Dynamics of the Standard Model

Abstract

Describing the fundamental theory of particle physics and its applications, this book provides a detailed account of the Standard Model, focusing on techniques that can produce information about real observed phenomena. The book begins with a pedagogic account of the Standard Model, introducing essential techniques such as effective field theory and path integral methods. It then focuses on the use of the Standard Model in the calculation of physical properties of particles. Rigorous methods are emphasized, but other useful models are also described. This second edition has been updated to include recent theoretical and experimental advances, such as the discovery of the Higgs boson. A new chapter is devoted to the theoretical and experimental understanding of neutrinos, and major advances in CP violation and electroweak physics have been given a modern treatment. This book is valuable to graduate students and researchers in particle physics, nuclear physics and related fields.

Stability of renormalization group trajectories and the fermion flavor problem

“…On the Standard Model for particle physics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10,19] SM combines relativity and quantum mechanics in a unified conceptual framework known as relativistic quantum field theory (QFT). Electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions are all included in SM and are described by abelian and non-abelian gauge theories.…”

“…Discussion of results (1) the actual number of flavors in SM is indeed seven and so we should anticipate an extra fermion flavor to be discovered in future accelerator experiments (such as, but not limited to, the fourth family neutrino [9]); (2) the stability analysis we have developed is only an approximation that needs further revision. One can invoke here, for example, including higher-order corrections to (2) and (3), accounting for the Yukawa sector of the coupling flow [19] or starting from the framework of non-perturbative RG flow equations [20]. The expectation is that, by using one or more of these scenarios, the actual number of SM flavors n = 6 may be recovered at the end of calculations.…”

“…The underlying idea of renormalization is to avoid divergences that show up in physical predictions of QFT by using systematic rules for performing calculations [1,2,7,8,19]. In general, a QFT is called renormalizable if all infinities can be absorbed into a redefinition of a finite number of parameters.…”

“…The backbone of SM is relativistic quantum field theory (QFT) whose predictive power rests primarily on the techniques of perturbation theory [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]19]. A key premise of QFT is that the cumulative contribution of arbitrary-order quantum corrections above any energy threshold can be conveniently suppressed.…”

“…This puzzle is referred to as the fermion ''flavor problem'' [11,19] and it continues to challenge to the day our understanding of particle physics. Motivated by the relevance of nonlinear dynamics in field theory [12][13][14][15][16][17]20,21], this work suggests that the number of fermion flavors may be directly derived from the dynamics of coupling flow equations.…”