interaction representations.
The Evolution operator and the S-matrix.
Propagators and path integrals. Propagator for a Relativistic Real and
Complex Scalar Fields. Path-Integral
representation of the S-matrix and Green's functions. Imaginary time. Minkowski
space and Euclidean space
Non-Relativistic Field Theory ( pdf file
)
Review of Second Quantization for Many-Particle Systems.
Many-Body Systems as a Field Theory.
Non-Relativistic Fermions at zero temperature: ground
state, spectrum of low-lying excitations.
Propagator for the
Non-Relativistic Fermi Gas. Holes, particles and the analytic properties
of the propagator.
Quantization of the Dirac Theory ( pdf file
)
Quantization of the Dirac Theory: ground state,
spectrum, quantum numbers of excitations, causality and spin-statistics
theorem.
Propagator for the Dirac Field Theory.
Coherent State Path Integrals ( pdf file
)
Coherent State path integral quantization of bosonic and fermionic systems.
Path integrals for spin.
Grassmann variables. Path integral quantization of the Dirac theory.
Fermion and Boson determinants. Zeta function regularization.
Quantization of Gauge Theories ( pdf file
)
Path-integral quantization of the Maxwell Abelian gauge theory;
quantization and gauge fixing.
Propagator for the free electromagnetic field. The Wilson loop operator.
Path Integral quantization of Yang-Mills non-Abelian Gauge theories.
Gauge fixing, covariant gauges and the Faddeev-Popov construction.
Ghosts. BRST invariance.
Physical Observables and Propagators . ( pdf file
)
The Propagator in Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics:
retarded, advanced and Feynman propagators.
Green's Functions in Classical Electrodynamics.
Propagators, Time-Ordered Products and Green's
Functions in Quantum Field Theory.
S-matrix elements and Green's functions. Analytic
properties. Lehman representation. Spectrum.
Cross-sections and and the S-matrix.
Linear Response Theory. Measurements and correlation
functions. Application to the electromagnetic response of a metal. Sum
rules.
(See my additional notes from Physics 561 on
Linear Response Theory; pdf file)
Perturbation Theory and Feynman Rules ( pdf file
)
Wick's Theorem, generating functional and perturbation
theory.
Perturbation expansion for vacuum amplitudes and Green's functions. Feynman
Diagrams.
Feynman Rules for scalar fields and QED.
Feynman Rules for a non-relativistic Fermi-Gas at zero
temperature.
Feynman Rules for the Landau Theory of Phase transitions.