Radiative Corrections in Precision Electroweak Physics: a Historical Perspective

Abstract

The aim of this article is to review the very important role played by radiative corrections in precision electroweak physics, in the framework of both the Fermi Theory of Weak Interactions and the Standard Theory of Particle Physics. Important theoretical developments, closely connected with the study and applications of the radiative corrections, are also reviewed. The role of radiative corrections in the analysis of some important signals of new physics is also discussed.Comment: 47 pages, to be published in Reviews of Modern Physic