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30 views4 pages

Quantum Physics by John Doe Lecture Notes

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Physics Lecture Notes: Advanced Concepts in

Quantum Field Theory and Relativistic


Dynamics
Prof. John Doe
23rd December 2024

Lecture 12: Relativistic Quantum Field The-


ory (RQFT)
1. Introduction to Relativistic Quantum Field Theory
(RQFT)
1.1. Motivation for RQFT
Classical mechanics and special relativity are incompatible with the principles
of quantum mechanics when trying to describe high-energy particles moving
at relativistic speeds.
Quantum Field Theory (QFT) provides a framework that combines quan-
tum mechanics with special relativity, and is necessary for understanding
particle physics at the smallest scales.

1.2. Key Concepts


• Fields and Particles: In RQFT, particles are treated as excitations
or quanta of underlying fields that permeate space and time.

– Field : A quantity that exists at every point in space and time.


– Particles: Quantized manifestations of these fields, such as the
photon being an excitation of the electromagnetic field.

1
• Relativity: Special relativity requires that the laws of physics remain
invariant under Lorentz transformations. This impacts how fields are
treated in RQFT.
• Quantum Mechanics: The principles of quantization dictate that
fields can only have discrete values in certain circumstances.

2. Mathematical Foundations of RQFT


2.1. Scalar Fields
A scalar field is a field with a single value at each point in space-time (it
does not have any directional components). For example, the Higgs field is
often modeled as a scalar field.
The Lagrangian density for a free scalar field ϕ(x) is:
1
∂µ ϕ ∂ µ ϕ − m2 ϕ2

L=
2
where:
• ∂µ ϕ represents the derivative of the field with respect to space-time
coordinates.
• m is the mass of the particle associated with the field.
This Lagrangian describes a free scalar field, and the equation of motion
derived from it is the Klein-Gordon equation:

□ + m2 ϕ(x) = 0


where □ = ∂µ ∂ µ is the d’Alembert operator.

2.2. Quantization of the Field


In quantum field theory, we quantize the fields. For a free scalar field, we
treat the field ϕ(x) as an operator that acts on a quantum state.
The field operator ϕ̂(x) is expanded in terms of creation and annihilation
operators â†k and âk :

d3 k
Z
1  ikx † −ikx

ϕ̂(x) = √ â k e + â k e
(2π)3 2Ek
Here:

2
√
• k is the wavevector, and Ek = k 2 + m2 is the energy associated with
the wavevector.

• âk and â†k are the annihilation and creation operators, respectively.

• The operators âk and â†k satisfy the commutation relations:

[âk , â†k′ ] = (2π)3 δ 3 (k − k ′ )

These operators create and annihilate particles at the quantum level. The
vacuum state |0⟩ is defined by:

âk |0⟩ = 0

3. Interactions in RQFT
3.1. The Interaction Lagrangian
Interactions in RQFT are introduced by adding interaction terms to the
Lagrangian. For example, the interaction between two scalar fields ϕ1 (x)
and ϕ2 (x) could be modeled by a term of the form:

Lint = gϕ1 ϕ22


where g is a coupling constant. This interaction term leads to the scat-
tering of particles associated with ϕ1 and ϕ2 .

3.2. Feynman Diagrams and Scattering Amplitudes


Interactions in quantum field theory can be described using Feynman dia-
grams, which are graphical representations of the terms in the perturbative
expansion of the interaction. For a scalar field theory with an interaction
term like gϕ1 ϕ22 , the Feynman diagram for the simplest interaction would
look like:

Interaction vertex: • ϕ1 ϕ2 ϕ2
The Feynman rules for the theory involve translating the diagram into a
mathematical expression, which yields the scattering amplitude.

3
3.3. Renormalization
One of the key challenges in quantum field theory is the problem of diver-
gences that arise in loop diagrams. Renormalization is a process of sys-
tematically removing these infinities to obtain finite, physically meaningful
results.

4. Conclusion
Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (RQFT) is the mathematical framework
that underpins much of modern particle physics. It successfully combines the
principles of quantum mechanics with special relativity, and provides a rich
structure for describing particle interactions, including the Standard Model
interactions. Further study involves mastering the techniques of perturba-
tion theory, renormalization, and exploring the deeper structures like gauge
theories and spontaneous symmetry breaking.

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