Effective field theories in particle physics

Adam Falkowski (LPT Orsay)

2017-04-21 10:00, Salle Itzykson, IPhT
2017-04-28 10:00, Salle Itzykson, IPhT
2017-05-05 10:00, Salle Itzykson, IPhT
2017-05-12 10:00, Salle Itzykson, IPhT
Blurb: 

The methods and ideas of Effective Field Theory (EFT) are among the most powerful and deep organising principles in physics, and particularly so in Quantum Field Theory and its ramifications and applications into particle physics, condensed matter physics, and statistical mechanics. 

Adam Falkowski is a renowned physicist whose work is permeated by those methods applied mostly to particle physics at colliders. He will deliver a series of four lectures covering the basics EFT techniques and some of their applications. 

Abstract: 

Effective field theories (EFTs) are widely used in particle physics and beyond. The basic idea is to approximate a physical system by integrating out the degrees of freedom that are not relevant in a given experimental setting. These are traded for a set of effective interactions between the remaining degrees of freedom.

In these lectures we will review the concept, techniques, and applications of the EFT framework.

  • Overview of the EFT landscape: Prominent examples including Fermi theory, the Heisenberg–Euler Lagrangian, and the chiral perturbation theory.

  • Integrating out heavy particles: Quantitative discussion of the procedure in a quantum field theory. Explicit example of the tree- and one-loop level matching between an EFT and its UV completion.

  • Beyond the Standard Model: Introduction of the Standard Model EFT by extending the Standard Model Lagrangian with non-renormalizable interactions representing the effects of new heavy particles.

  • Functional integration methods and EFTs for classical systems.

Series: 
IPhT Courses
Short course title: 
Effective field theories
Arxiv classes: 
Notes: 

A Mathematica notebook, and slides for the first lecture, are also available.