Spring 2012: Introduction to Experimental Particle Physics (171.625)

The course is suitable for advanced physics undergraduates and beginning graduate students interested in experimental high energy physics. Some basic knowledge of non-relativistic Quantum Mechanics, Theory of Relativity, and relevant mathematical techniques is required. However, material will be presented in a phenomenological and empirical way with the emphasis on experimental aspects of the field. Other more advanced courses on particle physics are recommended for deeper studies of theoretical formalism.

The following material will be used in the course:

Requires textbook "Introduction to High Energy Physics" by Donald Perkins (4^th edition, by Cambridge University Press, 2000). Do not expect mathematical rigor from this book. However, this is a great introductory material which will serve as the main guide throughout the course. It combines all recent developments in particle physics with the balance between experiment and theory.

Recommended textbook "Introduction to Elementary Particles" by David Griffiths, second edition (by Wiley, 2008). This is a great mathematically rigorous introduction at appropriate level. However, most experimental aspects of the field are not covered. The instructor will use some chapters of this book to complement the main textbook.

Additional optional textbook "The Experimental Foundations of Particle Physics" by Robert N. Cahn and Gerson Goldhaber, second edition (Cambridge University Press, 2009) Historical overview of experimental particle physics with an overview of original articles.

Summary of elementary particle properties. It is the most up-to-date and detailed reference material and is available both in print and on-line at http://pdg.lbl.gov. We will use handouts. The instructor is one of the contributing authors of this Review, which is published every other year and is the most cited publication in the field.

You may also talk with the intructor if you are intestested in

research opportunities in experimental particle physics, such as search for and study of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider

particpating in the Science and Engineering Festival in Washington DC to communicate the science of the Large Hadron Collider to the public.

Supporting material:

Syllabus
calendar: important dates
calendar: topics covered
HW1
HW2
HW3
HW4
HW5
HW6
list of papers for presentation

Lecture 1 (Jan 30, 2012): Introduction: course overview.
Syllabus

Lecture 2 (Feb 1, 2012): Review of quantum mechanics with examples (neutrino oscillations, spin statistics). Spin and helicity. Dirac equation. Leptons. Quarks. Hadrons: baryons.

Lecture 3 (Feb 6, 2012): Hadrons: mesons. Conservation laws. Unstable particles, Breit-Wigner resonance, lifetime and width, conservation laws. Decay chain to stable particles. Interactions: boson mediators. Feynman Diagrams, examples. Electromagnetic interactions (QED), Lagrangian of QED.

Lecture 4 (Feb 8, 2012): Strong interactions (QCD), Lagrangian of QCD. Weak interactions. Weak Interactions. Example of pion decay and helicity. EW unification and Higgs particle. Higgs mechanism. "New Physics": supersymmetry.

Lecture 5 (Feb 13, 2012): Alpha-, beta-, gamma-, cosmic-rays. Radioactive sources. Cosmic-ray particles. History: Thompson and Rutherford. Major discoveries of the 20th century. Production of particles.

Lecture 6 (Feb 15, 2012): Acceleration of particles. Technical issues of accelerators. Examples of accelerator complexes. Luminosity and cross-section. e+e- cross-section as a function of energy.

Note: Special day of this lecture
Lecture 7 (Feb 15, 2012): Particle interaction with matter. Ionization energy loss. Multiple scattering. Electron interactions. Photon interactions.

Lecture 8 (Feb 20, 2012): Electro-magnetic shower. Nuclear interactions. Detectors of elementary particles. Position detectors: emulsion, cloud chamber, bubble chamber, spark chamber, streamer chamber, proportional chambers, drift chambers, time-projection chambers, silicon strip and pixel detectors.

Lecture 9 (Feb 22, 2012): Momentum detectors: magnetic spectrometers. EM shower detectors. Scintillators.

Note: Special day of this lecture
Lecture 10 (Feb 22, 2012): Hadronic calorimeters. Particle identification principles. Time-of-flight, dE/dx, Cherenkov light, Transition radiation.

Note: no lectures in the week of Feb 27
Lecture 11 (Mar 5, 2012): Examples of modern detectors.

Lecture 12 (Mar 7, 2012): Fundamental symmetries and conservation laws: energy, momentum, angular momentum, charge. Other symmetries: P, C, CP, T, CPT. Baryon and lepton numbers. Sakharov conditions. Parity of mesons. Parity of a complex system.

Lecture 13 (Mar 12, 2012): Charge conjugate symmetry: mesons and other examples. P- and C-conservation in strong and EM decays. Flavor symmetry: isospin and SU(2) group. SU(3). G-parity. Examples of isospin symmetry in strong decays.

Lecture 14 (Mar 14, 2012): Examples of isospin symmetry in strong decays. Neutral Kaon mesons.

Lecture 15 (Mar 26, 2012): Neutral Kaon mesons: CP violation and time-evolution. Quarks in hadrons: analogy with the hydrogen atom and positronium. Quarkonium spectra.

Lecture 16 (Mar 28, 2012): Charmonium decays. Heavy flavor mesons. Light mesons and singlet-octet mixing.

Lecture 17 (Apr 2, 2012): Quarks in hadrons: baryons. Baryon magnetic moment.

Lecture 18 (April 4, 2012): Baryon/meson mass. Proton structure. Partons in hadrons: lepton-nucleon scattering. Hadron-hadron scattering.

Note: Special day of this lecture
Lecture 19 (April 4, 2012): QCD potential at small distance. QCD potential at large distance. Quark mass. Angular distribution in scattering. e+e- => mu+mu-, 2jets, 3jets, any hadrons.

Lecture 20 (April 9, 2012): Weak interactions: Weak and EM currents, Dirac equation, types of operators, V-A theory, polarisation of fermions. Observation of Parity violation. V-A operator. Propagator of a massive and massless boson. Fermi theory. Pion decay.

Lecture 21 (April 11, 2012): Observation of W and Z. Weak interactions: Cabibbo angle, GIM mechanism, CKM quark-mixing matrix.

Lecture 22 (April 23, 2012): Presentations: papers

Lecture 23 (April 25, 2012): Constraints on CKM matrix, CP violation, direct-CP violation, loop and box diagrams. Neutrino mixing and neutrino physics. Solar and atmospheric neutrino experiments.

Note: Special day of this lecture
Lecture 24 (April 25, 2012): Reactor neutrinos and neutrino beams, sterile and Majorana neutrinos. Largrangian of Electromagnetic interactions. QED and QCD Largrangian. Weak isospin and hypercharge current.

Lecture 25 (April 30, 2012): Largrangian of Electroweak interactions. Spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Higgs mechanism.

Lecture 26 (May 2, 2012): Physics beyond the Standard Model.

Thu Mar 29 17:19:21 EDT 2012