Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Preliminary notions
- 2 Nucleons, leptons and bosons
- 3 Symmetries
- 4 Hadrons
- 5 Quantum electrodynamics
- 6 Chromodynamics
- 7 Weak interactions
- 8 The neutral K and B mesons and CP violation
- 9 The Standard Model
- 10 Beyond the Standard Model
- Appendix 1 Greek alphabet
- Appendix 2 Fundamental constants
- Appendix 3 Properties of elementary particles
- Appendix 4 Clebsch–Gordan coefficients
- Appendix 5 Spherical harmonics and d-functions
- Appendix 6 Experimental and theoretical discoveries in particle physics
- Solutions
- References
- Index
Preface
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Preliminary notions
- 2 Nucleons, leptons and bosons
- 3 Symmetries
- 4 Hadrons
- 5 Quantum electrodynamics
- 6 Chromodynamics
- 7 Weak interactions
- 8 The neutral K and B mesons and CP violation
- 9 The Standard Model
- 10 Beyond the Standard Model
- Appendix 1 Greek alphabet
- Appendix 2 Fundamental constants
- Appendix 3 Properties of elementary particles
- Appendix 4 Clebsch–Gordan coefficients
- Appendix 5 Spherical harmonics and d-functions
- Appendix 6 Experimental and theoretical discoveries in particle physics
- Solutions
- References
- Index
Summary
This book is mainly intended to be a presentation of subnuclear physics, at an introductory level, for undergraduate physics students, not necessarily for those specialising in the field. The reader is assumed to have already taken, at an introductory level, nuclear physics, special relativity and quantum mechanics, including the Dirac equation. Knowledge of angular momentum, its composition rules and the underlying group theoretical concepts is also assumed at a working level. No prior knowledge of elementary particles or of quantum field theories is assumed.
The Standard Model is the theory of the fundamental constituents of matter and of the fundamental interactions (excluding gravitation). A deep understanding of the ‘gauge’ quantum field theories that are the theoretical building blocks of this model requires skills that the readers are not assumed to have. However, I believe it to be possible to convey the basic physics elements and their beauty even at an elementary level. ‘Elementary’ means that only knowledge of elementary concepts (in relativistic quantum mechanics) is assumed. However it does not mean a superficial discussion. In particular, I have tried not to cut corners and I have avoided hiding difficulties, whenever was the case. I have included only well-established elements with the exception of the final chapter, in which I survey the main challenges of the present experimental frontier.
The text is designed to contain the material that may be accommodated in a typical undergraduate course. This condition forces the author to hard, and sometimes difficult, choices.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Introduction to Elementary Particle Physics , pp. ix - xiiPublisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008