Particle physics and representation theory
Physics-mathematics connection / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Particle physics and representation theory?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS
There is a natural connection between particle physics and representation theory, as first noted in the 1930s by Eugene Wigner.[1] It links the properties of elementary particles to the structure of Lie groups and Lie algebras. According to this connection, the different quantum states of an elementary particle give rise to an irreducible representation of the Poincaré group. Moreover, the properties of the various particles, including their spectra, can be related to representations of Lie algebras, corresponding to "approximate symmetries" of the universe.