Mini-Course: An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime

In this mini-course we will give an introduction to quantum field theory in curved spacetime, one of the dominant research areas in modern algebraic quantum field theory. It is aimed at postgraduate students unfamiliar with the topic, although some preliminary knowledge of elementary differential geometry (notions of manifold, (co)tangent bundle, covariant derivative), as well as some familiarity with quantum mechanics and standard quantum field theory would be helpful.

The course will cover some of the underlying concepts of the algebraic approach to quantum field theory in curved spacetime and discuss several physically relevant examples. The focus will be on the linear (i.e., non-interacting) scalar field, favouring depth over breadth.

This mini-course is funded by the London Mathematical Society, as part of the activities of the AQFTUK research network. The lecturers are Daniel Siemssen, University of York, and Matteo Capoferri, Cardiff University.

We have now closed the registration form. To sign up, please send an email to one of the organisers.

Preliminary schedule

The lectures will be held live via Zoom and recorded. After each lecture the recording will stop but the Zoom room will remain open, with an opportunity for informal discussions. The Zoom link and password will only be shared with registered participants. Lecture notes and further instructions will be made available in due course.

Monday, 12 October 2020, 3-5 PM (BST = GMT+1). Lecturer: Daniel Siemssen

  • Lorentzian geometry, causality and the Klein–Gordon equation
  • Algebraic quantum field theory and the quantised scalar field

Wednesday, 14 October 2020, 3-5 PM (BST = GMT+1). Lecturer: Daniel Siemssen

  • Aspects of QFT in curved spacetimes

Friday, 16 October 2020, 3-5 PM (BST = GMT+1). Lecturer: Matteo Capoferri

  • An introduction to Hadamard states

Contact

For further information, feel free to contact

London Mathematical Society