Physics 342
Quantum Field Theory II
PHY342 is the second semester of our Quantum Field Theory sequence. Topics to be covered include:
Renormalized perturbation theory
Renormalization group
Path integral methods
Gauge theories and their quantization
Spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Higgs mechanism
Additional topics to be determined – nonperturbative aspects, supersymmetry, etc.
Prerequisites: PHY341 or equivalent.
Instructor: Ronen Plesser, plesser@cgtp.duke.edu or 660-9668, Physics 212 – the latter two not very useful for actually finding me. I will not hold scheduled office hours for this class, but am available to talk with you any time you find me in or by making an appointment by email.
Time and Place: Class will meet Monday 10:30-12:00 and Friday 2:30-4:00, in the HEP conference room.
Text: There is not a single texbook for this class. I will follow treatments in various books for different topics. Useful books include:
M.E. Peskin and D.V. Schroeder, Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Addison-Wesley, 1995. This book is very popular, and introduces many topics in a concise, physically motivated way. The treatment of some subjects is not as careful as what we will strive for.
J. Zinn-Justin, Quantum Field Theory and Critical Phenomena, Oxford University Press, 2002. This large book contains much we do not need, but also some very elegant discussions of relevant topics using path integral methods.
C. Itzykson and J.B. Zuber, Quantum Field Theory, McGraw Hill, 1980. A classic text, with comprehensive discussions of many topics with a nice balance of rigor and physics. Some find the concise style a bit dense.
S. Weinberg, The Quantum Theory of Fields, CambridgeUniversity Press, 1995. A three-volume encyclopedic text. This includes probably the deepest, most up-to-date treatment of many topics. Its size, a poor choice of notation, and a somewhat unconventional approach make it unsuitable as a main text for a class like ours, but Weinberg's discussion of any topic (and there are precious few he misses) is always illuminating and unwaveringly grounded in physics.
J.C Collins, Renormalization: an introduction to renormalization, the renormalization group, and the operator product expansion, CambridgeUniversity Press, 1984. A careful discussion of the topics covered, with useful examples and explanations.
S. Coleman, Aspects of Symmetry, Cambridge University Press, 1985. Some of these Erice letures are dated, and this is in no sense a comprehensive text, but on some subject the discussion here is the clearest I know.