Gauge Theories of Weak Interactions [Paperback]

This 1979 book examines gauge theories, which were first proposed in the context of weak interactions in 1976.The development of gauge theories has provided the basis for a complete and consistent account of weak interactions - for example between neutrinos and matter - whilst displaying their unity with electromagnetism. This 1979 book examines gauge theories, which were first proposed in this context in 1976.The development of gauge theories has provided the basis for a complete and consistent account of weak interactions - for example between neutrinos and matter - whilst displaying their unity with electromagnetism. This 1979 book examines gauge theories, which were first proposed in this context in 1976.The interaction between neutrinos and matter is an example of the type classified as weak, and such interactions also allow many elementary particle decays and the beta decay of the nuclei. The development of gauge theories has provided the basis for a complete and consistent account of weak interactions, at the same time displaying their unity with electromagnetism. Gauge theories in this context were first proposed in 1967. Rapid mathematical development took place from 1971, and on this book's publication in 1979, a moderate amount of empirical verification had been achieved.Foreword; Preface; Notation and conventions; 1. Introduction; 2. Weak interactions and vector mesons; 3. Photons; 4. The YangMills field; 5. Spontaneous breaking of symmetries; 6, Spontaneous breaking of local gauge symmetries; 7. Topology and symmetry-breaking; 8. Theory of leptons; 9. A provisional model of hadron weak interactions; 10. Feynman's path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics; 11. Quantization of gauge fields; 12. WardTakahashi identities; 13. Regularization and anomalies; 14. Renormalization of gauge theories; 15. Symmetry-breaking and mass-differences; 16. Higher-order corrections; 17. CP and T violation; 18. Gauge theories and strong interactions; Index.