Courses

2023

Winter 2023 Courses

Course Number: McMaster
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Friday, March 3, 2023 to Friday, April 14, 2023

Usual Meeting Time: Fridays from 10-11am and 2-4pm

The course is an introduction to quantum field theory in curved spacetime. Upon building up the general formalism, the latter is applied to several topics in the modern theory of gravity and cosmology where the quantum properties of fundamental fields play an essential role.

Topics to be covered:
1) Radiation of particles by moving mirrors 
2) Hawking radiation of black holes  
3) Production of primordial density perturbations and gravity waves during inflation
4) Statistical properties of the primordial spectra  

Required prior knowledge:
Foundations of quantum mechanics and general relativity

Instructor:
McMaster University
Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 to Thursday, March 2, 2023

Usual Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-Noon

This mini-course of four lectures is an introduction, review, and critique of two approaches to deriving the Einstein equation from hypotheses about horizon entropy. 

It will be based on two papers: 

We may also discuss ideas in "Gravitation and vacuum entanglement entropy" arxiv.org/abs/1204.6349

Zoom Link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/96212372067?pwd=dWVaUFFFc3c5NTlVTDFHOGhCV2pXdz09 

 

Instructor:
University of Maryland, College Park
Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Thursday, March 9, 2023 to Thursday, March 16, 2023

Usual Meeting Time: Tues/Thurs - 10am-Noon

In this mini course, I shall introduce the basic concepts in 2D topological orders by studying simple models of topological orders and then introduce topological quantum computing based on Fibonacci anyons. Here is the (not perfectly ordered) syllabus.                   

  • Overview of topological phases of matter
  • Z2 toric code model: the simplest model of 2D topological orders
  • Quick generalization to the quantum double model
  • Anyons, topological entanglement entropy, S and T matrices
  • Fusion and braiding of anyons: quantum dimensions, pentagon and hexagon identities
  • Fibonacci anyons
  • Topological quantum computing
Instructor:
Fudan University

Spring 2023 Courses

Course Number: PHYS777
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Monday, March 6, 2023 to Friday, April 14, 2023

Usual Meeting Time: Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10am-11:30am

Can the effectiveness of a medical treatment be determined without the expense of a randomized controlled trial? Can the impact of a new policy be disentangled from other factors that happen to vary at the same time? Questions such as these are the purview of the field of causal inference, a general-purpose science of cause and effect, applicable in domains ranging from epidemiology to economics. Researchers in this field seek in particular to find techniques for extracting causal conclusions from statistical data. Meanwhile, one of the most significant results in the foundations of quantum theory—Bell’s theorem—can also be understood as an attempt to disentangle correlation and causation. Recently, it has been recognized that Bell’s result is an early foray into the field of causal inference and that the insights derived from almost 60 years of research on his theorem can supplement and improve upon state-of-the-art causal inference techniques. In the other direction, the conceptual framework developed by causal inference researchers provides a fruitful new perspective on what could possibly count as a satisfactory causal explanation of the quantum correlations observed in Bell experiments. Efforts to elaborate upon these connections have led to an exciting flow of techniques and insights across the disciplinary divide. This course will explore what is happening at the intersection of these two fields. zoom link: https://pitp.zoom.us/j/94143784665?pwd=VFJpajVIMEtvYmRabFYzYnNRSVAvZz09

Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
2022

Fall 2022 Courses

Course Number: PHYS 777-002
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 to Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Usual Meeting Time: Tuesdays from 10am-Noon and 230pm-430pm.

This course uses quantum electrodynamics (QED) as a vehicle for covering several more advanced topics within quantum field theory, and so is aimed at graduate students that already have had an introductory course on quantum field theory. Among the topics hoped to be covered are: gauge invariance for massless spin-1 particles from special relativity and quantum mechanics; Ward identities; photon scattering and loops; UV and IR divergences and why they are handled differently; effective theories and the renormalization group; anomalies.

Instructor:
McMaster University

Winter 2022 Courses

Course Number:
Type: Grad Course
Duration: Monday, January 3, 2022
Usual Meeting Time: Mondays and Thursdays from 4:00 pm - 5:20 pm
Instructor:
University of Waterloo
2020

Fall 2020 Courses

Course Number: PHYS 7900
Type: Grad Course
Duration:
Thursday, September 10, 2020 to Thursday, December 3, 2020

Usual Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 - 5:00 pm

This course provides a graduate-level introduction to computational fluid dynamics, covering the theoretical concepts and numerical methods that form the foundation of much of modern theoretical astrophysics and cosmology.  Beyond applications in astrophysics and cosmology the concepts introduced here are of relevance in many other fields of physics and engineering.  Assignments will include both analytical problems and hands-on programming problems.  The latter will be python-based and are designed to provide a deeper understanding of the numerical concepts through practical implementation.  A brief introduction to python and jupyter notebooks will be given.

Instructor:
University of Greifswald

Spring 2020 Courses

Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Monday, May 25, 2020 to Friday, June 5, 2020

This course has two main goals: (1) to introduce some key models from condensed matter physics;  and (2) to introduce some numerical approaches to studying these (and other) models.  As a  precursor to these objectives, we will carefully understand many-body states and operators from  the perspective of condensed matter theory.  (However, I will cover only spin models.  We will not  discuss or use second quantization.)

