Fall 2022

Classes

Math:

Math 214 Differential Topology (Ian Agol):

Information: Posted on BCourses

Assignment: BCourses, Due Thursday 5pm

Exam: None

Book(s): Lee, Smooth Manifolds

Math 215A Algebraic Topology (David Nadler):

Information: Posted on Nadler's Website

Assignment: Gradescope, Due Monday 11:59pm

Exam: 1 take-home midterm, 1 final project

Grading: homework (20%), the midterm (30%), and the final project (50%)

Book(s): Hatcher, Algebraic Topology

Assignments in Details:

Due Monday 8/29: Ch. 0, Ex. 3, 6, 10, 14, 16, 18.
Due Monday 9/5: Ch. 0, Ex. 19, 23; Ch. 1.1, Ex. 2, 3, 5, 6.
Due Monday 9/12: Ch. 1.1, Ex. 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14.
Due Monday 9/19: Ch. 1.1, Ex. 16, 18; Ch 1.2, Ex. 3, 4, 10, 14.
Due Monday 9/26: Ch 1.2, Ex. 16, 21, 22; Ch 1.3, Ex. 4, 5, 7.
Due Monday 10/3: Ch 1.3, Ex. 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18.
Due Monday 10/10: Ch 1.3, Ex. 23, 32; Ch 1.B, Ex. 2; Ch 2.1, Ex. 2, 5, 9.
Due Monday 10/17: Ch 2.1, Ex. 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29.
Due Monday 10/24: Ch 2.2, Ex. 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 11.
Due Monday 10/31: Ch 2.2, Ex. 16, 17, 18, 21, 24, 29.
Due Monday 11/7: Ch 2.3, Ex. 1; Ch 2.B, Ex. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8.
Due Monday 11/14: Ch 2.B, Ex. 10; Ch 2.C, Ex. 4, 5.
Due Monday 11/21: Ch 3.1, Ex. 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 13.
Due Friday 12/2: Ch 3.2, Ex. 4, 8, 12; Ch 3.3, Ex. 6, 7, 8, 24, 26.

Related Website

Math 224A Mathematical Methods for the Physical Sciences (Fraydoun Rezakhanlou):

Information: Posted on Rezakhanlou's Website

Assignment: Email, Due Monday

Exam: 1 take-home exam

Book(s): None, but class notes

Math 250A Groups, Rings, and Fields (Richard Borcherds)

Information: Posted on BCourses

Assignment: Gradescope, Due Sunday 11pm

Syllabus:

List of topics and homework

Lecture Date Topic Reading Homework

1 Aug 25 Groups I.1-2 I 1, 2, 9, 10,

2, 3 Aug 30, Sept 1 Subgroups I.3-5 I 12, 13, 19, 20, 24, 26,

4, 5 Sep 6, 8 Sylow theorems, abelian groups I.6-10 I 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 41, 42,

6, 7 Sep 13, 15 Categories, Free groups I.11-12 I 50, 51, 52, 53

8 Sep 20 Rings II.1-3 II 1, 8, 11, 12

9 Sep 22 Midterm 1 I (groups)

10, 11 Sep 27, 29 Commutative algebra II.4-5, III.1-6 II 5, 9,13, 14 III 1, 3,

12, 13 Oct 4, 6 Representations of finite groups XVIII 1-5 XVIII 1, 2, 3

14, 15 Oct 11, 13 More representations XVIII 6-10 XVIII 6, 8, 12, 13

16, 17 Oct 18, 20 Polynomials, Noetherian rings. IV.1-6. IV 1, 3, 5, 7, 10,

18, 19 Oct 25, 27 Symmetric functions, Resultants, power seriesIV.7-9 IV 13, 18, 25, 26, 27

20 Nov 1 Algebraic extensions V.1-4 V 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 19

21 Nov 3 Midterm IIII, III, IV (rings)

22 Nov 8-10 Galois extensions V.5-6 VI.1-2 V 22, 23, 24 VI 1

23, 24 Nov 15, 17 Cyclic extensions VI.3-6 VI 7, 8, 13ab, 18, 19, 21

25 Nov 22 Norm and trace VI.7-12 VI 23, 30, 31, 32, 33

Nov 24 Thanksgiving (no lecture)

26, 27 Nov 29, Dec 1 Solvable and infinite extensions VI.13-15 VI 43, 44, 46

Dec 14 3:00-6:00 FinalV, VI (fields)

Math 277 Topics in Differential Geometry: Calibrated Geometry and Gauge Theory (Jason Lotay):

Information: Posted on Lotay's Website

Assignment: None

Exam: None

Book(s): None

Topics:

Introduction to calibrations
Complex and special Lagrangian submanifolds; the angle theorem
Calibrated submanifolds and exceptional holonomy
Constructing calibrated submanifolds and moduli problems
Introduction to gauge theory in higher dimensions
Gauge theory and exceptional holonomy
Constructing solutions to gauge theoretic equations and moduli problems
Links between calibrated geometry and gauge theory
Open problems

Math 198BC Berkeley Connect (Yifei Chen)

Information: Posted on BCourses

Assignment: None

Exam: None, or a Survey

Book(s): None

Physics:

Physics 5C Introductory Thermodynamics and Quantum Mechanics (Feng Wang):

Information: Posted on BCourses

Assignment: Gradescope, Due Friday 11:59 pm

Syllabus:

Instructor:

Prof. Feng Wang (fengwang76@berkeley.edu, office 361 Birge Hall)
Prof. Office hours: Tuesday 11 am -12 pm.

