Gauge theory of elementary particle physics

Includes index.

Bibliography: p. [517]-526.

The generally accepted modern theoretical framework of high-energy physics is the gauge theory of particle interactions. It can be argued that it gives a complete and correct description of all non-gravitational physics: strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions are all gauge interactions.
•This book provides students and researchers with a practical introduction to some of the principal ideas in gauge theories and their applications to elementary particle physics. It begins with a review of, and introduction to, the more familiar aspects of quantum field theory (quantization and renormalization) and symmetry studies of particle physics (flavour symmetries, current algebra, and quarks and partons). In the second half, the classical and quantized versions of the gauge theory are presented. The major part of the book is devoted to the study of the strong interaction theory of quantum chromodynamics and the electroweak interaction theory of Glashow, Weinberg, and Salam as well as the grand unification theory exemplified by the simplest SU(5) model. The richness of the gauge theory structure is further illustrated in the final chapters on the nonperturbative solutions of magnetic monopoles and instantons.
The text aims to provide the general background necessary for graduate students who wish to specialize in the field of elementary particle theory. The arrangement of the text should also lend itself to use by researchers as a reference book.