Self-Study QFT: Prerequisites for Feynman Diagrams, QED & More

[quantumdarkmatter]

Summary:: I want to study QFT 1 in the upcoming semester, so what are the prerequisites to study it. By QFT 1 I mean Classical field theory, Canonical Quantization, Feynman Diagrams, and QED.

I am trying to self study QM from Griffiths' Introduction to Quantum Mechanics book. What are the sub topics in QM that are required to understand QFT at the level of Feynman Diagrams, QED processes etc. basically Part 1 of Peskin and Schroeder textbook.

 

[quantumdarkmatter]

Is it better to do QFT 1 by self studying Quantum and Classical mechanics or wait for the formal courses which will happen in next year as two semester course and then take QFT the following year.

Or I could study relativistic formulation of electrodynamics now and extend this study to study General Relativity in a short break I would have in winter.

 

[bhobba]

I would start with the following book:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0984513957/

Thanks
Bill

 

[PeroK]

Is it better to do QFT 1 by self studying Quantum and Classical mechanics or wait for the formal courses which will happen in next year as two semester course and then take QFT the following year.

Or I could study relativistic formulation of electrodynamics now and extend this study to study General Relativity in a short break I would have in winter.

Are you studying physics at university?

 

[Haorong Wu]

I would not recommend study Peskin's book directly. It may be too difficult.

You could check this website, https://physics.ac/how-to-learn-qft/ .

It lists the basic prerequisites and recommend different books.

 

[quantumdarkmatter]

Are you studying physics at university?

Yeah

 

[atyy]

I am trying to self study QM from Griffiths' Introduction to Quantum Mechanics book. What are the sub topics in QM that are required to understand QFT at the level of Feynman Diagrams, QED processes etc. basically Part 1 of Peskin and Schroeder textbook.

From Griffiths you need to know the axioms of quantum mechanics (Hilbert space, state vector, Schroedinger equation, commutation relations, observables and measurement), and be comfortable with both Schroedinger and Heisenberg pictures of time evolution.

Some approaches to QFT at an easier level than Peskin and Schroeder are Mandl and Shaw, and non-relativistic QFT from the view of condensed matter physics, which is just a language for non-relativistic quantum mechanics of many identical particles. QFT for the gifted amateur has gotten good reviews from many, although I haven't read it.