Teaching

Physics 253a,b / 254

Quantum Field Theory

Harvard's QFT course has a long history, taught by Sidney Coleman for nearly three decades. My approach differs by emphasizing connections to experiment and modern methods such as effective field theories and the renormalization group. Detailed lecture notes are available and have been incorporated into my textbook, Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model (Cambridge University Press).

Course website & lecture notes →
Physics 181

Statistical Mechanics

Undergraduate course for physics concentrators (Spring 2025).

Complete lecture notes (PDF) →
  1. Probability
  2. Diffusion
  3. Equilibrium
  4. Temperature
  5. Thermodynamics
  6. Entropy
  7. Ensembles
  8. Free Energy
  9. Phase Transitions
  10. Quantum Stat Mech
  11. Phonons and Photons
  12. Bose-Einstein Condensation
  13. Metals
  14. Semiconductors
  15. Stars
Physics 15c

Waves

Sophomore-level course covering oscillators, waves, and real-world applications in color physics, music, and communication (Spring 2016).

Complete lecture notes (PDF) →
  1. Oscillators and linearity
  2. Driven oscillators
  3. Coupled oscillators
  4. From oscillators to waves
  5. Fourier series
  6. Waves
  7. Music
  8. Fourier transforms
  9. Reflection, Transmission and Impedance
  10. Power
  11. Wavepackets
  12. Waves chapter from Muller's book
  13. Light
  14. Polarization
  15. Refraction
  16. Prisms
  17. Color
  18. Antennas
  19. Diffraction
  20. Quantum mechanics
  21. The Doppler effect

Textbook

Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model
Cambridge University Press, 2014
More info →