Approaches to Fundamental Physics: An Assessment of Current Theoretical Ideas (Lecture Notes in Physics)

This book offers a portrait of the research landscape of present-day fundamental theoretical physics. It presents contributions on particle theory, quantum field theory, general relativity, quantum gravity, string theory and cosmology. The book examines a way of communicating about methods, achievements and promises of the different approaches which shape the development of this field. – The Many-Fold Way of Contemporary High Energy Theoretical Physics.- Elementary Particle Theory.- The Standard Model of Particle Physics.- Beyond the Standard Model.- Quantum Field Theory.- Quantum Field Theory: Where We Are.- General Relativity Theory.- General Relativity.- Remarks on the Notions of General Covariance and Background Independence.- Quantum Gravity.- Why Quantum Gravity?.- The Canonical Approach to Quantum Gravity: General Ideas and Geometrodynamics.- Loop and Spin Foam Quantum Gravity: A Brief Guide for Beginners.- Loop Quantum Gravity: An Inside View.- Quantum Einstein Gravity: Towards an Asymptotically Safe Field Theory of Gravity.- String Theory.- String Theory: An Overview.- Cosmology.- Dark Energy.