Books on QED and QCD

[TurboRotary]

Ok.. first off Im no physicist.. hell Im not even in school. I have a deep interest in Quantum Mechanics.. Ive been reading alot about it. I want to get a better grasp on both QED and QCD. What books would you guys/girls recommend?

[Severian]

I would suggest Halzen and Martin. It is quite basic and should be managable with a decent knowledge of quantum mechanics. It completely avoids quantum field theory, and uses more physical arguments instead.

 

It is not very rigorous, but it is a good place to start.

[ajb]

The book by A Das & T Ferbel would give you an overview of nuclear and particle physics. It doesn't use any quantum field theory but assumes that you know some quantum mechanics. It might be the sort of book you are looking for.

 

http://www.worldscibooks.com/physics/5460.html

 

Halzen and Martin comes highly recommended, it was the bases of a course I did last year on further quantum mechanics. Like Severian said, it stops short of using quantum field theory, but does deal with relativistic quantum mechanics and Feynman diagrams. I never used the book myself, but I know people who have.

 

If you want more advanced stuff there are plenty of book out there. I like Ryder, Kaku, Nash and Ramond.

 

Hope that helps

[Perturbation]

Ok.. first off Im no physicist.. hell Im not even in school. I have a deep interest in Quantum Mechanics.. Ive been reading alot about it. I want to get a better grasp on both QED and QCD. What books would you guys/girls recommend?

 

Would these texts be mathematically orientated or purely qualitative, popular science and what not?

 

Popular science wise, "QED-The Strange Theory of Light and Matter"-Feynman is a must, but you've probably read that, it's a popular book. Popular science wise for particle physics I don't really know any more than that, I don't read much popular science any more.

 

The only QED books I own and have really read a great deal of are field theoretic, chief amongst which is Schroeder and Peskin's, where the first part is devoted entirely to QED and Feynman diagrams. The second part focuses on the systematics of renormalisation and the final part on non-abelian field theories and the Standard Model of particle physics, i.e. QCD, GSW (electroweak), the Higgs etc. But it's very good, though it requires a fair amount of mathematics/physics as a prerequisite. It would probably be much better if you've been introduced to QED through relativistic quantum mechanics, I'd have thought. Though I never did much relativistic QM before doing field theory, and it didn't take me long to get the hang of the relativistic formulation.

 

I have read a bit of Halzen and Martin, and it doesn't seem too bad.

 

I teach myself so I have to make do with what I can get hold of, so my recommendations aren't as substantial as Severian's or ajb's.

[Tom Mattson]

I like Halzen and Martin, but I think that the book by Griffiths entitled Introduction to Elementary Particles sits even one step closer to undergraduate level QM than Halzen and Martin does.

[TurboRotary]

I know nothing of the mathematics involved with QM.. Im trying to break into that slowly. Right now Im just trying to get the basic gist of it all. I have read In Search of Schrodingers Cat and a few web sites about QM and I just picked up Feynmans QED book.. so Im hoping that will give a decent picture.

[ajb]

The main area of mathematics behind quantum mechanics if the theory of Hilbert spaces and their operators. Hilbert spaces are infinite dimensional complex vector spaces and the operator are infinite dimensional matrices.

 

So, before looking at this I suggest you get familiar (if your not already) with linear algebra, things to do with vector spaces and matrices in finite dimension.

[Tom Mattson]

I know nothing of the mathematics involved with QM..

 

Well if you want to get into it, then may I ask: Where did you leave off with mathematics? I am sure I have some free online resources that can get you up to speed.

[Perturbation]

I know nothing of the mathematics involved with QM.. Im trying to break into that slowly.

 

Go for it. I'm 16, well nearly 17, and in college (UK equivalent of Highschool) and I taught myself quantum mechanics/field theory and all the prerequisite stuff. Reading popular science is definitely the thing to do first. If you need any help any time just give me a shout.

[TurboRotary]

Well if you want to get into it, then may I ask: Where did you leave off with mathematics? I am sure I have some free online resources that can get you up to speed.

 

I left of with Geometry.. haha. I have some learning to do! Ill take all the help I can get.. thanks!

[TurboRotary]

Go for it. I'm 16, well nearly 17, and in college (UK equivalent of Highschool) and I taught myself quantum mechanics/field theory and all the prerequisite stuff. Reading popular science is definitely the thing to do first. If you need any help any time just give me a shout.

 

 

Yeah Im gonna try to do the same thing. Thanks man.

[TurboRotary]

Well if you want to get into it, then may I ask: Where did you leave off with mathematics? I am sure I have some free online resources that can get you up to speed.

 

 

BTW.. Im interested in what sources you have.

[TurboRotary]

Well if you want to get into it, then may I ask: Where did you leave off with mathematics? I am sure I have some free online resources that can get you up to speed.

 

 

Im gonna make a guess here that I left off WAY to soon right!? lol