1

I am looking for textbooks, lecture notes, lecture videos on a rigorous introduction to the standard model of elementary particles. I'd prefer to not be referred to monographs for an introduction as they tend to be quite dense in my experience. I would however, be welcome to try any that are actually written from a pedagogical perspectove. What I am looking for are resources with a level of rigor equivalent to Thirring's Quantum Mathematical Physics, but I could settle for books like Talagrand's What Is A Quantum Field Theory? which is quite rigorous to some level and sympathetic to concerns for rigor in any non-rigorous essential methods/tools used by physicists.

As for my background, I'm a master's student in physics and I have a fair idea about the physics lingo on these subjects and have taken courses on them. I also have background on axiomatic quantum theory, group theory and differential geometry. However, I'm looking to start afresh with more precise terminology and a well-organised Definition-Theorem-Proof kind of approach. I prefer resources that are comprehensive (it may assume QFT background at the level of Talagrand's aforementioned book) and pedagogically oriented with sufficient attention to the applications (in at least, the form of problems) as opposed to dense travesties that only focus on the mathematics itself. To cite an example for what I mean by this, I would, for learning mathematical analysis choose a Zorich over a Rudin anyday.

PS: I hope that paints a clear picture of what I need and hopefully I can be directed to such resources. I have carefully looked at similar questions to mine but haven't found any material that I would consider introductory, be it in the comments or the answers to those questions.

EDIT: Kindly read the question carefully before judging whether it is a possible duplicate. This is clearly not one as I am not looking for a text on quantum field theory (as I mention in my background) and am I looking for something more pedagogical compared to the IAS volumes. I have already checked the links to related questions before posting this and they don't ask or contain what I'm looking for as I mention. I cannot stress this enough, but I am not looking for mathematical expositions on quantum field theory from scratch. What I need are only one or a few that build on available knowledge at the level of rigour and content of say, Talagrand's book or even Folland's book to describe the standard model. My main concern is the presentation style besides mathematical rigour and I am not trying to investigate mathematical issues related to the standard model, but only learn about the physics from a mathematical presentation.

  • 1
    I can totally relate to your feeling. I used to search in vain for a rigorous Definition-Theorem-Proof kind of approach to the important subject of meaning of life. Monographs like War and Peace are too long-winded, whereas dense travesties like Hamlet only focus on to-be-or-not-to-be sort of mathematics questions. – MadMax Sep 26 '22 at 21:42
  • 1
    I do think that resources along the lines of what you want probably exist, but I'd just point out that you are asking for a lot. The SM includes QCD, and we don't even have a physically rigorous understanding of all aspects of QCD (e.g., confinement), let alone a mathematically rigorous one. That's leaving aside all the rest... Maybe a better starting point would just to be getting a handle on parts of the SM, like seeing what rigorous results exist for pure $SU(N)$ Yang-Mills theory. – d_b Sep 26 '22 at 21:42
  • 2
    Monographs are not dense; they assume you understand terms and techniques. Introductory and rigorous may be antithetical to each other, since, rigorous means dotting the i's and crossing the t's, while introductory implies explaining said terms and techniques in intuitive terms. Donoghue and Golowich is the go-to monograph. – Cosmas Zachos Sep 26 '22 at 21:57
  • 2
    @MadMax ... until you stumbled on Gravity's Rainbow and put it all together... – Cosmas Zachos Sep 26 '22 at 22:26
  • 1
    The biggest mathematical issues behind the standard model are the issues of QFT. Possible duplicates: https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/27700/2451 and links therein. – Qmechanic Sep 26 '22 at 23:12
  • 1
    @CosmasZachos while introductory and rigorous may be antithetical, it doesn't necessarily have to be. Besides, based on my question, I am not looking for a complete introduction to Quantum Field Theory or Lie Theory either, so I have some background to start with. I've not had a very pleasant time reading monographs in my experience even on topics I have far more background in. Hence the search for maybe even multiple resources which can together be what I'm looking for. I will however give your reference a look. Thanks :) – Song of Physics Sep 27 '22 at 03:18
  • @d_b, I certainly wouldn't mind getting a handle on parts of the SM. In fact, I am not looking for a singular authoritative resource. Multiple ones covering different parts would also work. My only requirement is that the resources be pedagogical for someone with my background and rigorous, so long as all of them put together are comprehensive enough. – Song of Physics Sep 27 '22 at 03:32
  • And now I am bamboozled. I didn't even know that the standard model was rigorous. After hearing talk after talk after talk by theoreticians about how it can be modified and extended in a gazillion ways I thought that it was more like the flavor of the month in physics. Which is just fine with me... I like variety and things in motion. In my experience most of the books in the physics library that are rigorous are usually rigorously wrong and people rarely look at them anymore. – FlatterMann Sep 28 '22 at 03:45
  • 1
    @FlatterMann well I beg to differ. While the standard model can be modified and such, that doesn't mean it cannot be presented in a sufficiently rigorous manner with at the very least, remarks to where one is not rigorous and why along with potential resolutions for the same. – Song of Physics Sep 28 '22 at 13:45
  • @SongofPhysics while, I agree what has been said by others before, just to give a suggestionen which migth go into the direction you are looking for, you might find Hamilton's book "Mathematical Gauge Theory - With Applications to the Standard Model of Particle Physics" interesting. In this book, the (classical) Lagrangian of the SM is discussed in many details from a mathematical perspective. Furthermore, it also contains a discussion of applications to particle physics in that language. – G. Blaickner Sep 28 '22 at 16:18
  • @SongofPhysics I was mostly trying to be humorous. Having said that, you may see rigorous introductions to quantum field theory, which are basically unreadable mathematical manuscripts. I kind of doubt that you will find a rigorous treatment of the standard model since it is impossible to calculate it in entirety and the details of individual interactions are contained in thousands upon thousands of individual papers that use suitable approximations to get testable results. High energy physics is a dirty business that can't avoid contact with reality. – FlatterMann Sep 28 '22 at 20:02
  • @G.Blaickner thank you for your suggestion. This book does appear to have a good introduction. – Song of Physics Sep 29 '22 at 14:08

0 Answers0