Modern Particle Physics

by Mark Thomson

Unique in its coverage of all aspects of modern particle physics, this textbook provides a clear connection between the theory and recent experimental results, including the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN. It provides a comprehensive and self-contained description of the Standard Model of particle physics suitable for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students studying experimental particle physics. Physical theory is introduced in a straightforward manner with full mathematical derivations throughout. Fully-worked examples enable students to link the mathematical theory to results from modern particle physics experiments. End-of-chapter exercises, graded by difficulty, provide students with a deeper understanding of the subject. Online resources available at www.cambridge.org/MPP feature password-protected fully-worked solutions to problems for instructors, numerical solutions and hints to the problems for students and PowerPoint slides and JPEGs of figures from the book.

Genres: Physics, Textbooks, Science, Mathematics, Technical, Nonfiction

570 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[cardulelia carduelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not going to be everyone's favourite textbook as it takes a different approach than the likes of more famous tomes, such as Griffiths.
However, if you're learning particle phenomenology, and maybe you need some reminders about the nitty-gritty calculation details, this book may well be what you want.
It gives a nice overview of many topics (including a detailed electroweak and higgs mechanism chapter) and goes into lots of detail about the mathematical formalism required to set up such a theory.
This feels like one of the more maths-heavy textbooks you can get though without having already taken quantum field theory.
Each section also gives commentary and examples from experiments in the field and then goes one step further by showing measurement plots of measurable quantities, like the Bjorken x, and walking you through how to interpret them.
The exercises in the book are fair for the most part but, as with most things, would benefit from some discussion rather than being attempted alone.
In terms of publication, the book didn't really stand up to 3 months of being carted around and scribbled in. The binding started to crack in the end which isn't ideal for such an expensive textbook. On the other hand the paper is nice and thick, with plenty of room in the margins to write notes.
Another benefit is that Thomson developed this from his lecture course in particle phenom. so all of his notes and slides are online if you need something explained in a slightly different way.

I thought this was a great textbook, full of rich detail and beautifully presented. A great compliment to a more chatty overview.

[Mariana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book to learn about Particle Physics, very thorough and almost up-to-date, since it's so recent. I enjoyed the way it presented the theory along with a lot of experimental results.

[Henrique Legoinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although making use of shortcomings this book is well written and very complete. In fact, a “modern” approach on the subject is taken by introducing and preferring helicity and chirality over the trace technology when performing perturbative computations. All forces are studied one after another, including the Higgs mechanism and the emerging Yukawa interactions.

[Nathan Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Particle physics is wicked.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be the best text book on particle physics that there is.

A very comprehensive book, with a very clear introduction to concepts that may be new to the reader, i.e. helicity, chirality, QED and QCD legrangians. Everything is laid out clearly, and calculations are carried out in full.

The problems at the end of each chapter (with solutions available online) are excellent at affirming your understanding.

I used this book for my particle physics masters course and I believe I couldn't have completed the course without it.

[tenten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to find a good textbook to base my theoretical HEP course on. None of the popular ones were good enough for theorists.

This book ended up the one I recommended to my students. It's not great, but better than the rest (esp. Griffiths).

For some unknown reason (all?) particle physics books are written by experimental physicists (theorists prefer to write QFT textbooks.)

[Yuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best introductory textbooks to the current standard model of particle physics.
Thomson introduces just the right amount of mathematics required to understand the topics conceptually.
10/10 would read again

[Kate Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best particle physics textbook there is.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most challenging book of my undergrad

[Charlie Hultquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m counting it towards my reading goal I did read it cover to cover