ELEMENTS OF SUBNUCLEAR PHYSICS
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2018/2019
- Teacher
- LUCIANO LIBERO PAPPALARDO
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- FIS/04
Training objectives
- The course aims to provide the basic knowledge of the physics of elementary particles and fundamental interactions. Students will acquire familiarity with solving simple relativistic kinematic problems and calculating the cross-sections of some elementary processes. They will also understand the importance of symmetries and related conservation laws in defining the properties and the phenomenology of the fundamental interactions (electromagnetic, strong and weak) and will acquire the basic knowledge of the experimental and theoretical study of the internal structure of hadrons.
In the end, he will acquire an overview of the modern physics of elementary particles through the basic notions of the Standard Model (gauge invariance, electroweak unification and Higgs mechanism). Prerequisites
- For the full understanding of the subjects of the course, basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and special relativity is required.
Course programme
- The course is divided into 10 modules. The main topics are listed below:
1. Introduction [3 hours]
- Introduction to the Standard Model
- Summary of relativistic kinematics
2. Basic concepts [6 hours]
- Fermi golden rule, cross sections and decay rates
- Dirac equation
- Introduction to the Lagrangian formalism
- Symmetries and conservation laws
3. Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) [4 hours]
- The QED Lagrangian
- Perturbative approach and Feynman diagrams
- Cross sections of the main electromagnetic processes
- Basics of renormalization of QED
- Vacuum polarization and Lamb shift
4. Discrete symmetries [3 hours]
- Fermions and Bosons
- Parity
- Charge conjugation
- Time-reversal
- CPT theorem
- Basics of Electric Dipole Moment (EDM)
5. Hadrons [8 hours]
- Isospin, baryon number and strangeness
- SU(3) flavour symmetry and the Quark Model
- Mesonic and barionic multiplets
- Mass of mesons and baryons
- The proton magnetic moment
- Heavy quarks
- Hadronic resonances
6. Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) [4 hours]
- Local SU(3) transformations
- The QCD Lagrangian
- Quark-gluon interactions
- Colour factors
- Heavy mesons and the potential of strong interaction
- Confinement and asymptotic freedom (running coupling)
- Hadronization
- QCD in e+e- annihilations
- Quark-Gluon Plasma
7. Structure of nucleons [6 hours]
- Electron-proton elastic scattering
- Rutherford and Mott cross sections and further approximations
- Nucleon Form Factors
- Inelastic electron-proton scattering
- Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS)
- Structure functions
- Parton model and Parton Distribution Functions (PDFs)
- Experiments at HERA and main results
- Spin of the proton
- Hadronic collisions and Drell-Yan
8. Weak interactions [8 hours]
- Lepton flavour number
- Beta decay and Fermi theory
- Parity violation
- Charged currents and the V-A structure
- The example of the weak decay of charged pions
- Leptonic universality
- Weak interactions of quarks, Cabibbo mixing and CKM matrix
- The GIM mechanism
- Neutral currents
- Discovery and properties of the W and Z vector bosons
- Oscillations and CP violation in the neutral kaons sector
- Neutrino oscillations and the PMNS matrix
9. Electroweak unification and the Higgs mechanism [5 hours]
- The Weinberg-Salam-Glashow model
- Couplings and decays of the Z boson
- The Lagrangian of Standard Model and gauge invariance
- Spontaneous symmetry breaking
- The Higgs mechanism
- Experiments at the LHC
- Discovery and properties of the Higgs boson
- Limits of the Standard Model and open questions
10. Standard Model and beyond [1 hour]
- Dark Matter: observations and direct and indirect search
- Outline of models beyond SM (SUSY, GUT, Strings,...)
- Outline of the evolution of primordial Universe Didactic methods
- The course consists of theoretical lessons and exercises. The lessons take place partly on the blackboard and partly through projections of slides. The latter will be provided to the student as complementary material.
Learning assessment procedures
- - The final examination is oral. It covers the entire content of the course, with the exception of modules 1 and 10.
- The student can prepare an *argument at his choice* among modules from 3 to 9 (avoid modules 1, 2 and 10). This argument will be presented by the student at the blackboard (as a "lesson") and should take not less than 10-15 minutes.
- After discussing this argument, the student will be asked a few additional questions about the rest of the program (with the exception of modules 1 and 10). Questions may also include the solution of one of the problems solved at lesson.
- English is optional. Exams in Italian are also accepted without penalty. Reference texts
- - Copy of the slides shown at lesson.
Main text of reference:
- M. Thomson, "Modern Particle Physics". Cambridge University Press.
Selected topics also from:
- S. Braibant, G. Giacomelli, M. Spurio. "Particles and fundamental interactions". Springer. Edition 2012. ISBN 978-94-007-2463-1
- A. Bettini. "Introduction to Elementary Particle Physics". Cambridge University Press.
- F. Halzen, A.D. Martin. "Quark & leptons". Wiley.
