Mathematical Gauge Theory: With Applications to the Standard Model of Particle Physics

by Mark J.D. Hamilton

The Standard Model is the foundation of modern particle and high energy physics. This book explains the mathematical background behind the Standard Model, translating ideas from physics into a mathematical language and vice versa. The first part of the book covers the mathematical theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, fibre bundles, connections, curvature and spinors. The second part then gives a detailed exposition of how these concepts are applied in physics, concerning topics such as the Lagrangians of gauge and matter fields, spontaneous symmetry breaking, the Higgs boson and mass generation of gauge bosons and fermions. The book also contains a chapter on advanced and modern topics in particle physics, such as neutrino masses, CP violation and Grand Unification. This carefully written textbook is aimed at graduate students of mathematics and physics. It contains numerous examples and more than 150 exercises, making it suitable for self-study and use alongside lecture courses. Only a basic knowledge of differentiable manifolds and special relativity is required, summarized in the appendix.

Genres: Physics, Mathematics

658 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Alexander Temerev · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant modern explanation how the Standard Model works, more or less from first principles (ignoring the QFT material, which is given only in the appendix).