| Unit name | Particle Physics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHYS32012 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Furqaan Yusaf |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
120 credit points of units at level I/5 in Physics, Physics with Astrophysics, joint honours Mathematics and Physics or Physics and Philosophy, including PHYS22040. |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Physics |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
This unit further develops the formalism underlying interaction of quarks and leptons using relativistic 4-vectors and Feynman diagrams. The concepts and implications of symmetries and conservation laws are introduced. The electroweak interaction is described using the concept of the propagator. Hadron physics, the strong coupling constant, asymptotic freedom, deep-inelastic scattering, Cabibbo mixing and estimates of particle decay rates are also introduced. Mechanisms of energy-loss of high-energy particles are also described. This unit is a pre-requisite for Level M/7 PHYSM0800 Particle Physics 408.
Aims:
To provide a qualitative description of the interactions between quarks and leptons. To introduce the connection between symmetries and conservation laws. To introduce the basics of electroweak and hadron interactions. To describe the main processes of energy loss of high-energy particles.
Able to draw simple Feynman diagrams for the interactions between photons and charged particle and estimate relative cross-sections. Know what transformations are allowed by the weak interaction and why some quark interactions are less likely than others. Able to apply the principle of lepton conservation. Know qualitatively how the quark model accounts for the observed hadron spectrum, and able to make simple estimates of quark mass from observed hadron masses. Understand the significance of asymptotic freedom and what deep-inelastic scattering reveals about hadron structure. Able to describe the underlying physics of important energy-loss mechanisms for high-energy particles.
Lectures and problems classes
Written examination comprising 1 2-hour paper.