GSI:

Sami Kaya <samikaya@berkeley.edu>
Neel Modi <neel_modi@berkeley.edu>
Office hours and location:

Meetings:

Lectures Tu, Th 9:30-10:59 AM in Physics Building 2
Section 101: Tu 5:00 - 6:59 PM in Etcheverry 3119
Section 102: W 10:00 - 11:59 AM in Evans 3

Course Schedule and Materials

Recommended Textbook #1: "Concepts in Thermal Physics", Blundell and Blundell, Second Edition (Ebook from library: https://academic.oup.com/book/26407Links to an external site.)
Recommended Textbook #2: "Introduction to Quantum Physics", French and Taylor (Free ebook link: https://archive.org/details/mit-introduction-to-quantum-physics-by-french-and-taylorLinks to an external site.)

Other possible sources

David J. Griffiths, "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics"
Feynman Lectures are available free at this link (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Link to the course schedule: Course Schedule

Exam Dates (contact the professor immediately if you have conflicts)

Midterm Thursday, Oct 13 (9:30-11:00 am)
Final Exam: Tuesday, Dec. 13 (3 - 6 PM)

Homeworks

Problem sets will due most Fridays at 5 PM.
No late homework will be accepted.
Your lowest homework score will be dropped to account for unforeseen circumstances.
You are encouraged to learn and work in groups with classmates on the homework, but the solutions you turn in must be your own.

Grading

problem sets (30%)
midterm exam (25%)
final exam (45%)

Physics 137B Quantum Mechanics (Holger Mueller):

Information: Posted on BCourses

Assignment: Gradescope, Due Monday 5pm

Exam:

Midterm 1, Sept. 21, Wednesday, Class Time
Midterm 2, Oct. 19, Wednesday, Class Time

Book(s):

D. H. McIntyre, Quantum Mechanics, Pearson, 2021.
Schwabl, Quantum Mechanics and Advanced Quantum Mechanics.

Syllabus: 137B Fall22 Syllabus

Physics 151 Elective Physics: Special Topics: Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Petr Horava):

Information: Posted on Horava's Website

Assignment: Gradescope, Due Friday 5pm

Exam: 1 take-home midterm, 1 final

Book(s):

A. Zee, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell. 2nd edition (Princeton U.P., 2010).
J. Donoghue and L. Sorbo, A Prelude to Quantum Field Theory (Princeton U.P., 2022),
M.E. Peskin and D.V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (Perseus, 1995)

Topics:

Path integral re-formulation of Quantum Mechanics.
From quantum particles to quantum fields.
Quantization of free fields: Canonical and path-integral formulations. Bosonic and fermionic fields.
Interactions: Perturbation theory, the logistics of Feynman diagrams.
Importance of topological invariants in QFT.
Basics of the renormalization group ideas.
Renormalization process in perturbation theory.
Basics of quantization in theories with gauge invariance.

Physics 232A Quantum Field Theory (Yasunori Nomura):

Information: Posted on BCourses

Assignment: 6 HW Sets, Time Uncertain

Exam: None

Book(s):

M. E. Peskin and D. V. Schroeder, "An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory," (CRC Press); ISBN-13: 978-0367320560
S. Weinberg, "The Quantum Theory of Fields, Vol. 1," (Cambridge University Press); ISBN-13: 978-0521670531

Commitments and Activities for Fun

Research:

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

Finite Temperature String Theory (Non-equilibrium String Theory) - Petr Horava

Information:

Meeting Time:

Thursday, 12-2 pm at BCTP
Tuesday, 12-2 pm at BCTP

Directed Reading Program (DRP):

Math Directed Reading Program (Math DRP):

Topic: Mirror Symmetry

Mentor: Elliot Kienzle

Books:

Club Leadership:

Society of Physics Students (SPS), Seminar Co-Chair

Responsibility:

Organizing

Faculty-Student Lunch (FSL),
Undergraduate Seminar (UG Seminar), and
other seminars, panels, and lunch events

Meetings:

SPS Officer Meeting, Monday 6:30 - 7:30 pm
SPS General Meeting, Wednesday 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Club Just for Fun:

Cal Ballroom, Beginner Level

Berkeley Chinese Students and Scholars Association (BCSSA), Academic Department

Physics & Engineering Academic Group Running & Newsletter
Mentorship Family
BIG Conference
Academics-Related Articles for BCSSA WeChat Official Account
...

Mentorship:

Summer Science Program Connect (SSP Connect), Mentor

Responsibility:

Mentoring a senior and a junior high school students from SSP '22 Astrophysics weekly on

college applications, research opportunities, college life, self-studying materials, physics/math questions, etc.

Two Mentees

It is my second time being SSP Connect Mentor after I had been SSP Mentee in '20-'21.

Apart from mentorship, I also helped with panels for mentees.

Society of Physics Students (SPS) Mentorship Program, Mentor

Responsibility:

Mentorship Survey Form 1 by Michelle

Seven Mentees (with co-mentor Ninni)

Berkeley Undergraduate Mathementoring Program (BUMP), Mentor

Responsibility:

Two Mentees

Berkeley Chinese Students and Scholars Association (BCSSA) Mentorship, Organizer & Mentor

Responsibility:

Four Mentees in the name, but I think it is a mentorship family

which everyone's mentoring and helping each other.

Beaver Academy Summer Program Application, Mentor

Language Learning:

French

Spanish

American Sign Language (ASL)

Reading

Polchinski, "String Theory"

Di F

For Spring 2022 Enrollment