M Y Han – författare

This book presents the essential aspects of relativistic quantum field theory, with minimal use of mathematics. It covers the development of quantum field theory from the original quantization of electromagnetic field to the gauge field theory of interactions among quarks and leptons.Aimed at both scientists and non-specialists, it requires only some rudimentary knowledge of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulation of Newtonian mechanics and a basic understanding of the special theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

Coming into the 21st century, developments in three major areas of elementary particle physics — the electroweak theory with the Higgs mechanism, quantum chromodynamics, and string theory began to yield more and more concrete and successful results.Seeds of all these developments in contemporary particle physics were sowed by Nambu in prophetic lectures and papers from the 1960s–70s.The discovery of the Higgs-like scalar particle at the Large Hadron Collider in July 2011 was the climax for the idea of spontaneous symmetry breaking that Nambu had laid down at the beginning of the 1960s.In this book, we collect what we consider to be the most prophetic of Nambu's papers for the benefit of current and future generations of particle physicists of the world and made them easily accessible for all. It also contains articles never published before in a book form. This text is not only of historical value but also provides a window to the mind of a man many refer to as “Nambu the seer.”A must-have book for future researchers of elementary particle theory and for those interested in the history of modern physics.

Our journey in search of the origin of matter — and, by extension, the origin of the Universe itself — has taken us deeper and deeper inside atoms. First to come into view was the atomic nucleus, and still further downscale the individual protons and neutrons that constitute the nucleus. At least for three decades, nucleons (protons and neutrons) were considered to be our final destination. Then, peering into them, we detected shadows of yet another layer of matter that lurks inside. Unable so far to crack open a nucleon and bring out one of these shadowy objects for observation and measurement, we can only guess what they are. We have named them quarks. We believe that two types of quarks — one named “up” and the other “down” — make up the proton and the neutron. Quarks are held together by a force dubbed the chromo force, represented by particles named gluons, which are just as unseen as quarks. So it is the quarks and gluons that lie at the bottom of all known matter!In this important book, the major developments in atomic, nuclear, particle and quark physics over the past one hundred years are presented in a style that is both accessible to the layperson and of value to the expert. It provides a brief history of particles, charting the discovery of electrons and photons, antimatter, atomic nuclei, strong and weak forces, and quarks and gluons. In particular, it traces the concept of “conserved charges”, a phenomenon that is consistently manifested in each of these milestone developments in modern physics.

Our journey in search of the origin of matter — and, by extension, the origin of the Universe itself — has taken us deeper and deeper inside atoms. First to come into view was the atomic nucleus, and still further downscale the individual protons and neutrons that constitute the nucleus. At least for three decades, nucleons (protons and neutrons) were considered to be our final destination. Then, peering into them, we detected shadows of yet another layer of matter that lurks inside. Unable so far to crack open a nucleon and bring out one of these shadowy objects for observation and measurement, we can only guess what they are. We have named them quarks. We believe that two types of quarks — one named “up” and the other “down” — make up the proton and the neutron. Quarks are held together by a force dubbed the chromo force, represented by particles named gluons, which are just as unseen as quarks. So it is the quarks and gluons that lie at the bottom of all known matter!In this important book, the major developments in atomic, nuclear, particle and quark physics over the past one hundred years are presented in a style that is both accessible to the layperson and of value to the expert. It provides a brief history of particles, charting the discovery of electrons and photons, antimatter, atomic nuclei, strong and weak forces, and quarks and gluons. In particular, it traces the concept of “conserved charges”, a phenomenon that is consistently manifested in each of these milestone developments in modern physics.