Quantum Field Theory: Undergrad or Grad Level?

[YAHA]

Could someone tell at what level the Quantum Field Theory appears in a typical physics coursework? Undergrad? Grad?

Also, from my understanding, the first 1.5 years of grad work aim to prepare the student for preliminary exams on the knowledge of undergraduate physics. That said, how much of a gap is there between, say, Intro to QM I, II in undergrad and same in first year of grad?

 

[Kevin_Axion]

It's rare that you'll take QFT courses in undergrad but it is a necessary course in graduate physics programs (i.e Condensed Matter, Particle Physics, String Theory, Quantum Gravity).

 

[YAHA]

Look at this for instance:

http://www.pa.msu.edu/grad/courses.php
http://physics.berkeley.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=151


Which of those courses would include QFT? Or QFT is even higher up the ladder? :)

 

[Visceral]

Look at this for instance:

http://www.pa.msu.edu/grad/courses.php
http://physics.berkeley.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=151


Which of those courses would include QFT? Or QFT is even higher up the ladder? :)

I think higher up the ladder. If I'm not mistaken, those courses are just the standard requirements for all physics majors.

 

[lasm2000]

Well, if your school has a QFT course being offered there is usually no impediment for you to attend it if you are an undegrad (I have seen it).

Now, what you need to know cold is non relativistic quantum mechanics (specially the harmonic oscillator using the ladder operators and the Heisenberg-Schrödinger picture), special relativity (mostly dynamics and the usual index gymnastics), lagrangian and hamiltonian mechanics, Fourier stuff and contour integration. Of course, that is a very rough guide but that should be enough for you to read Mandl or, for that sake, Peskin-Schroeder.

 

[jtbell]

http://www.pa.msu.edu/grad/courses.php

Which of those courses would include QFT? Or QFT is even higher up the ladder? :)

Look on the "Additional Physics Courses" tab:

Physics 853, "Advanced Quantum Mechanics" (probably mostly QED)
Physics 891, "Elementary Particle Physics" (gets into electroweak theory and QCD)

 

[lasm2000]

Look on the "Additional Physics Courses" tab:

Physics 853, "Advanced Quantum Mechanics" (probably mostly QED)
Physics 891, "Elementary Particle Physics" (gets into electroweak theory and QCD)

Add to that phy 911. Group theory is really important for qft/strings.

 

[YAHA]

Add to that phy 911. Group theory is really important for qft/strings.

Now we are getting somewhere :) Do you think its at all possible to take PHY 853 - Advanced Quantum Mechanics with an standard undergrad QM I+II under my belt? I am just getting ready to take those and would like to tentatively plan my studies a year or two out.

P.S. Pardon my ignorance, but is it true that Group Theory is sort of "Advanced" Abstract Algebra?

 

[lasm2000]

Quite likely. For the material listed on that syllabus you mostly need the "usual qm stuff": Dirac notation, Hilbert spaces, a bit about solutions of Schrödinger equation (mostly the free particle and the harmonic oscillator), angular momentum and perturbation theory. Aditionally, a bit on scattering would be really useful since all the Feynman diagram technology is very related to the Born approximation. Since it is esentially an introductory course on qft all that I say above still applies. To be _really_ sure you can understand just read Tong's notes at : http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/qft/qft.pdf . If they are intelligible to you it is quite likely the course will be intelligible too.

Regarding group theory it is the systematic study of symmetries. You have probably studied them at a very superficial level already. For example the rotation matrix in 3d forms the group SO(3) and the angular momentum algebra is a simple example of a Lie group. As for the prerequisites, asuming you know linear algebra and QM up to angular momentum you should be ready to roll.

 

[Geezer]

Could someone tell at what level the Quantum Field Theory appears in a typical physics coursework? Undergrad? Grad?

Also, from my understanding, the first 1.5 years of grad work aim to prepare the student for preliminary exams on the knowledge of undergraduate physics. That said, how much of a gap is there between, say, Intro to QM I, II in undergrad and same in first year of grad?

