Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the course!

    • Welcome to QFT I

    • Welcome from your TA Juan

    • How to use this course

    • Course outline

    • Tell me about you

    • Reading guide

    • Lecture notes
  • 2

    Week 1: Introduction, classical field theory, and canonical quantization

    • Week 1 Guide

    • Natural units

    • Scattering of two fast, small objects

    • Natural units quiz

    • Why quantum field theory?

    • Classical field theory

    • Klein-Gordon theory

    • Distributions

    • Noether's theorem

    • Canonical quantization

    • Classical complex scalar quiz

    • Vacuum state

    • Casimir effect

    • Particles

    • Heisenberg picture

    • Tutorial 1: Single-particle relativistic propagator and Casimir effect

    • Canonical quantization quiz

    • If you missed tutorial 1, submit here

    • Tutorial 1 Solutions

    • Comments or questions?

    • Homework 1: Spin and statistics
  • 3

    Week 2: Cross sections and LSZ reduction formula

    • Week 2 guide

    • Trivial scattering

    • Cross sections

    • Decay rates

    • Phase space

    • Example: scalar Yukawa cross section

    • Cross section and form factor quiz

    • Tutorial 2: Complex Klein-Gordon theory, cross sections

    • Tutorial 2 solutions

    • Homework 2: Muon decay

    • Overview: Computing matrix elements

    • LSZ reduction formula

    • Examining LSZ assumptions

    • LSZ and interaction picture quiz

    • Comments or questions?
  • 4

    Week 3: Dyson's formula, Wick's theorem, propagators, and Feynman diagrams

    • Week 3 Guide

    • Recap

    • Interaction picture

    • Dyson's formula

    • Wick's theorem

    • Wick's theorem quiz

    • Propagator

    • Tutorial 3: LSZ and interaction picture

    • Tutorial 3 solutions

    • Feynman diagrams introduction

    • Feynman rules for the numerator

    • Vacuum diagrams

    • Feynman rules for Green's functions

    • Feynman diagrams quiz

    • Comments or questions?
  • 5

    Week 4: Momentum space Feynman diagrams and renormalization

    • Week 4 Guide

    • Connected versus disconnected diagrams

    • Amputation

    • Momentum conservation

    • Feynman rules for $$i\mathcal{M}$$

    • Example: using the Feynman rules

    • Feynman diagrams for $$i\mathcal{M}$$ quiz

    • Tutorial 4: Feynman diagrams

    • Tutorial 4 solutions - 3 (e) solution corrected (Thanks Hikari and others!)

    • Homework 3: Feynman diagrams

    • Introduction to renormalization

    • One point function

    • Computing the integral with Wick rotation and Pauli-Villars regularization

    • Propagator introduction

    • Kallen-Lehmann spectral representation

    • Propagator at next-to-leading order

    • Propagator at all orders

    • Vertex

    • Renormalization quiz

    • Comments or questions?
  • 6

    Week 5 Renormalization Group

    • Week 5 Guide

    • Renormalization group introduction

    • Euclidean $$\varphi^4$$ theory

    • Mass renormalization

    • Vertex renormalization

    • Running coupling

    • Future directions

    • Renormalization group quiz

    • Tutorial 5: Renormalization

    • Tutorial 5 solutions

    • Homework 4: Renormalization

    • Comments or questions?
  • 7

    Interviews

    • Interview Schedule

    • Interview Questions