Supersymmetry in Particle Physics: An Elementary Introduction
Cambridge University Press, 9/20/2007
EAN 9780521880237, ISBN10: 0521880238
Hardcover, 238 pages, 25.4 x 17.5 x 1.8 cm
Language: English
Supersymmetry represents the culmination of the search for fundamental symmetries that has dominated particle physics for 50 years. Traditionally, the constituents of matter (fermions) were regarded as different from the particles (bosons) transmitting the forces between them. In supersymmetry, fermions and bosons are unified. Intended for graduate students in particle physics, and researchers in experimental and phenomenological supersymmetry, this textbook, first published in 2007, provides a simple introduction to a previously formidably technical field. Its elementary, practical treatment brings readers to the frontier of contemporary research, in particular the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. Theories are constructed through an intuitive 'trial and error' approach. Basic elements of spinor formalism and superfields are introduced, allowing readers to access more advanced treatments. Emphasis is placed on physical understanding, and on detailed derivations of important steps. Many short exercises are included, making for a valuable and accessible self-study tool.
1. Introduction and motivation
2. Spinors
Weyl, Dirac and Majorana
3. A simple supersymmetric Lagrangian, and a first glance at the MSSM
4. The supersymmetry algebra and supermultiplets
5. The Wess-Zumino model
6. Superfields
7. Vector (or gauge) supermultiplets
8. The MSSM
9. SUSY breaking
10. The Higgs sector and electroweak symmetry breaking in the MSSM
11. Sparticle masses in the MSSM
12. Some simple tree-level calculations in the MSSM
References
Index.