Facts And Mysteries In Elementary Particle Physics

This book provides a comprehensive overview of modern particle physics accessible to anyone with a true passion for wanting to know how the universe works. We are introduced to the known particles of the world we live in. An elegant explanation of quantum mechanics and relativity paves the way for an understanding of the laws that govern particle physics. These laws are put into action in the world of accelerators, colliders and detectors found at institutions such as CERN and Fermilab that are in the forefront of technical innovation. Real world and theory meet using Feynman diagrams to solve the problems of infinities and deduce the need for the Higgs boson. Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics offers an incredible insight from an eyewitness and participant in some of the greatest discoveries in 20th century science. From Einstein's theory of relativity to the spectacular discovery of the Higgs particle, this book will fascinate and educate anyone interested in the world of quarks, leptons and gauge theories. This book also contains many thumbnail sketches of particle physics personalities, including contemporaries as seen through the eyes of the author. Illustrated with pictures, these candid sketches present rare, perceptive views of the characters that populate the field. The Chapter on Particle Theory, in a pre-publication, was termed "superbly lucid" by David Miller in Nature (Vol. 396, 17 Dec. 1998, p. 642). Contents: IntroductionPreliminariesThe Standard ModelQuantum Mechanics. MixingEnergy, Momentum and Mass-ShellDetectionAccelerators and Storage RingsThe CERN Neutrino ExperimentThe Particle ZooParticle TheoryFinding the HiggsQuantum ChromodynamicsEpilogueAddendum Readership: Students, lay people and anyone interested in the world of elementary particles. Keywords: Particle Physics;Quantum Mechanics;Relativity;Quarks;Leptons;Gauge Theories;Higgs ParticleReview: Reviews of the First Edition: "Veltman's life spans the history of particle physics, from Antiparticles to Z bosons. So does his crystal clear book, which tells all you want to know about the strange sub-nuclear world and the stranger scientists that study it ... a thrilling tale about the world's tiniest things." Sheldon Glashow Nobel laureate Boston University "I must congratulate you! The book you have written is truly a masterpiece. Not only have you explained the physics of the world of elementary particles to the young aspiring student, but you have made it available to the intelligent layman. On top of that you gave it the humanity it deserves; reading this book brought me back to the most exciting period of my life in which every day brought a new discovery and we all fought for recognition. I can truly say that there is no book like this." Melvin Schwartz Nobel laureate Columbia University "Veltman's ... transparent explanations of the abstract theories of quantum mechanics and special relativity, his lucid accounts of esoteric subjects in particle physics, such as scaling, Higgs particle and renormalizability ... are very impressive. The book will interest anyone who is interested in the view of the physical world held by contemporary fundamental physicists."T Y Cao Boston University "I greatly enjoyed finally reading a book that goes into the details I always wanted ... Veltman has the courage to try a deeper level about what we understand and what is simply fact ... Even if you have read books popularizing physics befor

An essential introduction to particle physics, with coverage ranging from the basics through to the very latest developments, in an accessible and carefully structured text. Particle Physics: Third Edition is a revision of a highly regarded introduction to particle physics. In its two previous editions this book has proved to be an accessible and balanced introduction to modern particle physics, suitable for those students needed a more comprehensive introduction to the subject than provided by the ‘compendium’ style physics books. In the Third Edition the standard model of particle physics is carefully developed whilst unnecessary mathematical formalism is avoided where possible. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of experimental data in terms of the basic properties of quarks and leptons. One of the major developments of the past decade has been the establishing of the existence of neutrino oscillations. This will have a profound effect on the plans of experimentalists. This latest edition brings the text fully up-to-date, and includes new sections on neutrino physics, as well as expanded coverage of detectors, such as the LHC detector. End of chapter problems with a full set of hints for their solutions provided at the end of the book. An accessible and carefully structured introduction to this demanding subject. Includes more advanced material in optional ‘starred’ sections. Coverage of the foundations of the subject, as well as the very latest developments.

A useful scientific theory, claimed Einstein, must be explicable to any intelligent person. In Deep Down Things, experimental particle physicist Bruce Schumm has taken this dictum to heart, providing in clear, straightforward prose an elucidation of the Standard Model of particle physics -- a theory that stands as one of the crowning achievements of twentieth-century science. In this one-of-a-kind book, the work of many of the past century's most notable physicists, including Einstein, Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Dirac, Feynman, Gell-Mann, and Weinberg, is knit together in a thorough and accessible exposition of the revolutionary notions that underlie our current view of the fundamental nature of the physical world. Schumm, who has spent much of his life emmersed in the subatomic world, goes far beyond a mere presentation of the "building blocks" of matter, bringing to life the remarkable connection between the ivory tower world of the abstract mathematician and the day-to-day, life-enabling properties of the natural world. Schumm leaves us with an insight into the profound open questions of particle physics, setting the stage for understanding the progress the field is poised to make over the next decade or two. Introducing readers to the world of particle physics, Deep Down Things opens new realms within which are many clues to unraveling the mysteries of the universe.

Notes of Elementary Particle Physics is a seven-chapter text that conveys the ideas on the state of elementary particle physics. This book emerged from an introductory course of 30 lectures on the subject given to first-year graduate students at the University of Liverpool. The opening chapter deals with pertinent terminologies in elementary particle physics. The succeeding three chapters cover the concepts of transition amplitudes, probabilities, relativistic wave equations and fields, and the interaction amplitude. The discussion then shifts to tests of electromagnetic interactions, particularly the tests of quantum electrodynamics and electromagnetic form factors. The final two chapters describe the invariance properties and problems in weak and strong interactions. This book is of value to graduate elementary particle physics teachers and students.

Introduces the fundamentals of particle physics with a focus on modern developments and an intuitive physical interpretation of results.

This highly readable book uncovers the mysteries of the physics ofelementary particles for a broad audience. From the familiar notionsof atoms and molecules to the complex ideas of the grand unificationof all the basic forces, this book allows the interested lay public toappreciate the fascinating building blocks of matter that make up ouruniverse.

This is the third edition of a text that is already well established as one of the standard undergraduate books on the subject of elementary particle physics. Professor Hughes has updated the whole text in line with current particle nomenclature and has added material to cover important new developments. There is also a completely new major chapter on particle physics and cosmology, an exciting subject that has become an area of increasing importance in recent years. In this field much can be learned from the way the subject has developed, and so, where this helps its understanding, a historical treatment is used. Unlike other texts on this subject, at all stages the author closely links theoretical developments to the relevant experimental measurements, providing a sound foundation to what might otherwise be a rather abstract subject. He also provides historical background where it will aid comprehension of the material.