Symmetries and Group Theory in Particle Physics PDF Download

Author: Giovanni Costa
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642154824
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
Symmetries, coupled with the mathematical concept of group theory, are an essential conceptual backbone in the formulation of quantum field theories capable of describing the world of elementary particles. This primer is an introduction to and survey of the underlying concepts and structures needed in order to understand and handle these powerful tools. Specifically, in Part I of the book the symmetries and related group theoretical structures of the Minkowskian space-time manifold are analyzed, while Part II examines the internal symmetries and their related unitary groups, where the interactions between fundamental particles are encoded as we know them from the present standard model of particle physics. This book, based on several courses given by the authors, addresses advanced graduate students and non-specialist researchers wishing to enter active research in the field, and having a working knowledge of classical field theory and relativistic quantum mechanics. Numerous end-of-chapter problems and their solutions will facilitate the use of this book as self-study guide or as course book for topical lectures.

Author: Stephen Haywood
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 1848166591
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
This book will explain how group theory underpins some of the key features of particle physics. It will examine symmetries and conservation laws in quantum mechanics and relate these to groups of transformations. Group theory provides the language for describing how particles (and in particular, their quantum numbers) combine. This provides understanding of hadronic physics as well as physics beyond the Standard Model. The symmetries of the Standard Model associated with the Electroweak and Strong (QCD) forces are described by the groups U(1), SU(2) and SU(3). The properties of these groups are examined and the relevance to particle physics is discussed.Stephen Haywood, author of Symmetries And Conservation Laws In Particle Physics, explains how his book can help experimental physicists and PhD students understand group theory and particle physics in our new video View the interview at http: //www.youtube.com/watch'v=jbQk78TBLS

Author: Matthew Robinson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441982671
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
While theoretical particle physics is an extraordinarily fascinating field, the incredibly fast pace at which it moves along, combined with the huge amount of background information necessary to perform cutting edge research, poses a formidable challenge for graduate students. This book represents the first in a series designed to assist students in the process of transitioning from coursework to research in particle physics. Rather than reading literally dozens of physics and mathematics texts, trying to assimilate the countless ideas, translate notations and perspectives, and see how it all fits together to get a holistic understanding, this series provides a detailed overview of the major mathematical and physical ideas in theoretical particle physics. Ultimately the ideas will be presented in a unified, consistent, holistic picture, where each topic is built firmly on what has come before, and all topics are related in a clear and intuitive way. This introductory text on quantum field theory and particle physics provides both a self-contained and complete introduction to not only the necessary physical ideas, but also a complete introduction to the necessary mathematical tools. Assuming minimal knowledge of undergraduate physics and mathematics, this book lays both the mathematical and physical groundwork with clear, intuitive explanations and plenty of examples. The book then continues with an exposition of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, the theory that currently seems to explain the universe apart from gravity. Furthermore, this book was written as a primer for the more advanced mathematical and physical ideas to come later in this series.

Author: Kurt Sundermeyer
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319065815
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 806

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Book Description
Over the course of the last century it has become clear that both elementary particle physics and relativity theories are based on the notion of symmetries. These symmetries become manifest in that the "laws of nature" are invariant under spacetime transformations and/or gauge transformations. The consequences of these symmetries were analyzed as early as in 1918 by Emmy Noether on the level of action functionals. Her work did not receive due recognition for nearly half a century, but can today be understood as a recurring theme in classical mechanics, electrodynamics and special relativity, Yang-Mills type quantum field theories, and in general relativity. As a matter of fact, as shown in this monograph, many aspects of physics can be derived solely from symmetry considerations. This substantiates the statement of E.P. Wigner "... if we knew all the laws of nature, or the ultimate Law of nature, the invariance properties of these laws would not furnish us new information." Thanks to Wigner we now also understand the implications of quantum physics and symmetry considerations: Poincare invariance dictates both the characteristic properties of particles (mass, spin, ...) and the wave equations of spin 0, 1/2, 1, ... objects. Further, the work of C.N. Yang and R. Mills reveals the consequences of internal symmetries as exemplified in the symmetry group of elementary particle physics. Given this pivotal role of symmetries it is thus not surprising that current research in fundamental physics is to a great degree motivated and inspired by considerations of symmetry. The treatment of symmetries in this monograph ranges from classical physics to now well-established theories of fundamental interactions, to the latest research on unified theories and quantum gravity.

