Lattice Quantum Field Theory: Principles and Applications

Course description

The course is held in the first half of the spring semester 2016. It takes place on Tuesdays, starting on February 23 (until April 26; there are no lectures on March 22 & 29), from 14-16 in room 119.

The numerical simulations on a space-time lattice are a well-established method for the investigation of strongly coupled quantum field theories. Especially our knowledge about Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) relies to a large extend on this numerical approach. It is extremely important to relate the bound state spectrum and important mechanisms like confinement to the fundamental theory. This course offers a brief review about the methods of numerical lattice simulations. I will start with a summary of the foundations based on the path integral formulation and statistical physics. Then the techniques for the representation of a quantum field theory with scalar, gauge, and fermion fields on the lattice will be reviewed. In the end of the course I will focus on the applications in QCD and Yang-Mills theories concerning the bound state spectrum and thermodynamics. The general aim of the course is to provide an overview about the prospects and challenges of the method for non-experts in the field.

Lecturer

Dr. Georg Bergner