Master of Physics (MPhys)

MPhys Physics

Join a physics Department of international renown that offers great choice and flexibility, leading to master's qualification.

  • Duration: 4 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: F305 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Scholarships available
  • Accredited course

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Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £36,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.

For information about scholarships and bursaries please visit our undergraduate student finance pages and our Department funding pages .

Course unit details:
Quantum Field Theory (M)

Course unit fact file
Unit code PHYS40481
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 4
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Quantum Field Theory

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title Unit code Requirement type Description
Lagrangian Dynamics PHYS20401 Pre-Requisite Recommended
Electrodynamics (M) PHYS30441 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
Advanced Quantum Mechanics PHYS40202 Pre-Requisite Compulsory

Follow - Up Units

PHYS40682 - Gauge Theories

Aims

To understand the unifying framework of quantization of fundamental forces and particles in agreement with special relativity.

Learning outcomes

On completion successful students will be able to:
 
1. Explain the concept of canonical quantization for scalar, vector and fermion fields.
2. Explain the concept of global and local symmetries in Quantum Field Theory and their
    implications
3. Derive the Feynman rules from the Lagrangian formalism, use these to calculate S-matrix
    elements, and understand their physical significance.
4. Calculate the lifetime of unstable particles and cross sections of reactions that occur in the
    lowest order of perturbation theory.
5. Explain the concept of renormalization and apply this to field theories.

 

Syllabus

1. Preliminaries           (3 Lectures)
Classical Lagrangian Dynamics; Lagrangian Field Theory; Global and Local Symmetries; Noether's Theorem.

2. Canonical Quantization                        (4 lectures)
From Classical to Quantum Mechanics; Quantum Fields and Causality; Canonical Quantization of Scalar Field Theory; Complex Fields and Anti-Particles.

3. The S-Matrix in Quantum Field Theory                     (5  lectures)
Time Evolution of Quantum States and the S-Matrix; Feynman Propagator and Wick's Theorem; Transition Amplitudes and Feynman Rules; Particle Decays and Cross Sections; Unitarity and the Optical Theorem.

4. Quantum Electrodynamics        (6  lectures)
Dirac Spinors;  Quantization of the Fermion Field;  Gauge Symmetry;  Quantization of the Electromagnetic Field;  the Photon Propagator and Gauge Fixing;  Feynman Rules for Quantum Electrodynamics.

5. Renormalization                          (6 lectures)
Renormalizability; Dimensional Regularization, Renormalization of a Scalar Theory; Anomalous magnetic moment and the Lamb shift.

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 100%

Feedback methods

Feedback will be available on students’ individual written solutions to selected examples, which will be marked, and model answers will be issued.

Recommended reading

Cheng, T. P. and Li, L. F. Gauge Theory of Elementary Particle Physics, Oxford  University
Press, 1984.
Mandl, F. and Shaw, G. Quantum Field Theory, Wiley, 1992.
Peskin, M. E. and Schroeder, D. V. Quantum Field Theory, Perseus Books Group, 1995.
Pokorski, S. Gauge Field Theories, Cambridge University Press, 2000, Second Edition.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam 1.5
Lectures 24
Independent study hours
Independent study 74.5

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Apostolos Pilaftsis Unit coordinator

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