Symmetries And Group Theory In Particle Physics

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.

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.

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

This book presents the study of symmetry groups in Physics from a practical perspective, i.e. emphasising the explicit methods and algorithms useful for the practitioner and profusely illustrating by examples.The first half reviews the algebraic, geometrical and topological notions underlying the theory of Lie groups, with a review of the representation theory of finite groups. The topic of Lie algebras is revisited from the perspective of realizations, useful for explicit computations within these groups. The second half is devoted to applications in physics, divided into three main parts — the first deals with space-time symmetries, the Wigner method for representations and applications to relativistic wave equations. The study of kinematical algebras and groups illustrates the properties and capabilities of the notions of contractions, central extensions and projective representations. Gauge symmetries and symmetries in Particle Physics are studied in the context of the Standard Model, finishing with a discussion on Grand-Unified Theories.

This user-friendly book on group theory introduces topics in as simple a manner as possible and then gradually develops those topics into more advanced ones, eventually building up to the current state-of-the-art. By using simple examples from physics and mathematics, the advanced topics become logical extensions of ideas already introduced. In addition to being used as a textbook, this book would also be useful as a reference guide for graduates and researchers in particle, nuclear and hadron physics.

Based on the author’s well-established courses, Group Theory for the Standard Model of Particle Physics and Beyond explores the use of symmetries through descriptions of the techniques of Lie groups and Lie algebras. The text develops the models, theoretical framework, and mathematical tools to understand these symmetries. After linking symmetries with conservation laws, the book works through the mathematics of angular momentum and extends operators and functions of classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. It then covers the mathematical framework for special relativity and the internal symmetries of the standard model of elementary particle physics. In the chapter on Noether’s theorem, the author explains how Lagrangian formalism provides a natural framework for the quantum mechanical interpretation of symmetry principles. He then examines electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions; spontaneous symmetry breaking; the elusive Higgs boson; and supersymmetry. He also introduces new techniques based on extending space–time into dimensions described by anticommuting coordinates. Designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in physics, this text provides succinct yet complete coverage of the group theory of the symmetries of the standard model of elementary particle physics. It will help students understand current knowledge about the standard model as well as the physics that potentially lies beyond the standard model.