MIT OpenCourseWare

Browse materialsMIT 8.325 · Spring 2003

Relativistic Quantum Field Theory III

Subjects: Physics · Quantum Mechanics

Art: Reinier Vinkeles / Pieter Pietersz Barbiers II, De zaal der physica van Felix Meritis, 1794 · Public domain

Instructor: Prof. Frank Wilczek
Term: Spring 2003
Level: Graduate
What's inside: 1 lecture note · 20 other files · 4 web pages
Materials open: MIT OCW

Other versions of this course

8.325 · Spring 2007 · Study here
8.325 · Spring 2003 · Study here (this version)

Start here

Start course: Lecture 1: Gauge Symmetry Review of Gauge Symmetry in…Find a topic

Progress is saved in this browser.

Export or import progress

About this course

Source: MIT OpenCourseWare 8.325 Relativistic Quantum Field Theory III, Spring 2003, Prof. Frank Wilczek — original course page on ocw.mit.edu ↗. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Study order: MIT's own listing order, section by section. Taken from MIT's published course files, downloaded from ocw.mit.edu on September 23, 2026. How RedLectern is built.

Materials are grouped the way MIT organized them. A verified, course-wide order has not been established here.

Has MIT solutions 4 files in this course are named by MIT as solutions.

Before you start

Prerequisites are not listed here. Check MIT's own syllabus for this course.

How this course was organized

What's here, and what isn't

A lecture sequence of 29 items is confirmed. Assignment and exam materials exist too, but MIT's own order for them could not be verified, so they're shown as materials below rather than a sequence.

Not included here

9 items from the source could not be safely included:

MIT's page format for this item wasn't recognized clearly enough to place it safely. (8 items)
Referenced in a table, but without MIT's own verified order, so it isn't used to claim a sequence.

Materials by section

Grouped by section, as MIT organized them. Not sequenced or ordered.

Lecture Notes

11 files

Assignments

9 problem sets

MIT OpenCourseWare, Prof. Frank Wilczek, 8.325 Relativistic Quantum Field Theory III, Spring 2003.

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Edition: Spring 2003 · Open the original course on OCW ↗

Organized by RedLectern, independent of MIT and not endorsed by MIT.

Per-resource rights are recorded on each resource; All-Rights-Reserved items are link-only, never mirrored.

Relativistic Quantum Field Theory III

Before you start

What's here, and what isn't

Not included here

Materials by section

Lecture Notes

Assignments

Lecture 1: Gauge Symmetry Review of Gauge Symmetry in Electrodynamics, from both Point Particle and Field Perspectives Coulomb Law and Physical Photons from the Propagator Gauge Symmetry Required to Avoid Ghosts Definition of Non-abelian Gauge Symmetry

Lecture 2: Broken Gauge Symmetry Abelian Higgs Model and its Quantization Spectrum: Massive Gauge Boson, No Ghosts, No Physical Massless Particle

Lecture 3: Confinement Illustration of the Phenomenon in a Simple Model (Multi-Chern-Simons Theory)

Lecture 4: Gauge and Higgs Sector Lagrangian Model for SU(2)×U(1) Gauge-Higgs Sector Mixing (Weinberg) Angle, Physical Spectrum and Coupling of the Gauge Bosons

Lecture 5: Quark and Lepton Multiplet Structure Choice of SU(3) and SU(2) Representations and Hypercharges to Represent the Observed Quarks and Leptons

Lecture 6: Renormalizability Indications of Renormalization Theory Dimensional Criterion for Induced Terms Classification of Allowed Terms in the Standard Model

Lecture 7: Canonical Forms Use of Field Re-definitions to Simplify the Allowed Terms Accidental Symmetries of the Simplified Forms, both for QED/QCD and for the full Standard Model

Lecture 8: CKM Matrix Appearance of Weak Mixing Angles and Irremovable Phase Schematic Discussion of Phenomenology

Lecture 9: Equations of the Renormalization Group Couplings must be Normalized a Scale Point, but the Scale is Arbitrary Different Choices related by Renormalization Group Alternative Perspective (Wilson), “Integrating Out” High Momentum Modes

Lecture 10: Running Couplings Computation of the RG Functions Asymptotic Freedom Physical Interpretation: Antiscreening from Spin Paramagnetism

Lecture 11: Simplest Applications Infrared Safety Derivation of Jet Antenna Patterns Brief Overview of Perturbative QCD

Lecture 12: Unification of Quantum Numbers: SU(5) Simple Breaking Scheme for SU(5) → SU(3)×SU(2)×U(1) Identification of Hypercharge

Lecture 13: Unification Using SO(10) Group Theory of Spinor Representation Breaking Scheme Quark and Lepton Quantum Numbers

Lecture 14: Unification of Couplings Normalization of Hypercharge Computation of Effective Couplings Comparison with Observation

Lecture 15: Lepton and Baryon Number Violation Low-dimension Operators for L and B Violation Microscopic Mechanisms Parameterization of Neutrino Mass Matrix

Lecture 16: Coupling to Matter Tree Graph Couplings Gluon Coupling through Heavy Quark Loops

Lecture 17: Production and Decay Modes Associated Production with Gauge Bosons Gluon Fusion Computation of Decay Rates

Lecture 18: Phenomenology of One and Two Doublet Models Two Doublet Models Practical Considerations on Signatures

Lecture 19: Examples of Anomalies Explicit Calculations in Simple Models Impossibility of Removal by Subtraction

Lecture 20: Anomaly Cancellation Indications on Non-renormalization Theorem Application to Standard Model and Unified Models

Lecture 21: Approximate Chiral Symmetry ‘Unexpectedly’ Small Masses of Pions Enhanced Symmetry of QCD with Zero Quark Masses, Not Manifested in the Spectrum

Lecture 22: Nambu-Goldstone Bosons: Masses and Couplings Spontaneous Breaking of Approximate Chiral Symmetry Nambu-Goldstone Bosons Mass Formula Goldberger-Treiman Relation

Lecture 23: The U(1) A Problem Absence of NG Boson for Axial Baryon Number Difficulty this Presents

Lecture 24: Topological Sectors in Gauge Theory Large Gauge Transformations θ Vacuum Lagrangian Interpretation

Lecture 25: Interpolation with Instantons Semiclassical Passage between Sectors Action Bound Concrete Solution of the Euclidean Field Equations

Lecture 26: Functional Determinant and Fermion Zero Modes Formal Evaluation of the Functional Integral Collective Coordinates and Measure Fermion Zero Modes and their Saturation Fulfillment of Anomaly Equation

Lecture 27: Formulation of the Gauge Sector Parallel Transporter Plaquette Action Dimensional Transmutation!

Lecture 28: Strong Coupling and Confinement Color Sources and Wilson Criterion Strong Coupling Expansion

Lecture 29: Formulation of the Fermions Straightforward Formulation and its Problems with Doubling Heavy Fermion Potential Domain Wall Fermions Link Fermions