Theory of the Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment

Abstract

The theory of the muon anomalous magnetic moment is particle physics in a nutshell. It is an interesting, exciting and difficult subject. The current precision of the experimental value for this quantity, has improved significantly in recent years due to experiment E821 at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and is so high that a large number of subtle effects once deemed irrelevant have now become important for the interpretation of the experimental result. The theory of the muon anomalous magnetic moment is at the cutting edge of current research in particle physics. It includes multiloop calculations in both QED and electroweak theory, precision low-energy hadron physics, isospin violations and scattering of light by light. Any deviation between the theoretical prediction and the experimental value might be interpreted as a signal of an as-yet-unknown new physics. This book provides a comprehensive review of the theory of the muon anomalous magnetic moment.