Gauge Theories in Particle Physics: A Practical Introduction, Volume 1 and 2 (4th Edition)

This purchase contains 2 volumes.

• Gauge Theories in Particle Physics: A Practical Introduction Volume 1: From Relativistic Quantum Mechanics to QED 4th edition
• Gauge Theories in Particle Physics: A Practical Introduction Volume 2: Non-Abelian Gauge Theories: QCD and The Electroweak Theory 4th Edition

Volume 1 of this revised and updated edition provides an accessible and practical introduction to the first gauge theory included in the Standard Model of particle physics: quantum electrodynamics (QED).

The book includes self-contained presentations of electromagnetism as a gauge theory as well as relativistic quantum mechanics. It provides a unique elementary introduction to quantum field theory, establishing the essentials of the formal and conceptual framework upon which the subsequent development of the three gauge theories is based. The textbook also describes tree-level calculations of physical processes in QED and introduces ideas of renormalization in the context of one-loop radiative corrections for QED.

Volume 2 of this revised and updated edition provides an accessible and practical introduction to the two non-Abelian quantum gauge field theories of the Standard Model of particle physics: quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and the Glashow-Salam-Weinberg (GSW) electroweak theory.

This volume covers much of the experimental progress made in the last ten years. A new chapter on CP violation and oscillation phenomena describes CP violation in B-meson decays as well as the main experiments that have led to our current knowledge of mass-squared differences and mixing angles in neutrino physics. Exploring a new era in particle physics, this edition discusses one of the most recent and exciting breakthroughs—the discovery of a boson with properties consistent with those of the Standard Model Higgs boson. It also updates many other topics, including jet algorithms, lattice QCD, effective Lagrangians, and three-generation quark mixing and the CKM matrix.

New to the 4th Edition (In Volume I and II)

• New section on jet algorithms
• Update of asymptotic freedom
• discrete symmetries in quantum field theory
• Recent lattice QCD calculations with dynamical fermions
• Discussion of the historic discovery of a Higgs-like boson
• Updates on nucleon structure functions and the status of QED
• New section on three-generation quark mixing and the CKM matrix
• Improved discussion of 2-jet cross-section in electron-positron annihilation
• New chapter on CP violation and oscillations in mesonic and neutrino systems
• New chapter on Lorentz transformations and discrete symmetries in relativistic quantum mechanics, with physical applications
• Introduction of Majorana fermions at an early stage, making the material suitable for the first course in relativistic quantum mechanics
• New section on effective Lagrangians for spontaneously broken chiral symmetry, including the three-flavor extension, meson mass relations, and chiral perturbation theory

The authors discuss the main conceptual points of the theory, detail many practical calculations of physical quantities from first principles, and compare these quantitative predictions with experimental results, helping readers improve both theirphysical insight and calculation skills.

Reviews

“Aitchison and Hey was the ‘bible’ for me as a young post-doc in the 1980s … The ebook has been revised regularly as the field progressed and I am delighted to see a new edition that brings it up to date to the discovery of a Higgs-like boson at the LHC in July 2012. … Its strength has always been the combination of the theory with a discussion of experimental results. The new edition continues this tradition by including … discussion of the related important observations of the last ten years―CP violation and oscillations in the B sector and the now rich phenomenology of neutrino oscillations. This will become a new classic.” ― Amanda Cooper-Sarkar, Oxford University, UK

“This is an indispensable textbook for all particle physicists, experimentalists, and theorists alike, providing an accessible exposé of the Standard Model, covering the mathematics used to describe it and some of the most important experimental results which vindicate it. … Volume 2 has been updated with extended discussions on quark and neutrino mixing and inclusion of results on CP violation and neutrino oscillations … these textbooks will remain on the top of a high energy physicist’s reading list for years to come.” ― Matthew Wing, University College London, UK