PARTICLE PHYSICS
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to learn the experimental evidences and the methodologies that led to the formulation of the Standard Model (SM) of elementary particle physics, from the beginning of the discipline in the 30s and 40s of the last century until the formulation of the SM. The course is closely linked to the theoretical courses of the first semester and to the annual course of Laboratory. At the end of the course the students have to: 1) know and be able to discuss the fundamental concepts of the SM 2) know the fundamental experiments that allowed the development of the SM 3) to have understood the main methodologies of the experimental particle physics, both the technological and the statistical aspects.
Channel 1
SHAHRAM RAHATLOU
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
Discrete symmetries and conservation laws
Static quark model of hadrons.
Flavor symmetry and quark model
Elastic and Inelastic scattering
Structure of nuclei and nucleons
Form factors
Deep inelastic scattering and structure functions
The quark-parton model
The e+e- scattering and EM interactions
Weak interactions: V-A interaction, GIM mechanism
Elements of quantum chromodynamics
Introduction to the Standard Model
CP violation and CKM mechanism
Prerequisites
Knowledge of classical mechanics, electromagnetism, analytical mechanics, and measurement theory acquired in the courses of the first years of a three-year degree in Physics or in Astronomy and Astrophysics are essential.
It is important to have knowledge of quantum and statistica mechanics (phase space) and statistical mechanic. It is strongly recommended to have attended the Relativistic Quantum Mechanics (RQM) course in the first semester.
Books
Francesco Terranova, A modern primer in particle and nuclear physics
D. Griffiths, Introduction to Elementary Particles , 2nd Ed.
Cahn and Goldhaber, The experimental foundation of Particle Physics, 2nd Ed.D.
D. H. Perkins, Introduction to High Energy Physics, 4th ed.
Teaching mode
The lectures will be in presence with the blackboard (electronic or traditional). About ⅓ of the lectures will be problem solving sessions on the topics covered in the course.
Frequency
Attendance to the lectures is not mandatory but strongly recommended.
Exam mode
The final exam consists of an oral discussion of the topics covered in the course.
The evaluation will take into account:
- correctness of the exposed arguments;
- clarity and rigor of presentation;
- numerical correctness, order of magnitude, and unit of measurement;
- analytical exposition of the theory.
Students can choose one of the major experiments discussed during the course, and present in details the experimental aspects of the measurement. In addition, questions will be asked on topics covered in the syllabus, including the calculations done during the lectures or left as exercise for the students.
Bibliography
C. Dionisi e E. Longo, Dispense di fisica nucleare e subnucleare
J. J. Sakurai, J. Napolitano, Meccanica quantistica moderna, 2nd Ed.
Lesson mode
The lectures will be in presence with the blackboard (electronic or traditional). There will be the discussion of the experimental techniques in the major experiments that led to the discovery of the quark model and of the quarks, the discovery of the weak interactions, and to the construction of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.
- Lesson code10592564
- Academic year2024/2025
- CoursePhysics
- CurriculumFundamental Interactions: Theory and Experiment (Percorso valido anche fini del conseguimento del titolo multiplo italo-francese-svedese-ungherese) - in lingua inglese
- Year1st year
- Semester2nd semester
- SSDFIS/04
- CFU6
- Subject areaMicrofisico e della struttura della materia