An Introduction to Gauge Theory and the New Physics

An Introduction to Gauge Theory and the New Physics by Leader. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780521299374.

Gauge Theory, a class of quantum field theory, mathematical theory involving both quantum mechanics and Einstein’s special theory of relativity that is commonly used to describe subatomic particles and their associated wave fields. In a gauge theory there is a group of transformations of the field variables (gauge transformations) that leaves the basic physics of the quantum field unchanged. This condition, called gauge invariance, gives the theory a certain symmetry, which governs its equations. In short, the structure of the group of gauge transformations in a particular gauge theory entails general restrictions on the way in which the field described by that theory can interact with other fields and elementary particles.