About

When and Where

• Monday and Thursday 11:10am-noon in MP1115

Who

PHY2404S Quantum Field Theory II is taught this year by Prof. Amanda Peet, a member of the Theoretical High-Energy Physics group.

What

This course is intended for students who have taken PHY2403F (a required prerequisite) and understand the principles of canonical quantization at tree level for spins 0,1/2,1. PHY2404S develops modern path integral quantization, beginning with scalar and spin-half fields and moving to spin one, within the conceptual framework of the renormalization group and its applications. Another primary physics goal is to introduce non-Abelian gauge theories and spontaneous symmetry breaking, which form the backbone of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The meatiest part of the course involves regularization and renormalization for loop diagrams, with emphasis on physical intuition and calculation rather than on mathematical rigour. By the end of the course, all students will be well equipped to understand for themselves the asymptotic freedom of QCD: the fact that the strong force grows weaker at higher energies.