Synthese (Suppl 16):1-31 (2019)
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Abstract |
In this paper I detail three major mathematical developments that led to the emergence of Yang–Mills theories as the foundation for the standard model of particle physics. In less than 10 years, work on renormalizability, the renormalization group, and lattice quantum field theory highlighted the utility of Yang–Mills type models of quantum field theory by connecting poorly understood candidate dynamical models to emerging experimental results. I use this historical case study to provide lessons for theory construction in physics, and touch on issues related to renormalization group realism from a more historical perspective. In particular, I highlight the fact that much of the hard work in theory construction comes when trying to understand the consequences and representational capacities of a theoretical framework.
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Reprint years | 2019 |
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DOI | 10.1007/s11229-018-02070-z |
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References found in this work BETA
Scientific Realism Made Effective.Porter Williams - 2019 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 70 (1):209-237.
Taking Particle Physics Seriously: A Critique of the Algebraic Approach to Quantum Field Theory.David Wallace - 2010 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 42 (2):116-125.
The Development of Renormalization Group Methods for Particle Physics: Formal Analogies Between Classical Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory.Doreen Fraser - 2020 - Synthese 197 (7):3027-3063.
The Real Problem with Perturbative Quantum Field Theory.James D. Fraser - 2020 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 71 (2):391-413.
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Citations of this work BETA
Taking Approximations Seriously: The Cases of the Chew and Nambu-Jona-Lasinio Models.Pablo Ruiz de Olano, James D. Fraser, Rocco Gaudenzi & Alexander S. Blum - 2022 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 93:82-95.
Drawing Scales Apart: The Origins of Wilson's Conception of Effective Field Theories.Sébastien Rivat - 2021 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 90:321-338.
Theory Construction in High-Energy Particle Physics.Adam Koberinski - 2019 - Dissertation, University of Western Ontario
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