Recommend Intro Books to Particle Physics?

[Rana13]

Hello everyone-

I was wondering if anyone could recommend introductory books on particle physics? I'm looking for something an undergrad could read as if they were taking a beginning course. I've searched Amazon and found tons of college textbooks only I'm not sure which ones are good. Would anyone mind naming one or two they know of or heard is good? Perhaps one you've read yourself or used to teach?
I'm not currently enrolled in a intro to particle physics class, but would like to read on the subject myself. I know there is some math I currently wouldn't understand (I'm currently enrolled in the Calculus series in my college so my current understanding of mathematics only applies to those courses) but Id like to read about it anyway, at least to get a feel of the concepts.

Or, a better question, are there books preceding this topic that I should read to get a better understanding? Thanks very much if anyone has any useful comments =)

 

[nicksauce]

Griffiths' book is the best, in my opinion. But if you haven't yet taken a course in quantum mechanics, I don't know how much you'll be able to get out of it (or any particle physics book).

 

[Rana13]

Ah thanks a lot =) Well, I guess perhaps I should try and find a book that doesn't cover too much math concepts? I am just trying to get a basic idea of what I am interested in, perhaps college textbooks might not be my answer? I was advised to get them anyway just to have a look...

 

[Haelfix]

If you don't have a quantum class, much less calculus, you're best bet is a laymans book on particle physics (there are a ton of them around). I suggest amazon b/c its been years since I can remember my first introduction to particle physics as a laymen (I think I might have read a Feynman book first, but I don't remember).

The college progression is generally: Calculus --> classical mechanics/em --> EM/mechanics/statmech 2(hopefully you get enough special relativity therein as well as the theory of classical particle scattering) --> quantum mechanics 1 --> introduction to particle and nuclear physics course --> quantum 2 --> field theory --> bonafide modern particle physics. Ideally you'd have optics in there as well (the forgotten class) as well as a number of math classes or a mathematical physics class to make life easier.

Strictly speaking, particle physics is really a graduate level class (or an advanced class for a senior). The first time around in the intro classes, it didn't make a lot of sense to me and seemed hopelessly arbitrary and mystical. Skipping anyone topic above makes life a lot harder.

 

[rezeew]

As a scientist with a background in particle physics, I would recommend the following introductory books to get a basic understanding of the subject:

1. "Introduction to Elementary Particles" by David Griffiths - This book is often used as a textbook for undergraduate courses in particle physics and provides a comprehensive overview of the subject.

2. "An Introduction to Particle Physics and the Standard Model" by Robert Mann - This book is written in a more accessible language and provides a good introduction to the Standard Model of particle physics.

3. "Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction" by Frank Close - This book is a great starting point for those who are completely new to the subject. It covers the basics of particle physics in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.

I would also recommend familiarizing yourself with basic concepts in quantum mechanics and special relativity before diving into particle physics. Books such as "Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum" by Leonard Susskind and "Introduction to Special Relativity" by Wolfgang Rindler are good resources for this.

Additionally, I would suggest looking into online resources such as introductory lectures and videos on YouTube or online courses on platforms like Coursera or edX. These can provide a visual and interactive way of learning about particle physics.

Happy reading and good luck on your journey into the fascinating world of particle physics!