This is an advanced third year physics course. It develops theoretical aspects of physics and students will require a strong mathematical background to undertake this course. The General Relativity and Quantum Fields Theory build on the content of PHYS3001. Half of the course develops General Relativity. This is the accepted theory of gravity and is one of the major triumphs of theoretical physics. The full geometric structure underpinning the theory will be developed, leading to the Einstein Field equation and an in depth study of the Schwarzschild black hole. The other half of the course will examine relativistic quantum field theory, which is arguably the most far-reaching attempt to combine special relativity and quantum physics in a unique framework. We explain in this part of the course the origin of particles (why are all electrons identical?), forces (why same charge repel while gravitation is attractive?) and antiparticles. The Feynman path integral formalism is used, leading to Klein-Gordon, Maxwell and Dirac equations. Feynman diagrams to describe interacting fields are also introduced.
This course is an honours pathway course and is primarily designed for students intending to do Honours in Physics, Theoretical Physics, Mathematical Physics or Mathematics.
Indicative Assessment
Examination 50%, assignments 50%.
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Workload
Three lectures and one tutorial per week.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Majors
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $3444 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $4590 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7409 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |
