The Pinch Technique and its Applications to Non-Abelian Gauge Theories


Book Description

Non-Abelian gauge theories, such as quantum chromodynamics (QCD) or electroweak theory, are best studied with the aid of Green's functions that are gauge-invariant off-shell, but unlike for the photon in quantum electrodynamics, conventional graphical constructions fail. The Pinch Technique provides a systematic framework for constructing such Green's functions, and has many useful applications. Beginning with elementary one-loop examples, this book goes on to extend the method to all orders, showing that the Pinch Technique is equivalent to calculations in the background field Feynman gauge. The Pinch Technique Schwinger-Dyson equations are derived, and used to show how a dynamical gluon mass arises in QCD. Applications are given to the center vortex picture of confinement, the gauge-invariant treatment of resonant amplitudes, the definition of non-Abelian effective charges, high-temperature effects, and even supersymmetry. This book is ideal for elementary particle theorists and graduate students.







Gaseous Radiation Detectors


Book Description

This Open Access text describes the processes involved in gaseous radiation detection, ideal for nuclear and particle physics researchers.




Concepts in Quantum Field Theory


Book Description

This book uses less strict yet still formal mathematical language to clarify a variety of concepts in Quantum Field Theory that remain somewhat “fuzzy” in many books designed for undergraduates and fresh graduates. The aim is not to replace formal books on Quantum Field Theory, but rather to offer a helpful complementary tool for beginners in the field. Features include a reader-friendly introduction to tensor calculus and the concept of manifolds; a simple and robust treatment for dimensional regularization; a consistent explanation of the renormalization procedure, step by step and in a transparent manner at all orders, using the QED Lagrangian; and extensive treatment of infrared as well as ultraviolet divergences. The most general (Lorentz invariant) form of Noether's theorem is presented and applied to a few simple yet relevant examples in Quantum Field Theory. These and further interesting topics are addressed in a way that will be accessible for the target readership. Some familiarity with basic notions of Quantum Field Theory and the basics of Special Relativity is assumed.




Dynamics of the Standard Model


Book Description

This 2014 edition, now OA, provides a detailed and practical account of the Standard Model of particle physics.




High-pT Physics in the Heavy Ion Era


Book Description

Aimed at graduate students and researchers in the field of high-energy nuclear physics, this book provides an overview of the basic concepts of large transverse momentum particle physics, with a focus on pQCD phenomena. It examines high-pT probes of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and will serve as a handbook for those working on RHIC and LHC data analyses. Starting with an introduction and review of the field, the authors look at basic observables and experimental techniques, concentrating on relativistic particle kinematics, before moving onto a discussion about the origins of high-pT physics. The main features of high-pT physics are placed within a historical context and the authors adopt an experimental outlook, highlighting the most important discoveries leading up to the foundation of modern QCD theory. Advanced methods are described in detail, making this book especially useful for newcomers to the field.




Quantum Chromodynamics at High Energy


Book Description

This 2012 volume, now OA, is dedicated to high energy quantum chromodynamics including parton saturation and the color glass condensate.




Concepts In Particle Physics: A Concise Introduction To The Standard Model


Book Description

The 2013 discovery of the Higgs boson posed a challenge to both physics undergraduates and their instructors. Since particle physics is seldom taught at the undergraduate level, the question 'what is the Higgs and why does its discovery matter?' is a common question among undergraduates. Equally, answering this question is a problem for physics instructors.This book is an attempt to put the key concepts of particle physics together in an appealing way, and yet give enough extra tidbits for students seriously considering graduate studies in particle physics. It starts with some recapitulation of relativity and quantum mechanics, and then builds on it to give both conceptual ideas regarding the Standard Model of particle physics as well as technical details. It is presented in an informal lecture style, and includes 'remarks' sections where extra material, history, or technical details are presented for the interested student. The last lecture presents an assessment of the open questions, and where the future might take us.




Roman Jackiw: 80th Birthday Festschrift


Book Description

Professor Roman Jackiw is a theoretical physicist renowned for his many fundamental contributions and discoveries in quantum and classical field theories, ranging from high energy physics and gravitation to condensed matter and the physics of fluids. Among his major achievements is the establishment of the presence of the famous Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomalies in quantum field theory, a discovery with far-reaching implications for the structure of the Standard Model of particle physics and all attempts to go beyond it. Other important contributions, among many, that one may mention here are the topological mass term in gravity and gauge theories, and the fractionalization of fermion number and charge in the presence of topological objects.Roman Jackiw, a Professor Emeritus at the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics, is the recipient of several international awards including the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics and the Dirac Medal of the ICTP. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and honorary doctor of Kiev, Montreal, Tours, Turin and Uppsala universities.To celebrate his 80th birthday, many students and colleagues of Professor Jackiw have come together to share interesting anecdotes of working with him as well as their latest research, some of it inspired by his work. Edited by his former students Antti Niemi and Terry Tomboulis together with his long-time friend KK Phua, this festschrift volume is a must-have collection for all theoretical physicists.