Author: Hajime Ishimori
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642308058
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
These lecture notes provide a tutorial review of non-Abelian discrete groups and show some applications to issues in physics where discrete symmetries constitute an important principle for model building in particle physics. While Abelian discrete symmetries are often imposed in order to control couplings for particle physics - in particular model building beyond the standard model - non-Abelian discrete symmetries have been applied to understand the three-generation flavor structure in particular. Indeed, non-Abelian discrete symmetries are considered to be the most attractive choice for the flavor sector: model builders have tried to derive experimental values of quark and lepton masses, and mixing angles by assuming non-Abelian discrete flavor symmetries of quarks and leptons, yet, lepton mixing has already been intensively discussed in this context, as well. The possible origins of the non-Abelian discrete symmetry for flavors is another topic of interest, as they can arise from an underlying theory - e.g. the string theory or compactification via orbifolding – thereby providing a possible bridge between the underlying theory and the corresponding low-energy sector of particle physics. This text explicitly introduces and studies the group-theoretical aspects of many concrete groups and shows how to derive conjugacy classes, characters, representations, and tensor products for these groups (with a finite number) when algebraic relations are given, thereby enabling readers to apply this to other groups of interest.

Author: W. M. Gibson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521207874
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
An understanding of the properties and interactions of the elementary particles is an essential prerequisite of research work in high energy physics. Much progress in the subject has been achieved with the aid of symmetry principles. In this 1980 book the concept of symmetry or invariance is employed as a unifying theme. Using a careful explanation of the mathematical formalism and with many applications to particular cases, the authors introduce the reader to the symmetry schemes which dominate the world of the particle physicist. The presentation will also appeal to mathematicians and physicists in other fields who are interested in the applications of the general principles of symmetry. After a brief survey of the particles and a review of the relevant quantum mechanics, the principal symmetries are studied in turn. Some technical points are relegated to appendices and the book contains extensive references.

Author: Jakob Schwichtenberg
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319666312
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
This is a textbook that derives the fundamental theories of physics from symmetry. It starts by introducing, in a completely self-contained way, all mathematical tools needed to use symmetry ideas in physics. Thereafter, these tools are put into action and by using symmetry constraints, the fundamental equations of Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Field Theory, Electromagnetism, and Classical Mechanics are derived. As a result, the reader is able to understand the basic assumptions behind, and the connections between the modern theories of physics. The book concludes with first applications of the previously derived equations. Thanks to the input of readers from around the world, this second edition has been purged of typographical errors and also contains several revised sections with improved explanations.

Author: Ernest M. Henley
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814425818
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 559

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Book Description
This book reviews the important achievements in subatomic physics in the past century. The chapters are divided into two parts: nuclear physics and particle physics. This book provides academics and researchers an essential overview of the present state of knowledge in nuclear and particle physics.

Author: Ben Allanach
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781739940690
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
A coursebook for a Master's level course at the University of Cambridge to prepare students for a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics. Lie groups and Lie algebras are important in the construction of quantum field theories that describe interactions between known particles. One particle states are described in terms of irreducible representations of the Poincare group, a Lie group. Quantum fields may be acted on by operators of the Poincare group. Gauge theories, which describe many of the interactions in the Standard Model of particle physics, also rely on Lie groups. We assume knowledge of quantum mechanics, linear algebras, and vector spaces at the undergraduate level. We do not require knowledge of quantum field theory, although the book was designed with the assumption that some basic quantum field theory is studied simultaneously (in particular, the construction of Lagrangian densities in terms of fields); then, a few applications will make more sense. After some basic properties and preliminaries, we introduce matrix Lie groups, which rely on continuous parameters. Differentially, these act as a Lie algebra. The exponential map connects the Lie algebra to the Lie group. We then introduce representations in terms of square matrices, describing how to construct various new representations in terms of combinations of others. The group of rotations in three-dimensional space SO(3) is examined, along with SU(2) and the connection to angular momentum states in quantum theory. Representations of each are covered. The relativistic symmetries (the Lorentz group and the Poincare group in four dimensions) are studied from the point of view of their group elements and Lie algebras. Analysis of compact simple Lie algebras and their finite representations comes from mapping them to a geometrical picture involving roots and weights via the Cartan matrix. An overview of the results of the Cartan classification of simple Lie algebras is included. An application in terms of representations of a global SU(3)F flavour symmetry explains some features of the spectrum of hadronic particles. Further properties of the spectrum lead one to introduce an additional local SU(3)c colour symmetry leading to a particular gauge theory called quantum chromodynamics. We cover abelian and non-abelian gauge theories before returning to irreducible induced representations of the Poincare group, which are used to describe one-particle states.

Author: Wick C. Haxton
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 981022057X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 451

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Book Description
This book shows the usefulness of the nucleus as a laboratory for learning about basic symmetries and fundamental interactions. It is aimed at advanced graduate students and beginning researchers, but should be useful to advanced researchers as well. Nuclear and particle physicists will find it particularly useful.