Once this background is established, we will study the method of exact diagonalization and write  simple python programs to find ground states, correlation functions, energy gaps, and other  properties of the transverse-field Ising model.  We will also discuss the computational limitations  of exact diagonalization.  Finally, I will introduce the concept of matrix product states, and we will  see that these can be used to study ground state properties for much larger systems than can be  studied with exact diagonalization.

Each 90-minute session will include substantial programming exercises in addition to lecture.  Prior programming experience is not expected or required, but I would like everyone to have  python (version 3) installed on their computer prior to the first class, including Jupyter notebooks;  see “Resources” below.

Instructor:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Monday, May 25, 2020 to Friday, June 5, 2020

The goal of this course is to introduce the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics and a  few of its applications. We will begin by motivating the path integral formulation and explaining its  connections to other formulations of quantum mechanics and its relation to classical mechanics.  We will then explore some applications of path integrals. Each 90-minute session will include roughly equal amounts of lecture time and activities. The  activities are designed to enhance your learning experience and allow you to assess your own level  of understanding.

Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Monday, May 25, 2020 to Thursday, June 4, 2020

The aim of this course is to understand the thermodynamics of quantum systems and in the  process to learn some fundamental tools in Quantum Information. We will focus on the topics of  foundations of quantum statistical mechanics, resource theories, entanglement, fluctuation  theorems, and quantum machines. 

Instructor:
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Monday, May 25, 2020 to Monday, June 15, 2020

The aim of this course is to  explore some of the many ways in which symmetries play a role in  physics. We’ll start with an overview of the concept of symmetries and their description in the  language of  group theory. We will then discuss continuous symmetries and infinitesimal  symmetries, their fundamental role in Noether’s theorem, and their formalisation in terms of Lie  groups and Lie algebras. In the last part of the course we will focus on symmetries in quantum  theory and introduce representations of (Lie) groups and Lie algebras.

Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Winter 2020 Courses

Course Number: AMATH872/PHYS785
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Tuesday, January 7, 2020 to Thursday, April 9, 2020
Instructor:
University of Waterloo
2019

Fall 2019 Courses

Course Number:
Type: Grad Course
Duration:
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 to Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Usual Meeting Time: 10:00-12:00
Instructor:
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dalhousie University
Course Number: AMATH875/PHYS786
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Friday, September 6, 2019 to Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Instructor:
University of Waterloo

Spring 2019 Courses

Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Friday, February 8, 2019 to Friday, May 10, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
2018

Fall 2018 Courses

Course Number:
Type: Grad Course
Duration:
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 to Friday, November 30, 2018

Usual Meeting Time: Every Wednesday from 10:30am to 12:00pm
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 776
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Wednesday, September 12, 2018 to Friday, November 30, 2018
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Winter 2018 Courses

Course Number: AMATH872/PHYS785
Type: Grad Course
Duration:
Friday, January 5, 2018 to Friday, April 6, 2018
Instructor:
University of Waterloo
Course Number:
Type: Credit Course
Duration:
Wednesday, January 3, 2018 to Thursday, March 29, 2018
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
2017

Fall 2017 Courses

Course Number:
Type: Mini Course
Duration:
Monday, October 16, 2017 to Monday, November 20, 2017
Invited Speaker:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

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2018/2019

Type: PSI Course

Course Number: PHYS 602
Duration:
Monday, November 16, 2020 to Friday, December 18, 2020
Course Number: PHYS 603
Duration:
Monday, November 16, 2020 to Friday, December 18, 2020
Course Number:
Duration:
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 to Thursday, April 9, 2020
Instructor:
York University

Type: Elective Course

Course Number:
Duration:
Monday, January 13, 2020 to Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number:
Duration:
Monday, January 6, 2020 to Friday, March 6, 2020
Instructor:
BRAC University
Course Number:
Duration:
Monday, January 6, 2020 to Friday, January 24, 2020
Instructor:
King's College London
Course Number:
Duration:
Monday, January 6, 2020 to Friday, January 24, 2020
Instructor:
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Course Number: PHYS 647
Duration:
Monday, April 15, 2019 to Friday, May 3, 2019
Instructor:
BRAC University
Course Number: PHYS 649
Duration:
Monday, April 15, 2019 to Friday, May 3, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 641
Duration:
Monday, April 15, 2019 to Friday, May 3, 2019
Instructor:
Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC)
Course Number: PHYS 623
Duration:
Monday, March 25, 2019 to Friday, April 12, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS
Duration:
Monday, March 25, 2019 to Friday, April 12, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 777
Duration:
Monday, March 25, 2019 to Friday, April 12, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 650
Duration:
Monday, March 4, 2019 to Friday, March 22, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 635
Duration:
Monday, March 4, 2019 to Friday, March 22, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 777
Duration:
Monday, March 4, 2019 to Friday, March 22, 2019
Instructor:
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 777
Duration:
Monday, January 28, 2019 to Friday, March 22, 2019
Instructor:
BRAC University
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Course Number: PHYS 636
Duration:
Monday, January 28, 2019 to Friday, February 15, 2019
Instructor:
King's College London
Course Number: PHYS 622
Duration:
Monday, January 28, 2019 to Friday, February 15, 2019
Instructor:
York University
Course Number: PHYS 637
Duration:
Monday, January 7, 2019 to Friday, January 25, 2019
Instructor:
Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

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