By J Campbell, J Huston and F Krauss
Oxford University Press
Also available at the CERN bookshop
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the physics of the strong interaction, which is necessary to analyse and understand the results of current experiments at particle accelerators. In particular, the authors aim to show how to apply the framework of perturbative theory in the context of the strong interaction, to the prediction as well as correct interpretation of signals and backgrounds at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
The book consists of three parts. In the first, after a brief introduction to the LHC and the present hot topics in particle physics, a general picture of high-energy interactions involving hadrons in the initial state is developed. The relevant terminology and techniques are reviewed and worked out using standard examples.
The second part is dedicated to a more detailed discussion of various aspects of the perturbative treatment of the strong interaction in hadronic reactions. Finally, in the last section, experimental findings are confronted with theoretical predictions.
Primarily addressed at graduate students and young researchers, this book can also be a helpful reference for advanced scientists. In fact, it can provide the right level of knowledge for theorists to understand data more in depth and for experimentalists to be able to recognise the advantages and disadvantages of different theoretical descriptions.
The reader is assumed to be familiar with concepts of particle physics such as the calculation of Feynman diagrams at tree level and the evaluation of cross sections through phase space integration with analytical terms. However, a short review of these topics is given in the appendices.
