The Birth Of Particle Physics

A distinctive collection of essays, discussions, and personal descriptions of the evolution of particle physics.

Editors Laurie Brown, Max Dresden, Lillian Hoddeson and Michael Riordan have brought together a distinguished group of elementary particle physicists and historians of science to explore the recent history of particle physics. Based on a conference held at Stanford University, this is the third volume of a series recounting the history of particle physics and offers the most up-to-date account of the rise of the Standard Model, which explains the microstructure of the world in terms of quarks and leptons and their interactions. Major contributors include Steven Weinberg, Murray Gell-Mann, Michael Redhead, Silvan Schweber, Leon Lederman and John Heilbron. The wide-ranging articles explore the detailed scientific experiments, the institutional settings in which they took place, and the ways in which the many details of the puzzle fit together to account for the Standard Model.

Most of the progress made in particle physics during the last two decades has to led to the formulation of the so called ?Standard Model? of elementary particles and its quantitative experimental test. The book deals with this progress but includes chapters which provide the necessary background material to modern particle physics.Particle physics forms an essential part of physics curriculum. This is a textbook but will also be useful for people working in this field and for nuclear physicists, particularly those who work on topics concerning interface between nuclear and particle physics. The book is designed for a semester course for senior undergraduates and a semester course for graduate students. Formal quantum field theory is not used; a knowledge of non-relativistic quantum mechanics is required for some parts of the book; but for the remaining parts the familiarity with the Dirac equation is essential. However, some of these topics are included in the appendix.

The birth of the Universe, and its subsequent evolution, is an exciting blend of Cosmology, Particle Physics and Thermodynamics. This book, with its synoptic approach, provides an accessible introduction to these fascinating topics. It begins in Part I with an overview of cosmology and is followed by a discussion on the present understanding about the birth of the universe, detailing the Planck Era, Inflation, and the Big Bang. It speculates the possibility of multiple universes. Before moving on to explore the essentials of the Standard Model of Particle Physics in Part II, with particular stress on the electroweak force, the first example of acquisition of mass by gauge bosons via the Higgs mechanism. The book finishes in Part III with the thermal history of the Universe. This will also lead to understanding baryonic matter and baryogenesis as well as nucleosynthesis This book is suitable for those taking courses on particle physics, general relativity, and cosmology. Readers mathematically inclined who wish to enhance their basic knowledge about the early Universe, will also find this book suitable to move up to the next level. Features: Authored by experienced lecturers in Particle Physics, Quantum Field Theory, Nuclear Physics, and General Relativity Provides an accessible introduction to Particle Physics and Cosmology

A readable introduction to particle physics for anyone with a background in physical sciences.

This 2006 book uses the standard model as a vehicle for introducing quantum field theory.

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

"Unique in its coverage of all aspects of modern particle physics, this textbook provides a clear connection between the theory and recent experimental results, including the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN. It provides a comprehensive and self-contained description of the Standard Model of particle physics suitable for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students studying experimental particle physics. Physical theory is introduced in a straightforward manner with full mathematical derivations throughout. Fully-worked examples enable students to link the mathematical theory to results from modern particle physics experiments. End-of-chapter exercises, graded by difficulty, provide students with a deeper understanding of the subject. Online resources available at www.cambridge.org/MPP feature password-protected fully-worked solutions to problems for instructors, numerical solutions and hints to the problems for students and PowerPoint slides and JPEGs of figures from the book"--