What we’re about
This is a group for anyone who has ever rigorously studied physics – or has wanted to. Here's why you'd want to join us:
- If you feel like physics is the most interesting and most difficult subject that there is;
- If you're burning with a desire to deeply understand the universe at its smallest and largest scales;
- And if you thrive in an environment of learning through collaboration with people like yourself...
... then you've found the right place!
Join us to participate in lively discussions and learn core material in serious study groups. We offer multiple tracks of study, regularly host special events and talks, and are constantly tweaking the meetup to make it more useful. We also stay in touch between meetings to motivate and help each other continue learning.
Everyone is welcome from every level of experience! Many of us are (re)discovering physics after college (sometimes long after) and it can be easy to feel rusty or underqualified. Don't fall into that false narrative! If you think some of the material in this meetup is too advanced, we want you to join us so that we can help you learn!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Particle Physics Advanced Study GroupLink visible for attendees
(April 3rd suggested homework is listed below.)
Come join us to study particle physics! We meet for two hours every other week to work through the recently released Phenomenology of Particle Physics by André Rubbia. This book devotes equal attention to both theory AND experiment. We'll learn about the modern mathematical and physical frameworks that are used to make predictions about and analyze the results of real physical experiments, including:
- quantum mechanics
- special relativity
- Lagrangian mechanics
- quantum field theory
- QED, QCD, and gauge field theory
- the Standard Model
- math methods in multivariable calculus, group theory, Hilbert spaces, and more
All of this learning will happen within the context of past and present experiments, so we will also be diving into applied topics that include:
- particle accelerators and detectors
- radioactive decay
- deep inelastic scattering
- hadron-hadron collisions
- solar neutrino oscillations
- cosmic rays
- computational physics
This book includes a healthy dose of Python and Mathematica computer code interspersed throughout the text, so anyone interested in computational physics can jump directly into doing analysis and simulation.
Prerequisites: So long as you have taken college calculus and physics at some point in your life, you should be fine. We run several other active study groups that dive further into the topics mentioned here, including quantum field theory, relativity, math methods, and electrodynamics – please join us in some or all of these other meetups! In addition, we will share with you a number of other useful resources that the group offers to help you through any topics you’re struggling with.
BEFORE COMING to the meeting: Please have a copy of the book available to you in some form. If you aren't ready to buy a physical or digital book, you can download a free sample through Amazon/Kindle and see if you like it.
We maintain a live chat server for staying in touch between meetups. Ask us for a link.
This event joins our other existing collaborative study tracks. Please note that this particular meetup series is a highly mathematical meetup for everyone who is serious about learning advanced physics topics at a graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It is not a general discussion group for popular physics topics or sci-fi tangents. For casual physics chat, please attend our regular Discuss Physics & Make Friends event, held every third Wednesday of the month.
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April 3rd suggested homework:- Finish reading chapter 6 (sections 7 and 8)
- Solve problem 6.1
- Start reading chapter 7
- If you're NEW HERE, just read Chapter 1 and come to the meetup
- Quantum Information TheoryLink visible for attendees
Quantum Information Theory is the study of how information is represented, transmitted, and processed in systems governed by the principles of quantum mechanics. It extends classical information theory to account for quantum phenomena such as superposition, entanglement, and non-locality, enabling tasks like quantum computation, quantum communication, and quantum cryptography. It involves calculating and proving bounds and limits on what is possible and is used as a guide in developing practical schemes.
TIMES:
Weekly on Thursdays from 5-6:30 pm US West Coast Pacific time. May switch to semi-biweekly later in the talks as we get into heavier technical material. Begins Thursday, March 20, 2025.GOAL:
To be able to read and understand textbooks at the level of Watrous and Wilde (below). After the course, the material in Preskill's chapter 10, Quantum Shannon Theory, would be understandable. https://www.preskill.caltech.edu/ph219/chap10_6A_2022.pdfSYLLABUS:
The material will be covered in three parts. We will focus more on solving problems and exercises as we get into the heavier technical material.1. Introduction to information theory. (4-6 weeks)
2. Introduction to quantum information theory. (~16 weeks)
3. Advanced quantum information theory. (~30 weeks)TEXTS:
Introduction to information theory:- T. M. Cover and J. A. Thomas, Elements of information theory, 2nd ed. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Interscience, 2006.
