QM to QED: How Far Should I Self Study?

[maverick_starstrider]

Just out of curiosity, the last course I took (and the last one I'm probably ever going to take along that path) in QM ended with dirac equation, second quantization and the quantizing of the electric field. How far do I have to go (if I wanted to self study) to get to QED?

 

[jweygna1]

Get the book : QED-The Strange Theory of Light and Matter by Feynman. It is very to understand but very concise.

 

[maverick_starstrider]

Get the book : QED-The Strange Theory of Light and Matter by Feynman. It is very to understand but very concise.

Uh, feynman's QED is a popular science book not a textbook.

 

[Norman]

If your class was at the graduate level and rigorous, I would say not far. Pick up Ryder or Peskin & Schroeder or Aitchison & Hey or any introductory QFT book. The next step after graduate level QM is typically QFT (if you are interested in that path).

 

[arunma]

The last course I took was the second semester of graduate quantum, which had exactly the same stuff that you mentioned. This fall I'm taking QFT, which covers QED. I asked the professor, and he said that I had everything I needed to take QFT. So I guess we're both good to go.

 

[j93]

Uh, feynman's QED is a popular science book not a textbook.

What

I don't know string theory after reading Brian Greene

In all seriousness

I always thought

QM->QFT(and QED)->?

 

[maverick_starstrider]

What

I don't know string theory after reading Brian Greene

In all seriousness

I always thought

QM->QFT(and QED)->?

Yes, but I'm inquiring as to what additional tweaks take a quantum theory that is second quantized and has quantized the electric field to "QED". Is there additional reformulation? Do I have to work in path integrals, etc.