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INTRODUCTION TO PARTICLE PHYSICS
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COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
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This course provides a qualitative introduction to modern elementary
particle physics for undergraduate students. The focus of the course
is the historical onset and qualitative features of the Standard
Model of particle physics, which has proven remarkably successful in
describing the properties and behavior of elementary particles and
fields. Topics of current interest, new developments, and
outstanding problems will also be highlighted. Special attention
will be devoted to experimental methods, which resulted in most
significant discoveries in particle physics, such as methods of
detecting elementary particles, detector and accelerator design, and
important aspects of data analysis. This course could be also used
as an introduction to a graduate-level course in elementary particle
physics, Physics 217. |
COURSE FORMAT:
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There will be three hours of lectures a week, weekly homework (6-7 problems),
one midterm exam, and the
final exam. At the end of the course, each student will make a
presentation on a particular extracurricular topic in Particle
Physics. |
COURSE
PREREQUISITES:
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Undergraduate Quantum mechanics at the PH56, PH141
level, or equivalent. |
COURSE
OUTLINE:
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 | Introduction to Elementary Particles and their Interactions
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| Accelerators and Particle Detectors |
| Symmetries and Conservation Laws |
| The Quark Model |
| Neutrinos and the Weak Interaction |
| CP-violation |
| The Standard Model |
| Towards the Ultimate Theory of the Universe |
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COURSE
GRADE:
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The grade for
this course is based on the following components: Midterm:
20%
Final: 30%
Presentation: 20%
Homework: 30%
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COURSE
TEXTBOOKS:
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Required:
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B.R. Martin and G. Shaw, Particle Physics, 2nd
Edition, Wiley, ISBN 0-471-97285-1; |
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Particle Data Group Data Tables,
http://pdg.lbl.gov. |
Recommended:
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D.H. Perkins, Introduction to High Energy Physics, 4th
Edition,
Cambridge
University
Press, 2000, ISBN 0-521-62196-8; |
| A.
Das and T.Ferbel, Introduction to Nuclear and Particle
Physics, 2nd Edition, World Scientific Publishing
Company, 2004, ISBN 9-812-38744-7; |
| G.
Taubes, Nobel Dreams: Power, Deceit and the
Ultimate Experiment, Random House,
1987, ISBN 0394545036; |
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Various modern electronic publications and lecture notes on
particle physics available at the archival Web sites. |
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