On the Role of Division, Jordan and Related Algebras in Particle Physics

This monograph surveys the role of some associative and non-associative algebras, remarkable by their ubiquitous appearance in contemporary theoretical physics, particularly in particle physics. It concerns the interplay between division algebras, specifically quaternions and octonions, between Jordan and related algebras on the one hand, and unified theories of the basic interactions on the other. Selected applications of these algebraic structures are discussed: quaternion analyticity of Yang–Mills instantons, octonionic aspects of exceptional broken gauge, supergravity theories, division algebras in anyonic phenomena and in theories of extended objects in critical dimensions. The topics presented deal primarily with original contributions by the authors.