Introduction to gauge theories of the strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions

Technical Report · Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6498121· OSTI ID:6498121

Quigg, C.

The plan of these notes is as follows. Chapter 1 is devoted to a brief evocative review of current beliefs and prejudices that form the context for the discussion to follow. The idea of Gauge Invariance is introduced in Chapter 2, and the connection between conservation laws and symmetries of the Lagrangian is recalled. Non-Abelian gauge field theories are constructed in Chapter 3, by analogy with the familiar case of electromagnetism. The Yang-Mills theory based upon isospin symmetry is constructed explicitly, and the generalization is made to other gauge groups. Chapter 4 is concerned with spontaneous symmetry breaking and the phenomena that occur in the presence or absence of local gauge symmetries. The existence of massless scalar fields (Goldstone particles) and their metamorphosis by means of the Higgs mechanism are illustrated by simple examples. The Weinberg-Salam model is presented in Chapter 5, and a brief resume of applications to experiment is given. Quantum Chromodynamics, the gauge theory of colored quarks and gluons, is developed in Chapter 6. Asymptotic freedom is derived schematically, and a few simple applications of perturbative QCD ae exhibited. Details of the conjectured confinement mechanism are omitted. The strategy of grand unified theories of the strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions is laid out in Chapter 7. Some properties and consequences of the minimal unifying group SU(5) are presented, and the gauge hierarchy problem is introduced in passing. The final chapter contains an essay on the current outlook: aspirations, unanswered questions, and bold scenarios.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03000
• OSTI ID: 6498121
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-Conf-80/64THY; TRN: 81-010901
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS
LECTURES
LEPTONS
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
QUARK MODEL
QUARKS
SU-5 GROUPS
SYMMETRY BREAKING
WEINBERG LEPTON MODEL
COMPOSITE MODELS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
LIE GROUPS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTICLE MODELS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SU GROUPS
SYMMETRY GROUPS
645200* - High Energy Physics- Particle Interactions & Properties-Theoretical