Written by leading experts in the field, this book provides an authoritative overview on electromagnetic interactions. It describes the main features of the experimental data and the theoretical ideas used in their interpretation, and is an essential reference for graduate students and researchers in particle physics and electromagnetic interactions.
Intended for graduate students, advanced undergraduates and research staff in particle physics and related disciplines and will also be of interest to physicists not working in this field who want an overview of the present development of the subject.
Dramatic progress has been made in all branches of physics since the National Research Council's 1986 decadal survey of the field. The Physics in a New Era series explores these advances and looks ahead to future goals. The series includes assessments of the major subfields and reports on several smaller subfields, and preparation has begun on an overview volume on the unity of physics, its relationships to other fields, and its contributions to national needs. Nuclear Physics is the latest volume of the series. The book describes current activity in understanding nuclear structure and symmetries, the behavior of matter at extreme densities, the role of nuclear physics in astrophysics and cosmology, and the instrumentation and facilities used by the field. It makes recommendations on the resources needed for experimental and theoretical advances in the coming decade.
The advent of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the early 1970s was one of the most important events in twentieth-century science. This book examines the conceptual steps that were crucial to the rise of QCD, placing them in historical context against the background of debates that were ongoing between the bootstrap approach and composite modeling, and between mathematical and realistic conceptions of quarks. It explains the origins of QCD in current algebra and its development through high-energy experiments, model-building, mathematical analysis and conceptual synthesis. Addressing a range of complex physical, philosophical and historiographical issues in detail, this book will interest graduate students and researchers in physics and in the history and philosophy of science.
A thoroughly revised edition of a landmark textbook on gauge theories and their applications to particle physics This completely revised and updated graduate-level textbook is an ideal introduction to gauge theories and their applications to high-energy particle physics, and takes an in-depth look at two new laws of nature—quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak theory. From quantum electrodynamics through unified theories of the interactions among leptons and quarks, Chris Quigg examines the logic and structure behind gauge theories and the experimental underpinnings of today's theories. Quigg emphasizes how we know what we know, and in the era of the Large Hadron Collider, his insightful survey of the standard model and the next great questions for particle physics makes for compelling reading. The brand-new edition shows how the electroweak theory developed in conversation with experiment. Featuring a wide-ranging treatment of electroweak symmetry breaking, the physics of the Higgs boson, and the importance of the 1-TeV scale, the book moves beyond established knowledge and investigates the path toward unified theories of strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions. Explicit calculations and diverse exercises allow readers to derive the consequences of these theories. Extensive annotated bibliographies accompany each chapter, amplify points of conceptual or technical interest, introduce further applications, and lead readers to the research literature. Students and seasoned practitioners will profit from the text's current insights, and specialists wishing to understand gauge theories will find the book an ideal reference for self-study. Brand-new edition of a landmark text introducing gauge theories Consistent attention to how we know what we know Explicit calculations develop concepts and engage with experiment Interesting and diverse problems sharpen skills and ideas Extensive annotated bibliographies
Straddling the traditional disciplines of nuclear and particle physics, hadron physics is a vital and extremely active research area, as evidenced by a 2004 Nobel prize and new research facilities, such as that scheduled to open at CERN. Scientifically it is of vital importance in extrapolating our knowledge of quark-gluon physics at the sub-nucleon level to provide a wider perspective of strongly interacting hadrons, which make up the vast bulk of known matter in the Universe. Through detailed, pedagogical chapters contributed by key international experts, Hadron Physics maps out our contemporary knowledge of the subject. It covers both the theoretical and experimental aspects of hadron structure and properties along with a wide range of specific research topics, results, and applications. Providing a full picture of activity in the field, the book highlights three particular areas of current research: computational lattice hadron physics, the structure and dynamics of hadrons, and generalized parton distributions. It provides a solid introduction, includes background theory, and presents the current state of understanding of the subject.
The modeling and simulation of fluids, solids and other materials with significant coupling and thermal effects is becoming an increasingly important area of study in applied mathematics and engineering. Necessary for such studies is a fundamental understanding of the basic principles of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. This book is a clear introduction to these principles. It is designed for a one- or two-quarter course for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in the mathematical and engineering sciences, and is based on over nine years of teaching experience. It is also sufficiently self-contained for use outside a classroom environment. Prerequisites include a basic knowledge of linear algebra, multivariable calculus, differential equations and physics. The authors begin by explaining tensor algebra and calculus in three-dimensional Euclidean space. Using both index and coordinate-free notation, they introduce the basic axioms of continuum mechanics pertaining to mass, force, motion, temperature, energy and entropy, and the concepts of frame-indifference and material constraints. They devote four chapters to different theories of fluids and solids, and, unusually at this level, they consider both isothermal and thermal theories in detail. The book contains a wealth of exercises that support the theory and illustrate various applications. Full solutions to odd-numbered exercises are given at the end of each chapter and a complete solutions manual for all exercises is available to instructors upon request. Each chapter also contains a bibliography with references covering different presentations, further applications and numerical aspects of the theory. Book jacket.
After an introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics, which lays the foundation for the rest of the text, the author moves on to the phenomenology and physics of fundamental interactions via a detailed discussion of the empirical principles of unified theories of strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions. There then follows a development of local gauge theories and the minimal standard model of the fundamental interactions together with their characteristic applications. The book concludes with further possibilities and the theory of interactions for elementary particles probing complex nuclei. Numerous exercises with solutions make this an ideal text for graduate courses on quantum mechanics and elementary particle physics.
