Symmetry and Grassmann numbers

Particle Physics 3: Supersymmetry and Grand Unification (Spring, 2010)

Lecture Playlist

  1. Renormalization concepts, and dimensional analysis

  2. Fermions and bosons

  3. Propagators and renormalization of mass

  4. Symmetry and Grassmann numbers

  5. A first supersymmetric model

  6. Supersymmetry building blocks

  7. Lagrangians that preserve supersymmetry

  8. Generalizing supersymmetry to 3+1 spacetime, and QFT

  9. Supersymmetry breaking and an introduction to grand unified theories

  10. GUTs, the SU(5) representation, proton decay

April 19, 2010

Professor Susskind reviews the mathematical concepts of symmetry in preparation for the development of supersymmetry.   Then he introduces the mathematical concept of Grassmann numbers, which are used in the description of fermionic fields.

Topics: 
  • Continuous symmetries and generators (Lie algebra)
  • Grassmann numbers (anti-commuting numbers)