This course is about the applications of groups and Lie algebras to physics. I will assume some knowledge of linear algebra (e.g., hermitean and unitary matrices) but more important is the ability to grasp new ideas quickly. It will be accessible to advanced undergraduates as well as graduate students.
There will be no required textbook. I will post my notes below.
Jan 13 Lecture 1 | Jan 20 Lecture 2 | Jan 27 Lecture 3 & Problem Set 1 | Feb 3 Lecture 4 & Problem Set 1 Due |
Feb 10 Lecture 5 & Problem Set 2 & Solutions to Set 1 | Feb 17 Lecture 6 & Problem Set 2 Due | Feb 24 Lecture 7 & Problem Set 3 & Solutions to Set 2 | Mar 3 Lecture 8 |
Mar 10 Spring Break |
Lecture 9 & Problem Set 4 & Solutions to Set 3 | Mar 24 Lecture 10 | Mar 31 Lecture 11 |
Apr 7 Lecture 12 | Apr 14 Lecture 13 & Problem Set 5 | Last Class Apr 21 Lecture 14 | . |
The course will be graded Pass/Fail.
You should expect assignments of three problems roughly every couple of weeks.
I am teaching also a parallel course on Particle Physics, where the classification of elementary particles using groups such as SU(3), SU(2)xU(1) will be discussed.
Jan 6, 2010.