From Photons to Higgs : A Story of Light

This book presents a brief introduction to the quantum field theory of the Standard Model for quarks and leptons. With minimal use of mathematics, it covers the basics of quantum field theory, local gauge field theory, spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism, the Higgs mechanism and quantum chromodynamics.

From the time when the first edition was published until today, the field of particle physics has seen some major break-through with the possible discovery of Higgs particle, also known as the Higgs boson. In the second edition, the famous Higgs mechanism is included to explain the symmetry breaking in the Standard Model and the origin of mass, and all of this is explained in high-school level algebra.

Aimed at both scientists and non-specialists, it requires only some rudimentary knowledge of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulation of Newtonian mechanics as well as a basic understanding of the special theory of relativity and quantum mechanics to enjoy this book.

Sample Chapter(s)
Foreword (35 KB)
Prologue (48 KB)

Contents:Particles and Fields I: DichotomyLagrangian and Hamiltonian DynamicsCanonical QuantizationParticles and Fields II: DualityEquations for DualityElectromagnetic FieldEmulation of Light I: Matter FieldsRoad Map for Field QuantizationParticles and Fields III: Particles as Quanta of FieldsEmulation of Light II: InteractionsTriumph and WaneLeptons and QuarksWhat is Gauge Field Theory?The Weak Gauge FieldsThe Higgs Mechanism and the Electroweak Gauge FieldsThe Higgs ParticleEvolution of the Strong ForceThe History of Color SU(3) SymmetryQuantum Chromodynamics, QCDAppendices:The Natural Unit SystemNotationVelocity-Dependent PotentialFourier Decomposition of FieldMass Units for ParticlesMass-Range Relation
Readership: Students, researchers, academics and non-specialists interested in quantum field theory.