ELEMENTARY PARTICLE PHENOMENOLOGY

Degree course: 
Corso di Second cycle degree in PHYSICS
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2018/2019
Year: 
1
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2018/2019
Course type: 
Compulsory subjects, characteristic of the class
Language: 
English
Credits: 
6
Period: 
First Semester
Standard lectures hours: 
48
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (48 hours)
Requirements: 

Nuclear and subnuclear physics with exercise classes
Quantum physics (Modules 1 and 2)
Electromagnetism (Modules 1 and 2)

Final Examination: 
Orale

The course examination takes the form of a single final oral test. In order to ascertain the expositional abilities in elementary particle physics phenomenology and the level of understanding of the subject, students are asked to make a previously prepared oral presentation. During and after the presentation, questions are asked to test the ability to reason on the subject under examination and to check the understanding of the various topics touched upon during the lessons.

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

The purpose of the course is to provide students with an introduction to the phenomenology of elementary particle physics, defined as the interaction between the two main spheres of activity: on the one hand, the development of the theory that describes the physical world at the subnuclear level and, on the other, the experimental work aimed at verifying the validity of this description and at discovering new, as yet unknown and often unexpected aspects. Students will thus acquire a knowledge of the state of the art of both theoretical and experimental elementary particle physics, together with an understanding of the mechanisms and motivations that led us to the current theoretical and experimental scheme.

• Symmetries
 > parity violation in weak interactions
 > the V–A formulation of weak currents
 > Cabibbo's theory
 > the GIM mechanism and the CKM matrix
 > CP violation in the Standard Model

• Hadronic Physics
 > Gell-Mann's theory - SU(3)
 > the strong interaction - QCD
 > DIS and ep machines
 > Feynman's quark–parton model
 > asymptotic freedom
 > the "new" particles

• Cosmic Rays and First Discovery
 > e+e– machines
 > discovery of the c and b quarks
 > discovery of the tau lepton
 > pp machines
 > discovery of W±, Z0 and the t quark

• Elementary Particles and Fundamental Forces
 > the spontaneous breaking of symmetries (Higgs)
 > B-meson physics
 > the discovery and measurement of CP violation
 > proton decay
 > the standard model

• General Issues
 > neutrino oscillation and mixing
 > GUT
 > SuSy
 > beyond the 4 dimensions
 > beyond the Standard Model

Notes available online:
http://scienze-como.uninsubria.it/phil/Corsi/

Suggested supplementary but not compulsory texts:
P.G. Ratcliffe "An Introduction to Elementary Particle Phenomenology" (IoP, 2014);
D. Perkins, "Introduction to High Energy Physics" (CUP, 2000);
F. Halzen & A. Martin, "Quarks and Leptons" (Wiley, 1984);
Povh et al., "Particles and Nuclei" (Springer, 1995).

Conventional blackboard lectures, including exercise classes in the classroom for a total of 48 hours.

Office hours:
by appointment (write to philip.ratcliffe@uninsubria.it)