An Introduction to Gauge Theories

"This book on gauge theories completes a trilogy on the foundations of the Standard Theory of the fundamental interactions, but is fully self-contained. It combines the depth and conceptual accuracy expected from key contributors to the field with an effective pedagogical approach, tested over several decades of courses. The mathematical formalism is never overwhelming, and the reader is guided through the concepts and techniques of quantum gauge theories along a path always driven by physics, including recent developments on the Higgs boson. This book is a great legacy of the `Rome School’ for students, teachers and researchers in particle physics, not only theorists but also curious experimentalists."
—Fabio Zwirner, University of Padua

"Introduction to Gauge Theories is authored by leading contributors to the Standard Model of Particle Physic (SM): Nicola Cabibbo (the proponent of quark mixing angles, whose extension led to the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix); Luciano Maiani (one of the fathers of the so-called GIM mechanism which led to the prediction of the quark charm); and Omar Benhar (a well-known expert in many-body physics) and it constitutes a most welcome addition to the literature. A must-have in any physics library, this book is highly original, centring on deep problems of quantum field theory, and consistently well-motivated by experimental phenomena. The symmetries of nature are the guiding principle, illuminating the presentation of the concept of renormalisation and its applications in gauge theories, from a thorough and pedagogical analysis of Quantum Electrodynamics, to the exploration of Quantum Chromodynamics and the SM, including the role of the Higgs field, and beyond.
Everybody can find some food for thought here: from the graduate student to the most hardened researcher. This book is full of physical insights and is highly recommended."
—Belén Gavela, Professor of Theoretical Physics at