C6 Homepage 2020/2021

Homepage for C6 & AQT - Theoretical Physics & Advanced Quantum Theory

Contacts (before you contact someone, please read the simple guidelines to ensure you receive an answer quickly):

C6 Coordinator: Prof Andrei Starinets <andrei.starinets@physics.ox.ac.uk>

C6 & AQT Michaelmas Term Lecturer: Prof John Chalker <John.Chalker@physics.ox.ac.uk>

C6 Hilary Term Lecturer: Prof Edward Hardy <edward.hardy@physics.ox.ac.uk>

Physics Teaching Office:

Hannah Glanville <hannah.glanville@physics.ox.ac.uk>

Carrie Leonard-McIntyre <carrie.leonard-mcintyre@physics.ox.ac.uk>

MMathPhys Office

<mathematical.physics@maths.ox.ac.uk>

Aims and Objectives of the Course

This course covers both the C6 (Theory) MPhys option (in MT & HT) and the MMathPhys Advanced Quantum Theory course (in MT only). The course is intended to give an introduction to some aspects of classical and quantum field theory, many-body systems and related issues. It also serves as an introduction to the path integral technique. These form the basis of our current theoretical understanding of particle physics, condensed matter and statistical physics. An aim is to present some core ideas and important applications in a unified way. The applications include classical mechanics of continuum systems, quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics of many-particle systems, and some basic aspects of relativistic quantum field theory.

Course Structure

MICHAELMAS TERM: Schedule of classes, problem sheets, lecture notes and other materials (lecturer - Prof John Chalker)

Stochastic processes tutorial - week 2 of HT-2024:

Tutorial group 1 (tutor - Oliver Breach, oliver.breach@merton.ox.ac.uk): Monday, 17:00-18:30, Dennis Sciama Lecture Theatre, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 2 (tutor - Ylias Sadki, ylias.sadki@physics.ox.ac.uk), Tuesday, 17:00-18:30, Dennis Sciama Lecture Theatre, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 3 (tutor - Gaurang Kane, gaurang.kane@some.ox.ac.uk): Wednesday, 17:00-18:30, Dennis Sciama Lecture Theatre, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 4 (tutor - Davide Laurenzano, davide.laurenzano@physics.ox.ac.uk): Thursday, 17:00-18:30, Dennis Sciama Lecture Theatre, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

HILARY TERM: Schedule of classes, problem sheets, lecture notes and other materials (lecturer - Prof Edward Hardy)

HT-2024 tutorial classes schedule (weeks 4, 6, 8):

Tutorial group 1 (tutor - Samantha Lish, samantha.lish@physics.ox.ac.uk ): Tuesday, 17:00-18:30, Fisher Room, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 2 (tutor - Luisa Eck, luisa.eck@physics.ox.ac.uk): Wednesday, 17:00-18:30, Fisher Room, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 3 (tutor - Gaurang Kane, gaurang.kane@physics.ox.ac.uk): Friday, 17:00-18:30, Fisher Room, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

The tutorial groups list can be found here. If you still need to sign up for a tutorial group, please contact the tutor of your preferred group with cc to Andrei Starinets (andrei.starinets@physics.ox.ac.uk).

TRINITY TERM: Revision classes (details below)

MT-2023 Topics

1. Functionals: Mathematical background

2. Path integrals in quantum mechanics

3. Path integrals in quantum statistical mechanics

4. Path integrals and Feynman diagrams

5. Ising model and transfer matrices in 1D

6. 2D Ising model

7. Second quantisation

8. Ideal Fermi gas

9. Weakly interacting bosons

10. Bogliubov excitations and spin waves

11. Spin waves. Path integral for bosons

12. Phase transitions. Ising model and mean-field theory

13. Critical behavior and universality. Landau theory

14. Beyond Landau theory: fluctuations

15. Fluctuations. Other phase transitions

16. Stochastic processes

HILARY TERM: Schedule of classes, problem sheets, lecture notes and other materials (lecturer - Prof Edward Hardy)

HT-2024 Topics

1. Classical field theory

2. Symmetries of the action. Noether's theorem

3. Spontaneous symmetry breaking. Goldstone's theorem

4. Canonical quantization of fields

5. Path integrals in quantum field theory

6. Interacting quantum fields

5. Feynman diagrams

6. Examples of interacting quantum field theories

TRINITY TERM: REVISIONS

TT-2024 Revision Tutorials (TBA)

There will be two revision lectures (in weeks 3 and 6) and two revision tutorials (in weeks 3 and 5) - please see details below.

TT-2024 Revision Lectures

MT-material (C6-AQT) revision lecture (Prof John Chalker) - week 3: Tuesday, 7 May, 11 am, Lindemann Lecture Theatre (Clarendon Lab)

HT-material (C6) revision lecture (Prof Edward Hardy) - week 6: Tuesday, 28 May, 10 am, Dennis Sciama Theatre, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

TT-2024 Revision Tutorials

Tutorials groups are the same as in HT. If you have not attended tutorials in HT-2024, please e-mail one of the tutors below to join the group.

TT-2023 tutorial classes schedule (weeks 3 and 5):

Tutorial group 1 (tutor - Samantha Lish, samantha.lish@physics.ox.ac.uk ): Tuesday, 17:00-18:30, Fisher Room, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 2 (tutor - Luisa Eck, luisa.eck@physics.ox.ac.uk): Wednesday, 17:00-18:30, Fisher Room, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

Tutorial group 3 (tutor - Gaurang Kane, gaurang.kane@physics.ox.ac.uk): Friday, 17:00-18:30, Fisher Room, DWB (Denys Wilkinson Building)

TT- 2024 Revision Problems Sheets

1. MT-material revision problems

2. HT-material revision problems