This will be a required acquisition text for academic libraries. More than ten years after its discovery, still relatively little is known about the top quark, the heaviest known elementary particle. This extensive survey summarizes and reviews top-quark physics based on the precision measurements at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, as well as examining in detail the sensitivity of these experiments to new physics. Finally, the author provides an overview of top quark physics at the Large Hadron Collider.
Supersymmetry is at an exciting stage of development. It extends the Standard Model of particle physics into a more powerful theory that both explains more and allows more questions to be addressed. Most important, it opens a window for studying and testing fundamental theories at the Planck scale. Experimentally we are finally entering the intensity and energy regions where superpartners are likely to be detected, and then studied. There has been progress in understanding the remarkable physics implications of supersymmetry, including the derivation of the Higgs mechanism, the unification of the Standard Model forces, cosmological connections such as a candidate for the cold dark matter of the universe and the scalar fields that drive inflation and their potential, the relationship to Planck scale theories, and more.While there are a number of reviews and books where the mathematical structure and uses of supersymmetry can be learned, there are few where the particle physics is the main focus. This book fills that gap. It begins with an excellent pedagogical introduction to the physics and methods and formalism of supersymmetry, by S Martin, which is accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of the Standard Model of particle physics. Next is an overview of open questions by K Dienes and C Kolda, followed by chapters on topics ranging from how to detect superpartners to connections with Planck scale theories, by leading experts.This invaluable book will allow any interested physicist to understand the coming experimental and theoretical progress in supersymmetry, and will also help students and workers to quickly learn new aspects of supersymmetry they want to pursue.
The physics of neutrinos--uncharged elementary particles that are key to helping us better understand the nature of our universe--is one of the most exciting frontiers of modern science. This book provides a comprehensive overview of neutrino physics today and explores promising new avenues of inquiry that could lead to future breakthroughs. The Physics of Neutrinos begins with a concise history of the field and a tutorial on the fundamental properties of neutrinos, and goes on to discuss how the three neutrino types interchange identities as they propagate from their sources to detectors. The book shows how studies of neutrinos produced by such phenomena as cosmic rays in the atmosphere and nuclear reactions in the solar interior provide striking evidence that neutrinos have mass, and it traces our astounding progress in deciphering the baffling experimental findings involving neutrinos. The discovery of neutrino mass offers the first indication of a new kind of physics that goes beyond the Standard Model of elementary particles, and this book considers the unanticipated patterns in the masses and mixings of neutrinos in the framework of proposed new theoretical models. The Physics of Neutrinos maps out the ambitious future facilities and experiments that will advance our knowledge of neutrinos, and explains why the way forward in solving the outstanding questions in neutrino science will require the collective efforts of particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and cosmology.
This book, written by researchers who had been professionals in accelerator physics before becoming leaders of groups in astroparticle physics, introduces both fields in a balanced and elementary way, requiring only a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics on the part of the reader. The new profile of scientists in fundamental physics ideally involves the merging of knowledge in astroparticle and particle physics, but the duration of modern experiments is such that people cannot simultaneously be practitioners in both. Introduction to Particle and Astroparticle Physics is designed to bridge the gap between the fields. It can be used as a self-training book, a consultation book, or a textbook providing a “modern” approach to particles and fundamental interactions.
These lectures give an elementary introduction to the important recent developments of the applications of N=1 supergravity to the construction of unified models of elementary particle interactions. Topics covered include couplings of supergravity with matter, spontaneous symmetry breaking and the super-higgs effect, construction of supergravity unified models, and the phenomenon of SU(2) x U(1) electroweak-symmetry breaking by supergravity. Experimental consequences of N-1 supergravity unified theory, in particular, the possible supersymmetric decays of the W± and Z0 bosons, are also discussed. The treatment presented encompasses a broad class of models, both of the tree breaking as well as the radiative breaking of SU(2) x U(1). Rules of tensor calculus and the explicit construction of the Lagrangian of the Supergravity-matter couplings are given in the appendix.
The book begins with a brief review of supersymmetry, and the construction of the minimal supersymmetric standard model and approaches to supersymmetry breaking. General non-perturbative methods are also reviewed leading to the development of holomorphy and the Affleck-Dine-Seiberg superpotential as powerful tools for analysing supersymmetric theories. Seiberg duality is discussed in detail, with many example applications provided, with special attention paid to its use in understanding dynamical supersysmmetry breaking. The Seiberg-Witten theory of monopoles is introduced through the analysis of simpler N=1 analogues. Superconformal field theories are described along with the most recent development known as "amaximization". Supergravity theories are examined in 4, 10, and 11 dimensions, allowing for a discussion of anomaly and gaugino mediation, and setting the stage for the anti- de Sitter/conformal field theory correspondence. This book is unique in containing an overview of the important developments in supersymmetry since the publication of "Suppersymmetry and Supergravity" by Wess and Bagger. It also strives to cover topics that are of interest to both formal and phenomenological theorists.
This book presents more than 200 problems, with detailed guided solutions, spanning key areas of particle physics and astrophysics. The selected examples enable students to gain a deeper understanding of these fields and also offer valuable support in the preparation for written examinations. The book is an ideal companion to Introduction to Particle and Astroparticle Physics: Multimessenger Astronomy and its Particle Physics Foundations, written by Alessandro De Angelis and Mário Pimenta and published in its second edition in Springer’s Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics series in 2018. It can, however, also be used independently. The present book is organized into 11 chapters that match exactly those in the companion textbook, and each of the exercises is given a title to facilitate identification of the subject within that book. Some new exercises have been added because they are considered helpful on the basis of the experience gained by teachers while using the textbook. Beyond students on relevant courses, exercises and solutions in particle and astroparticle physics are of value for physics teachers and to all who seek aid to self-training.
From superstring theory to models with extra dimensions to dark matter and dark energy, a range of theoretically stimulating ideas have evolved for physics beyond the standard model. These developments have spawned a new area of physics that centers on the interplay between particle physics and cosmology—astroparticle physics. Providing the necessary theoretical background, Particle and Astroparticle Physics clearly presents the many recent advances that have occurred in these fields. Divided into five parts, the book begins with discussions on group and field theories. The second part summarizes the standard model of particle physics and includes some extensions to the model, such as neutrino masses and CP violation. The next section focuses on grand unified theories and supersymmetry. The book then discusses the general theory of relativity, higher dimensional theories of gravity, and superstring theory. It also introduces various novel ideas and models with extra dimensions and low-scale gravity. The last part of the book deals with astroparticle physics. After an introduction to cosmology, it covers several specialized topics, including baryogenesis, dark matter, dark energy, and brane cosmology. With numerous equations and detailed references, this lucid book explores the new physics beyond the standard model, showing that particle and astroparticle physics will together reveal unique insights in the next era of physics.
