PHYS 441 – Topics in Nuclear and Particle Physics

Description

A survey of concepts in particle and nuclear physics. We will learn about particles and forces that make up this universe, modern theories about these forces, culminating into an “almost theory of everything” known as the standard model of particle physics. We will learn about the Higgs boson and, time permitted, we might even talk about theories like supersymmetry, quantum gravity and string theory.

Topics

1. Rutherford Scattering: Discovery of the nucleus and the foundation of modern nuclear and particle physics.
2. Nuclear Phenomenology: Properties and nomenclature of the new (strong) nuclear force.
3. Nuclear Models: Quantum physics in the nuclear regime (Shell Model) and collective motion of nucleons.
4. Nuclear Radiation: α, β, and γ emission, barrier penetration, and a new weak interaction (neutrinos)
5. Applications of Nuclear Physics: Fission, fusion, radioactive decay and dating.
6. Energy Deposition in Media: Interactions of charged particles, photons, and hadrons in matter.
7. Particle Detection: Ionization, scintillation, Cherenkov light, wire chambers and calorimetry.
8. Particle Accelerators: Electrostatic, resonance, linear, synchronous, and colliding-beam accelerators, phase stability and strong focusing.
9. Properties and Interactions of Elementary Particles in Matter: Forces, hadrons, resonances, strong, weak, and electromagnetic processes, intrinsic spin, other quantum numbers and their violation.
10. Symmetries in Nature: Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations, invariance principles, infinitesimal transformations, continuous and local (gauge) symmetries. (With strong-isospin as example.)
11. Discrete Transformations: Parity, time reversal, charge conjugation, and the CPT theorem.
12. Neutral Kaons, Oscillations, and CP Violation: K0 eigenstates of CP, K0S–K0L mixing and regeneration, and violation of CP invariance in particle interactions.
13. Formulation of the Standard Model: Quarks, leptons, gauge bosons, hadrons, weak-isospin and color symmetries, QCD, and symmetry breaking.
14. Confrontation of the Standard Model with Data: Cabibbo angle, GIM mechanism, CKM matrix, Higgs boson and weak mixing angle, and comparisons to data.
15. Beyond the Standard Model: Grand unification, SUSY, and gravity.

Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.

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