Blog

I’m so happy that The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) gives me one graduate school offer, so I can start my physics journey! Before attending UTokyo in September this year, I still need to learn more physics on my own. I can never learn too much physics! Here are my plans for first half year:

1. My first group theory study: Group Theory in a Nutshell for Physicists by Antony Zee. I started learning this book early this year, and spent lots of time during winter vacation (Spring festival). I finished studying Part I ~ Part VI in April, but I didn’t go much detail into Dynkin Diagrams. Plan to find time to finish the remaining chapters, maybe later this year.
2. The last undergraduate quantum mechanics course: 8.06x Applications of Quantum Mechanics by Barton Zwiebach. This MITx course is the last one of MIT’x quantum mechanics course series, the best online course among all MOOCs! It started in February and will end on July 6. So I continued my quantum mechanics study with Prof. Zwiebach, Jolyon, Jim, Mark, Gleeson, Walter, Nicholas and all others. Rich experience!
3. A Statistics course: 18.6501x Fundamentals of Statistics. This course is not as excellent as other MITx courses I took, and I felt a little boring. I didn’t even attend its final exam, but I passed the course with final grade 71%.
4. My second complex analysis course: Complex Analysis with Physical Applications by two Russian physicists: Prof. Yaroslav Rodionov and Prof. Konstantin Tikhonov. This is a tough course with 9 units, one unit a week. I didn’t survive dedicated problem in Week 7 but I have not given up yet. I think I can finish the last two weeks.
5. My first general relativity study: Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell by Antony Zee. I started study this book together with Zee’s group theory book. However, the study was interrupted for a while starting from mid May, because I needed to work on my term paper for 8.06x and treat Professor Ballarini’s family after they arrived in Shanghai on May 20. And now I’m working on my master’s thesis and still haven’t pick it up. I should finish my first draft of my thesis as soon as possible!
6. A string course for undergraduates: A First Course in String Theory by Barton Zwiebach. This is an excellent course and there are video lectures by Prof. Zwiebach on PSI’s website or YouTube. I started to study this book in April but the study was interrupted in mid May for the same reason stated above. I haven’t restarted it yet.
7. My first quantum field theory course: Quantum Field Theory by Mark Srednicki. I started to learn it in April but the study was interrupted and I still haven’t pick it up.