QFT -> Grad school

Re: Exams. My school gives you just ONE year to prepare for them, not 1.5 or 2 years.

 

[The_Duck]

Now we are getting somewhere :) Do you think its at all possible to take PHY 853 - Advanced Quantum Mechanics with an standard undergrad QM I+II under my belt? I am just getting ready to take those and would like to tentatively plan my studies a year or two out.

I am finishing a year-long QFT course in my last year of undergrad. Before it I had taken undergrad QM, E&M, classical mechanics, and an undergrad "particle physics" course out of Griffiths's "Elementary Particles." In the particle physics class we did a bunch of relativistic kinematics and then tree-level Feynman diagram computations but never touched on the derivation of Feynman diagrams or the formula for cross sections, which come from QFT. Griffiths's book might be useful to you; it is written for undergrads and deliberately right between QM and QFT. I had also taken a math course in Lie algebras that was a little bit helpful. The summer before this year, I reviewed QM and started working through some QFT textbooks to prepare. This path has worked out quite well for me.

 

[YAHA]

I am finishing a year-long QFT course in my last year of undergrad. Before it I had taken undergrad QM, E&M, classical mechanics, and an undergrad "particle physics" course out of Griffiths's "Elementary Particles." In the particle physics class we did a bunch of relativistic kinematics and then tree-level Feynman diagram computations but never touched on the derivation of Feynman diagrams or the formula for cross sections, which come from QFT. Griffiths's book might be useful to you; it is written for undergrads and deliberately right between QM and QFT. I had also taken a math course in Lie algebras that was a little bit helpful. The summer before this year, I reviewed QM and started working through some QFT textbooks to prepare. This path has worked out quite well for me.

Awesome, man! :) I am glad it worked out positively. Thanks everyone for the input. I have learned a lot.

If one's school doesn't offer grad coursework in physics, do you guys think it would be beneficial to do one of those self study courses with a faculty member on QFT?(My school has these 1-3 credit courses for research and special problems to work with faculty) Would this be just as beneficial as taking actual courses with QFT in terms of grad school apps or somewhat substandard?
P.S. I am going to learn it regardless; however, I am wondering if I should shell out monies for grad course. In addition, it would be about an hour commute for me to a school that has grad courses.

 

[n1person]

Taking QFT is by no means necessary or expected at the undergraduate level. I would say if you are really really interested in it, arrange an independent study with a faculty member (a good way to be best buddies for recommendation time :P). Travelling that far, and paying extra money, I think is a little un-necessary, especially since you will probably take it again in graduate school.

 

[YAHA]

I am finishing a year-long QFT course in my last year of undergrad. Before it I had taken undergrad QM, E&M, classical mechanics, and an undergrad "particle physics" course out of Griffiths's "Elementary Particles." In the particle physics class we did a bunch of relativistic kinematics and then tree-level Feynman diagram computations but never touched on the derivation of Feynman diagrams or the formula for cross sections, which come from QFT. Griffiths's book might be useful to you; it is written for undergrads and deliberately right between QM and QFT. I had also taken a math course in Lie algebras that was a little bit helpful. The summer before this year, I reviewed QM and started working through some QFT textbooks to prepare. This path has worked out quite well for me.

Can you or someone else tell me if its possible to read the Griffiths "Elementary Particles" on one's own? I looked at whatever free pages preview is available on Amazon and it seems really exciting :) What background is needed?

 

[The_Duck]

Can you or someone else tell me if its possible to read the Griffiths "Elementary Particles" on one's own? I looked at whatever free pages preview is available on Amazon and it seems really exciting :) What background is needed?

You can certainly read this on your own; it is fairly challenging stuff, though. Griffiths expects that you are comfortable with a) special relativity from freshman physics and b) undergrad QM, particularly the hydrogen atom and angular momentum. It's meant to be used in an upper-level undergrad course after QM.

 

[Simfish]

Well, at my university (which is top-20), quantum field theory is actually graded pass-fail. Which means that it isn't extremely critical. I wonder if this is unusual