Introduction to quantum information theory:
- M. A. Nielsen and I. L. Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information: 10th Anniversary Edition, Anniversary edition. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Advanced quantum information theory:
- S. Khatri, L. Lami, and M. M. Wilde, Principles of Quantum Communication Theory: A Modern Approach. Latest version: https://markwilde.com/PQCT-khatri-lami-wilde.pdf
- J. Watrous, The Theory of Quantum Information, 1st ed. Cambridge University Press, 2018. doi: 10.1017/9781316848142.
- M. M. Wilde, Quantum Information Theory, 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
SURVEY:
Please complete the following short survey. It gives me an idea of the background of people interested in participating. https://forms.gle/GJk6KCc9dyyhmUeq5 - Classical Field TheoryLink visible for attendees
(If you’ve been to CFT before: See below for April 4th homework.)
Underlying the most sophisticated and successful theories in physics today is the framework of classical field theory, which explores how forces and interactions are mediated through fields – like the electromagnetic and gravitational fields – and describes their dynamics using differential equations, Lagrangians, potentials, symmetry, and conservation laws.
These classical concepts directly evolve into quantum field theory and general relativity, both of which we are studying in other sessions, but now we are forming a group dedicated to studying the math and principles of classical field theory. This is a new, weekly group study session.
- We're primarily following a modern text, Classical Field Theory, by Horaƫiu Năstase
- Supplementary material is in Arnold's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics.
What to expect – Here is our current format:
- Before each meeting, we will assign ourselves a reading and a set of exercises that everyone is invited to try for next time. (All of this is optional and there is never anything expected or required – this is a self-study group!)
- During the meeting, one or more volunteers will teach the lessons from the assigned readings, and others will present their solutions to (or attempts at!) the exercises.
- Between meetings, we will collaborate through our chat server and/or small study sessions during "office hours". New members should especially take advantage of these to get up to speed. Ask us for details and links to these fantastic resources!
Prerequisites: So long as you have taken at least some amount of college calculus and physics at some point in your life, you should be fine.
We maintain a live chat server for staying in touch between meetups. Ask us for a link.This event joins our other existing collaborative study tracks. Please note that this particular meetup series is a highly mathematical meetup for everyone who is serious about learning field theory at a graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It is not a general discussion group for popular physics topics or sci-fi tangents. For casual physics chat, please attend our regular Discuss Physics and Make Friends event, held every third Wednesday of the month.
Having technical trouble joining the meeting? You need to use the Zoom app and log in with a (free to create) personal Zoom account before you can join our meeting. You might not be able to join directly from a web browser if you can’t log in.
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Homework for April 4th meeting:- Finish reading chapter 4
- Solve chapter 4 problems, particularly 4.1
- If you’re joining us for the first time, simply download a Kindle preview of the book and read chapter 1.
- Advanced Quantum Theory for MathematiciansLink visible for attendees
(Please see below for this week’s homework.)
This is an advanced weekly study group for students who have had at least one semester of quantum mechanics at an undergraduate level or higher.
Unlike many of our other meetups, this is a mathematically rigorous study track which is not completely open to everyone. Please make sure you’re comfortable with linear algebra, multivariable calculus, real & complex analysis, and other concepts taught in upper division undergraduate courses. If you've never solved the Schrödinger equation, please instead come to our other quantum mechanics meetup ("Re-Learn Quantum Mechanics"), which is held just one hour after this one.
We're working through Brian Hall's book, Quantum Theory for Mathematicians, at a pace of about one chapter per week.
What to expect – Here is our current format:
- Before each meeting, we will assign ourselves a reading and a set of exercises that everyone is invited to try for next time. (All of this is optional and there is never anything expected or required – this is a self-study group!)
- During the meeting, one or more volunteers will teach the material in their own words, and others will present their solutions to (or attempts at!) the exercises.
- Between meetings, we will collaborate through our chat server and/or small study sessions during "office hours". New members should especially take advantage of these to get up to speed. Ask us for details and links to these fantastic resources!
We maintain a live chat server for staying in touch between meetups. Ask us for a link.
This event joins our other existing collaborative study tracks. Please note that this particular meetup series is a highly mathematical meetup for everyone who is serious about learning the material. It is not a general discussion group for popular physics topics or sci-fi tangents. For casual physics chat, please attend our regular Discuss Physics and Make Friends event, held every third Wednesday of the month.
Having technical trouble joining the meeting? You need to use the Zoom app and log in with a (free to create) personal Zoom account before you can join our meeting. You might not be able to join directly from a web browser if you can’t log in.
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*** Suggested assignment for next week ***
- Check back here 24 hours after the end of the last meeting to see next week’s assignment.
- If you’re joining us for the first time, simply read Chapter 1 and come join us!
