QED Courses at the Graduate Level: Standard or Optional?

In summary, QED is typically taught at the graduate level and may be taken as an elective or out of interest. Course requirements and availability may vary depending on the university and program. Some resources for studying QED include books by Warren Siegel, Mark Srednicki, and Piere van Baal.
  • #1
cscott
782
1
As far as I know QED is taught at the graduate level. However, how many physics students end up taking courses on it? Is it standard to take courses on QED or is it only out of interest, or "need"?
 
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  • #2
"Standard" for whom? Typically graduate courses tend to be much narrower focused than undergraduate courses. A person taking a Ph.D. program who was planning to write a dissertation on, say, relativity, might not take a course in Quantum Electro Dynamics. Although, I suspect, it's connections with string theory might make it popular enough right now that many would.
 
  • #3
HallsofIvy said:
"Standard" for whom?

Well, I don't know much about grad school. From what you've said I guess there's no "standard" course selection (like everyone taking undergrad EM at some point).

So is it correct to say you'd only take QED if it was needed for your dissertation, or out of interest (if you can do that?).
 
  • #4
Policies surely vary from one grad school to another. At U of Michigan in the late 1970s, all first- and second-year grad students took pretty much the same "basic" courses. I don't remember if they were formally required, or simply "customary". I remember taking one semester of classical mechanics (Goldstein), two semesters of E&M (Jackson), one semester of thermo & stat mech (don't remember which book), and three semesters of QM. The first two semesters were non-relativistic QM (Merzbacher), and the third was relativistic QM and QED (Sakurai and Bjorken/Drell). Or maybe it was one semester non-relativistic and two semesters relativistic/QED.

Then there were higher-level electives focusing on specific topics. The choice varied from year to year depending on who was interested in teaching what.
 
  • #5
When I went to grad school, we took essentially the same courses mentined by jtbell, with the exception of the 3rd semester of qm and qed. If you were going into particle or nuclear theory you took it, if not you didn't. When I went back for my PhD, the school I went to didn't have anyone on the faculty who could teach a course in QED, so even relativistic qm wasn't taught.
 
  • #6
When I was a grad student, Ph.D. course requirements included 2 semesters of advanced quantum mechanics, and 3 of: 2 semesters of field theory; 2 semesters of statistical mechanics; 1 semester of particle physics. Course content varied from year to year. The texts used when I took these courses were:

Advanced Quantum Mechanics I - Quantum Mechanics VII, Messiah
Advanced Quantum Mechanics II - Quantum Electrodynamics, Berestetskii, Lift****z, and Pitaevskii
Statistical Mechanics I, II - Statistical Mechanics, Pathria
Field theory I, II - ostensibly Ryder, but lecture notes for II were based on Raymond
Particle Physics - none

Regards,
George
 
  • #7
Have you got ebook about Feyman's Quantum electro dynamic ?
I have a book but it was translated into Vietnamese
I want to have an ebook about this problem?
If you have can you give me?
Thank you
 
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  • #8
Thanks for the input.
 
  • #9
<hello,
You could study le quntum electodynqmics by using the Feynmqn path integrals
 
  • #10
Can you give me clearly about this problem ? How many ways to approach it?
 
  • #11
At my alma mater, QED is trickling down to the undergraduate level. In the second semester of undergrad QM, the Harmonic Oscillator is now treated with creation and annihilation operators (this was not done when I was there), and the course closes with the path integral formulation of QFT. My girlfriend is taking it next semester, and when I saw the syllabus I was surprised and pleased to see the change.
 
  • #12
linhtm said:
Can you give me clearly about this problem ? How many ways to approach it?

QED can be done using path integrals in a really nice way. Also a noncanonical treatment of the S-matrix is really easy to follow and its applications to QED are immediate.

Daniel.
 
  • #13
dextercioby said:
QED can be done using path integrals in a really nice way. Also a noncanonical treatment of the S-matrix is really easy to follow and its applications to QED are immediate.
Daniel.
Thank you surely you studied about QED ,Have you got any ebook about it ,I am looking for some ebook ,especial Feyman's book
 
  • #14
linhtm said:
Thank you surely you studied about QED ,Have you got any ebook about it ,I am looking for some ebook ,especial Feyman's book



Warren Siegel's: FIELDS
http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/plan.html
http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~siegel/Fields3.pdf


Mark Srednicki: Quantum Field Theory
http://gabriel.physics.ucsb.edu/~mark/
http://www.physics.ucsb.edu/~mark/MS-QFT-16Dec05.pdf [Broken]


Piere van Baal: A COURSE IN FIELD THEORY
http://www.lorentz.leidenuniv.nl/vanbaal/FTcourse.html [Broken]
http://www.lorentz.leidenuniv.nl/vanbaal/FT/lect.pdf [Broken]
http://www.lorentz.leidenuniv.nl/vanbaal/FT/prob.pdf [Broken]


Regards, Hans
 
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  • #15
Thank you Hans de Vries
 

1. What is the difference between standard and optional QED courses at the graduate level?

The main difference between standard and optional QED courses at the graduate level is that standard courses are required for all students in the program, while optional courses are not mandatory and can be chosen based on the student's interests and career goals.

2. How many QED courses are typically offered at the graduate level?

The number of QED courses offered at the graduate level can vary depending on the university and program. However, most programs will offer at least 2-3 courses in QED, with some offering up to 5 or more.

3. Can I take QED courses if I do not have a background in physics?

Yes, QED courses at the graduate level are designed to be accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds. However, it is recommended that students have a basic understanding of mathematics, physics, and quantum mechanics before taking these courses.

4. What are the career opportunities for those who study QED at the graduate level?

Graduates of QED courses at the graduate level have a wide range of career opportunities, including positions in research, academia, government, and the private sector. Many students also go on to pursue further studies in physics or related fields.

5. Are there any prerequisites for taking QED courses at the graduate level?

Prerequisites for QED courses at the graduate level may vary depending on the university and program. However, most programs will require students to have completed undergraduate courses in mathematics, physics, and quantum mechanics. Some programs may also require students to have a certain GPA or specific coursework in these areas.

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