This book takes the reader from some elementary ideas about groups to the essence of the Standard Model of particle physics along a relatively straight and intuitive path. Groups alone are first used to arrive at a classical analog of the Dirac equation. Using elementary quantum mechanics, this analog can be turned into the actual Dirac equation, which governs the motion of the quarks and leptons of the Standard Model. After introduction to the gauge principle, the groups introduced in the beginning of the book are used to give an introduction to the Standard Model. The idea is to give an Olympian view of this evolution, one that is often missing when absorbing the detailed subject matter of the Standard Model as presented in an historical approach to the subject.
Published by World Scientific:
Errata: p. 110, Eq. (A3.3), a right parenthesis is missing after the 1st derivative in the second line of the equation and the exponent “v” in both lines of the equation should be changed to the Greek “nu”; p. 117 has a duplicated paragraph. Appendix A, p.87, 1st paragraph, line 2: 2.7 X 10^-22 should be 4 X 10^-20.