PHYS 624 (Advanced Quantum Mechanics), Fall 2008
 
 
General Information
 
Class location/time: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 12.00 pm. to 12.50 pm.,
1219 Physics Building
 
Instructor: Kaustubh Agashe, 4119 Physics Building; Phone: (301) 405-6018; E-mail: kagashe@umd.edu; Office Hours: By appointment
 
Motivation: 
 
This course will provide an introduction to Quantum Field Theory (QFT). QFT is  required for an understanding of the Standard Model of particle physics - a theory describing the interactions and properties of the elementary particles - and ideas beyond it. QFT is also relevant for the study of cosmology (especially in view of particle physics connections of cosmology) and has applications in condensed matter physics.
 
Who should take this course: The target audience is graduate students who wish to do research in any area of theoretical physics, especially high energy/cosmology theory. It will also be useful for those planning to work in high energy experiments.
 
Prerequisites: Graduate-level  courses in Quantum Mechanics, Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism
 
Textbooks:
 
Required text: An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, by Michael E. Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder
 
Optional texts: Advanced Quantum Mechanics, by J.J Sakurai; Field Theory: a Modern Primer, by P. Ramond; Quantum Field Theory, by L.Ryder; The Quantum Theory of Fields, by S.Weinberg; Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell, by A. Zee
 
Grading
 
The course grade will be based on homeworks assigned on a regular basis
and also a final exam.
 
Probable Syllabus
 
We will cover most of Chapters 1 through 7 (part I) of An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, by Peskin and Schroeder (and some topics of part II if time permits). Discussion of Dirac equation at the beginning of the course will follow Sakurai's Advanced Quantum Mechanics. Topics from the remainder of the book will be covered in other courses: PHYS 751, 752 and 851.