Introduction to Elementary Particles

Front Cover
John Wiley & Sons, Sep 26, 2008 - Science - 399 pages
This is the first quantitative treatment of elementary particle theory that is accessible to undergraduates. Using a lively, informal writing style, the author strikes a balance between quantitative rigor and intuitive understanding. The first chapter provides a detailed historical introduction to the subject. Subsequent chapters offer a consistent and modern presentation, covering the quark model, Feynman diagrams, quantum electrodynamics, and gauge theories. A clear introduction to the Feynman rules, using a simple model, helps readers learn the calculational techniques without the complications of spin. And an accessible treatment of QED shows how to evaluate tree-level diagrams. Contains an abundance of worked examples and many end-of-chapter problems.
 

Contents

Introduction
1
1 Historical Introduction to the Elementary Particles
11
2 Elementary Particle Dynamics
55
3 Relativistic Kinematics
81
4 Symmetries
103
5 Bound States
143
6 The Feynman Calculus
189
7 Quantum Electrodynamics
213
9 Quantum Chromodynamics
279
10 Weak Interactions
301
11 Gauge Theories
343
APPENDIX A The Dirac Delta Function
372
APPENDIX B Decay Rates and Cross Sections
376
APPENDIX C Pauli and Dirac Matrices
378
APPENDIX D Feynman Rules
380
Index
384

8 Electrodynamics of Quarks and Hadrons
257

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2008)

David Griffiths is Professor of Physics at the Reed College in Portland, Oregon. After obtaining his PhD in elementary particle theory at Harvard, he taught at several colleges and universities before joining the faculty at Reed in 1978. He specializes in classical electrodynamics and quantum mechanics as well as elementary particles, and has written textbooks on all three subjects.

Bibliographic information