Professor Manuel Drees

Lectures

WS 24/25:

Advanced Quantum Theory (physics606)

Time and Place : Monday, 12:15 to 14:00, and Wednesday, 12:15 to 13:00, both times HS 1, PI (i.e., in the big lecture hall inside the PI).

First Lecture: October 7, 2024.

Last Lecture: January 29, 2025.

Tutorials:
First session: In the second week of classes.
The homework problems can be found here, as well as on eCampus.
The figures shown on the projector during class can be found here.

The online material will (mostly) be provided via eCampus, so please register for this course on the eCampus system! (You need a login ID from our university for this end, which in turn you can get only after enrolling here.)

Only students who have done at least 50% of the homework of this class will be admitted to the final exam! The solution need not be perfected in order to be counted, but you must have made a serious attempt at least. Up to two people (but no more!) may sign one set of solutions. However, it is crucial that all students do in fact work on these problems themselves; otherwise the chance of passing the final exam is close to nil. Note also that you will be expected to present your solution to the other members in your tutorial group, at the request of the tutor.

First exam: Monday, February 10, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Wolfgang Paul lecture hall.
Second exam: Thursday, March 27, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Wolfgang Paul lecture hall.

The lecture is aimed at first year Master students, as well as advanced Bachelor students who have already taken the class on introductory quantum mechanics. Bonner Studierenden, die sich für Theorie interessieren, wird empfohlen, die AQT bereits im 5. Semester zu hören, sodass im 6. Semester die QFT1 belegt werden kann; dies erleichtert den Zugang zum Material der einführenden Theorie-Vorlesungen im Master Studium.

Outline:
1) Review of Quantum Mechanics
2) Transformations and Symmetries
3) Path integrals
4) Time dependent perturbation theory
5) Scattering theory
6) Second quantisation
7) Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

Literature:
Shankar, Principles of Quantum Mechanics , is a modern, single volume treatment, starting from the basics, with emphasis on the path integral formulation.
Schwabl, Advanced Quantum Mechanics, (auch auf Deutsch erhältlich) treats many-body systems and relativistic wave equations, but does not use the path integral. Time dependent perturbation theory and scattering theory are treated in the book Quantum Mechanics by the same author.
Volumes 3 and 4 of the series by Landau and Lifshitz give a very comprehensive treatment of the material, at a quite advanced level (but not using path integrals).
Schiff, Quantum Mechanics , is another, somewhat older, comprehensive treatment of the field, which however does not treat path integrals.
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics is also treated in the introductory chapters of many text books on quantum field theory.

SS 24:

Advanced Theoretical Particle Physics

Time and Place : Monday, 12:15 to 14:00,
                  Thursday, 10:15 to 11:00; both times in HS 1, PI (i.e., in the big lecture room).

First Lecture: April 11, 2024.

Last Lecture: July 18, 2024.

Tutorials: Time and place : Thursday, 16:15 to 17:45, AVZ Ü4 (Rm 0.020)
First session : The second week of classes.
Tutors: Chenhuan Wang (Phone 3718, room W2.021, email s6cnwang "at" uni-bonn.de) and Wenbin Zhao (Phone 3718, room W2.021, email wenbin.zhao "at" uni-bonn.de).

The homework problems can be downloaded here.
Figures shown in class can be found here.
The identities with two-component spinors etc can be found here .

The lecture is aimed at students interested in experimental and/or theoretical particle physics. Prior knowledge of relativistic quantum mechanics, and the Standard Model of particle physics (as covered, e.g., in the Theoretical Particle Physics 1 class) will be assumed. I will occasionally use results from Quantum Field Theory, but one should be able to follow this class without having taken lectures in Quantum Field Theory first. (Of course, everybody interested in particle theory should take the QFT classes, too!)

Only students who solve at least 50% of the homework problems of this class will be allowed to participate in the final exam!
At the beginning of each tutorial, the tutor will pass around a table with the homework problems of the week. Please mark the problems you have solved. Using this list, the tutor will call somebody to the blackboard, to show the solution.
If for some reason you cannot come to the tutorial, you can also send the solution directly to the tutor; please send a properly scanned PDF document, not just a (JPEG or similar) photo.

First Exam: Monday, July 29, 10:00 to 12:00, in the HISKP lecture hall.
Second Exam: Friday, September 27, 10:00 to 12:00, in the HISKP lecture hall.

The lecture covers extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics. More specifically, the following topics will be covered:
1) Neutrino oscillations and neutrino masses
2) Grand Unification of the gauge interactions
3) "Bottom-up" extensions of the SM
4) The hierarchy problem and possible solutions

Literature:
G. Ross, Grand Unified Theories, discusses both supersymmetric and non-supersymmetric GUTs.
Drees, Godbole and Roy, Theory and Phenomenology of Sparticles, gives an in-depth treatment of supersymmetry, with emphasis on phenomenological aspects.
Baer, Tata, Weak scale supersymmetry: From superfields to scattering events, is similar in scope to the previous book, but uses a different notation.
S. Martin, A Supersymmetry Primer (on the arXiv), offers a down-to-earth introduction to supersymmetry.
Peskin and Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, treats the underlying formalism, but also contains many particle physics applications.

---

Weekly Theoretical High Energy Physics seminar

---

Master and Doctoral Theses

Please contact me directly regarding possible topics.
I expect a Master thesis to contain new, previously unknown, scientific results. So far nearly all Bonn Diploma and Master theses in my group have led to journal publications. While I am (nearly) always available for questions and discussions, I generally encourage students to work as independently as possible. This means that I do not require regular progress reports; I expect students who have some questions to come to me on their own initiative.
Also, students who have their own idea about a topic for a Master thesis are very welcome, if it falls in my area of expertise.

If you are interested, please contact me directly for further information. I also encourage you to talk to some of the other members of my group before committing yourself.

---

Group Homepage