This page contains copies of the class handouts, and other items of interest to the Physics 218 class. This course is being offered during the 2015 winter quarter at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
All the final class presentations are now available and have been
posted to Section V of this website.
Final grades have been assigned. Enjoy your well-deserved spring break.
The General Information and Syllabus handout is available
in either PDF or Postscript format
[PDF | Postscript]
Some of the information in this handout is reproduced here.
General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Instructor | Howard Haber | |
| Office | ISB 326 | |
| Phone | 459-4228 | |
| Office Hours | Mondays and Tuesdays, 2--3 pm | |
| haber@scipp.ucsc.edu | ||
| webpage | scipp.ucsc.edu/~haber/ | |
Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10--11:45 pm, ISB 231
Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model , by Matthew D. Schwartz (Cambridge University Press, 2014).
The requirements of this course consist of problem sets and a final project. Problem sets will be handed out on a regular basis. The homework problem sets are not optional. There will be no midterm or final exam. A list of suggested topics for the final project is provided in the next two pages. Some of the topics require only additional readings in Schwartz. Others will require some consultation with outside sources.
The project may be presented orally or in written form at the end of the academic quarter. Oral presentations are encouraged since they will benefit all members of the class. In choosing your project, you should plan on meeting the following deadlines:
The oral presentations will take place on Wednesday March 18, 2015 from 4--7 pm in ISB 231.
All projects should include a one page bibliography (containing references pertinent to the project). For those projects presented orally, a digital copy of the powerpoint slides (or equivalent) and a brief set of notes will be acceptable in lieu of a full written version. If an oral presentation is not possible (not the preferred option), a full written version of the project is an acceptable substitute.
Problem sets and exams are available in either PDF or Postscript formats
The problem set solutions are available in either PDF or Postscript formats.
Students are required to give half hour presentations on a project
involving a topic in advanced quantum field theory not treated in
the class syllabus. These
presentations are collected here.
1. While our textbook discusses generating functionals for the Green functions of quantum field theory, it does not introduce generating functionals for connected Green functions and one particle irreducible (1PI) Green functions. A purely diagrammatic approach is provided by Predrag Cvitanović in Chapter 2 of his Field Theory lecture notes entitled Generating Functionals. [PDF]
2. An elementary but detailed introduction to path integral methods in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory is provided in Walter Greiner and Joachim Reinhardt, Field Quantization (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1996).
3. A gaussian functional integral over real Grassmann variables yields a pfaffian. In this handout, I discuss some important properties of an antisymmetric matrix, and then define and explore the properties of the pfaffian. A number of different proofs of the famous result, [pf M]2=det M, are provided including one that makes direct use of the gaussian functional integral over real Grassmann variables. [PDF | Postscript]
4. I am providing a preliminary version of a chapter entitled Gauge Theories and the Standard Model, which will eventually appear in a textbook on supersymmetry by Herbi Dreiner, Howard Haber and Stephen Martin. Your comments and suggestions for improvement are most welcome. [PDF | Postscript]
5. The diagonalization of a charged Dirac fermion mass matrix employs the singular value decomposition of a complex matrix, whereas the diagonalization of a neutral Majorana fermion mass matrix employs the Takagi-diagonalization of a complex symmetric matrix. The mathematics of fermion mass diagonalization is treated in a short review article by S.Y. Choi and H.E. Haber. [PDF | Postscript]
6. In quantum field theory, the most common regularization procedure used in renormalization theory and in higher-order loop calculations is dimensional regularization. In this handout, I have provided a collection of some of the most useful formulae used in the dimensional regularization of loop integrals. [PDF | Postscript]
1. Predrag Cvitanović, Field Theory (Nordita Classics Illustrated, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1983).
[PDF | webpage]2. Advanced Quantum Field Theory: Renormalization, Non-Abelian Gauge Theories and Anomalies, lecture notes by Adel Bilal (October, 2014) [PDF]
3. Diagrammar, by G. `t Hooft and M. Veltman [CERN Yellow Book, CERN-73-09] is an idiosyncratic treatment of quantum field theory. Despite its age, you can still find many useful things in this review. [PDF]
4. Markus Luty produced some lecture notes for an advanced quantum field theory course that he taught at the University of Maryland in 2007. The following pdf files complement nicely some of the subjects covered in Physics 218.
1. One of the most insightful treatment of ghosts in quantum field theory appears in lecture notes for the Basko Polje Summer School (1976) by Benny Lautrup entitled Of Ghoulies and Ghosties. These lecture notes are written with much wit and served as an inspiration to the Field Theory book by Predrag Cvitanović. Benny Lautrup has provided a link to the original preprint of his lecture notes here: [PDF]