Theory of Fundamental Processes

This book considers the basic ideas of quantum mechanics, treating the concept of amplitude and discusses relativity and the idea of anti-particles and explains quantum electrodynamics. It provides experienced researchers with an invaluable introduction to fundamental processes.

Editor’s Foreword -- Preface -- Review of the Principles of Quantum Mechanics -- Spin and Statistics -- Rotations and Angular Momentum -- Rules of Composition of Angular Momentum -- Relativity -- Electromagnetic and Fermi Couplings -- Fermi Couplings and the Failure of Parity -- Pion-Nucleon Coupling -- Strange Particles -- Some Consequences of Strangeness -- Strong Coupling Schemes -- Strange Particles -- The Question of a Universal Coupling Coefficient -- Rules of Strangeness Changing Decays: Experiments -- Fundamental Laws of Electromagnetic and ß-Decay Coupling -- Density of Final States -- The Propagator for Scalar Particles -- The Propagator in Configuration Space -- Particles of Spin -- Virtual and Real Photons -- Problems -- Spin-1/2 Particles -- Extension of Finite Mass -- Properties of the Four-Component Spinor -- Particles of Spin -- Direct Pair Production by Muons -- Higher-Order Processes -- Self-Energy of the Electron -- Quantum Electrodynamics -- Meson Theory -- Theory of ß Decay -- Properties of the ß-Decay Coupling -- Summary of the Course

Richard Feynman