Particle Introductory book on particle physics

AI Thread Summary
A user seeks a particle physics book that provides foundational concepts with complete mathematical proofs, particularly for spinless particle interactions and Feynman calculus. Recommendations include D.J. Griffiths' text, noted for its clarity but criticized for lacking rigorous proofs. Alternatives suggested are Srednicki's book, which is available as a PDF draft, and Lancaster & Blundell, which is in high demand and often sells out on Amazon. For those needing a refresher on quantum mechanics, Sakurai & Napolitano's paperback international edition is recommended. The discussion emphasizes that many "particle physics" books focus more on phenomenology rather than rigorous theoretical frameworks, suggesting a preference for texts specifically on quantum field theory (QFT).
Silviu
Messages
612
Reaction score
11
Hello! Can someone please recommend me a particle physics book that starts from the very basic concepts, but gives complete proofs for everything (for example, I want to start with the "spinless" particles interactions as an introduction to Feynman calculus, but I don't want them to just write down the differential cross section formula, without all the math behind). Thank you!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
D.J. Griffiths' text is the one I would recommend, 2nd edition of 2008 to be a little more up to date.
 
dextercioby said:
D.J. Griffiths' text is the one I would recommend, 2nd edition of 2008 to be a little more up to date.
Thank you! I used that book. It is good indeed, but he doesn't proves anything. All the equations and Feynman rules are just given (maybe a little bit explained at the end). But this is not what I want.
 
I'd recommend Srednicki supplemented with Lancaster & Blundell.

The PDF draft of Srednicki's book is here: http://web.physics.ucsb.edu/~mark/qft.html

Lancaster & Blundell has been selling out quickly every time they restock at Amazon lately. It's being sold used a lot, so there are several Amazon sales pages for it. I'd recommend searching for it with Amazon's search periodically to find a good price or wait for new copies to be back in stock. Searching by ISBN on addall.com sometimes also yields good results, and sometimes links directly to difficult-to-find used sales pages on Amazon. The ISBN I used to search it on Amazon is 9780199699339.

Oh, and if you need to brush up on your quantum mechanics, I can recommend the paperback international edition of Sakurai & Napolitano. I bought one as an extra copy recently, and the printing, paper, and binding are quite good for an international edition, or about average compared to most Western paperback textbooks I've used.
 
  • Like
Likes dextercioby
Silviu said:
Thank you! I used that book. It is good indeed, but he doesn't proves anything. All the equations and Feynman rules are just given (maybe a little bit explained at the end). But this is not what I want.
Based on this, it appears that what you want is a book on quantum field theory. I think books labeled "particle physics" tend to be more about phenomenology than about a rigorous presentation of the theory.

We regularly have threads about QFT books, including this one which is currently on the first page of this forum:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/quantum-field-theory-books-for-undergraduates.898528/
 
For the following four books, has anyone used them in a course or for self study? Compiler Construction Principles and Practice 1st Edition by Kenneth C Louden Programming Languages Principles and Practices 3rd Edition by Kenneth C Louden, and Kenneth A Lambert Programming Languages 2nd Edition by Allen B Tucker, Robert E Noonan Concepts of Programming Languages 9th Edition by Robert W Sebesta If yes to either, can you share your opinions about your personal experience using them. I...
Hi, I have notice that Ashcroft, Mermin and Wei worked at a revised edition of the original solid state physics book (here). The book, however, seems to be never available. I have also read that the reason is related to some disputes related to copyright. Do you have any further information about it? Did you have the opportunity to get your hands on this revised edition? I am really curious about it, also considering that I am planning to buy the book in the near future... Thanks!
I’ve heard that in some countries (for example, Argentina), the curriculum is structured differently from the typical American program. In the U.S., students usually take a general physics course first, then move on to a textbook like Griffiths, and only encounter Jackson at the graduate level. In contrast, in those countries students go through a general physics course (such as Resnick-Halliday) and then proceed directly to Jackson. If the slower, more gradual approach is considered...

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
11
Views
4K
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
5
Views
4K
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
7
Views
2K
Back
Top