An Introduction to Particle Physics and the Standard Model

Emphasizing the connections between particle physics and the rest of the physics field, this book provides an organizational framework for understanding modern particle physics. The author presents a standard model of strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions. Undergraduate students will develop a working knowledge of some of the calculation methods and mathematical tools used in particle physics. Reviewing key experimental and theoretical achievements in the field, the text covers such topics as conservation laws, quantum electrodynamics, and wave equations. The final chapter offers a perspective on the future of particle physics.

Emphasizing the connections between particle physics and the rest of the physics field, this book provides an organizational framework for understanding modern particle physics. It presents a standard model of strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions.

Preface. Acknowledgements. Further Reading. Introduction and Overview. A Review of Special Relativity. Symmetries. Conservation Laws. Particle Classfication. Discrete Symmetries. Accelerators. Detectors.Scattering. A Toy Theory. Wave Equations for Elementary Particles. Gauge Invariance. Quantum Electrodynamics. Testing QED. From Nuclei to Quarks. The Quark Model. Testing the Quark Model. Heavy Quarks and QCD. From Beta Decay to Weak Interactions. Charged Leptonic Weak Interactions. Charged Weak Interactions of Quarks and Leptons. Electroweak Unfication. Electroweak Symmetry Breaking. Testing Electroweak Theory. Beyond the Standard Model. Notation and Conventions. Kronecker Delta and Levi-Civita Symbols. Dirac Delta-Functions. Pauli and Dirac Matrices. Cross-Sections and Decay Rates. Clebsch-Gordon Coefficients. Fundamental Constants. Properties of Elementary Particles. Feynman Rules for the Standard Model. The Large Hadron Rap.