Course curriculum

  • 1

    Extra completely optional references

    • Discussion on one point function of A_\mu after Friday Q and A

    • operator gauge symmetry of QED

    • Representations of the Lorentz group

    • Tutorial to derive Lie algebra of the Lorentz group

    • Tutorial solution for Lie algebra of the Lorentz group

    • Is the particle created by b or c really spin 1/2? (tutorial)

    • spin 1/2 tutorial solution

    • spin statistics theorem by Pauli
  • 2

    Dirac's equation and solutions; Weyl and Majorana spinors

    • Review quiz for the Dirac equation

    • The Dirac equation

    • Hamiltonian of the Dirac theory

    • Physics Joke: a fishing story

    • Review quiz for covariantness of the Dirac equation

    • The covariantness of the Dirac equation

    • Review quiz for Dirac field has spin half

    • The Dirac field has spin half

    • After lesson quiz: Notice this quiz is longer than usual.

    • We recommend to charge onwards for two more lessons. Otherwise make sure to review the last quiz before starting next lessons.

    • Weyl spinor

    • Completely optional: Weyl spinor in condensed matter physics

    • Majorana spinor

    • Completely optional: Majorana spinor in condensed matter physics

    • Tutorial one: Dirac, Majorana and Weyl spinors

    • Tutorial one solution

    • Completely optional: a proof that helicity (massless) is Lorentz invariant.

    • Completely optional: reference for two component spinor

    • Quiz before solutions of the Dirac equations

    • Solutions of the Dirac equations

    • Joke about chinese characters
  • 3

    Welcome to the course!

    • Course requirement

    • Motivation

    • Outline and convention

    • Learning objectives

    • Acknowledgement

    • Lecture Notes
  • 4

    Dirac's Lagrangian

    • Dirac's Lagrangian

    • After lesson quiz for Dirac's Lagrangian

    • Homework one

    • Questions and comments (Week 1) ?
  • 5

    Symmetries of Dirac's Lagrangian

    • The Weyl Lagrangian

    • The definition of parity

    • Story: the discovery of parity violation in nature (youtube video).

    • Activity: the effect of a mirror on right-handed spinor

    • Quiz for activity

    • Spinor bilinears

    • Quiz before global and gauge symmetry

    • global symmetry and gauge the global symmetry
  • 6

    Quantization of the Dirac theory

    • Review quiz before quantization of Dirac theory

    • Quantization of the Dirac theory

    • quiz before states

    • States

    • quiz before anti-particle and Heisenbert picture

    • anti-particle and Heisenberg picture

    • Causality

    • Tutorial two

    • Tutorial two solution

    • Homework Two

    • Questions and Comments (Week 2)?
  • 7

    Interacting with fermions

    • Updated lecture notes (Nika (Thanks!) found an error around equation 214 and I found some in the later chapters)

    • Interview questions for first two weeks

    • long quiz before review of the scalar case

    • An overview and then a review of the scalar case

    • A story from Gang

    • Fermionic LSZ formula

    • Before quiz on wick theorem

    • Dyson formula and Wick theorem
  • 8

    Yukawa theory and Feynman rules

    • Before quiz for Yukawa theory

    • Scattering amplitudes and Feynman rules for Yukawa theory

    • In class exercise

    • Scattering amplitudes and Feynman rules for Yukawa theory, continued

    • Tutorial three prep: please read 30 minutes before tutorial starts.

    • Tutorial three: the Feynman Rules

    • Tutorial three solution

    • Summary: Yukawa Feynman rules; minus signs

    • Questions and Comments (Week 3)?
  • 9

    Quantizing Maxwell theory

    • before quiz for Maxwell theory

    • Classical Maxwell theory

    • Quantization of Maxwell theory
  • 10

    Quantum Electrodynamics at tree level

    • Two scattering processes for QED

    • 30 mins before tutorial four

    • Tutorial Four

    • Tutorial Four Solution

    • List of Feynman Rules is always handy. Yes you can use it for interview too.

    • The Rubric for Feynman diagrams and matrix element

    • The Project (Debriefing)

    • The Project (The excecution)

    • The Project (Teams and submit here)

    • The complete interview questions (note the third/last homework is NOT interviewed)

    • Homework Three (Last Homework)

    • Two little excercises for homework three: I suggest you do it when you start the homework

    • The companion video for homework three: I suggest you watch it when you start your homework.

    • Questions and Comments (Week 4)?
  • 11

    Renormalization of QED

    • Interview Schedule

    • Superficial degree of divergence

    • After quiz for superficial degree of divergence

    • Renormalization of QED: the electron self energy

    • Tutorial Five

    • Tutorial five solution

    • Questions and Comments (Week 5)?