MMath&Phys Mathematics and Physics

Particle Physics

Follow - Up Units

PHYS40521 - Frontiers of Particle Physics 1

PHYS40722 - Frontiers of Particle Physics 2

To study the basic constituents of matter and the nature of interactions between them.

On completion successful students will be able to:

1. understand the principles of the quark model.

2. understand all interactions in terms of a common framework of exchange quanta.

3. represent interactions and decays in terms of Feynman diagrams.

4. apply relativistic kinematics to reaction and decay processes.

5. appreciate the likely direction of new research over the next 10 years.

1.  Ingredients of the Standard Model

Quarks and leptons.  Mesons and baryons.

Exchange of virtual particles.  Strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions.

2.  Relativistic kinematics

Invariant mass, thresholds and decays.

3.  Conservation laws

Angular momentum.  Baryon number, lepton number.  Strangeness.  Isospin.

Parity, charge conjugation and CP.

4.  The quark model

Supermultiplets.

Resonances; formation, production and decay.

Heavy quarks, charm, bottom and top.

Experimental evidence for quarks.

Colour; confinement and experimental value.

5.  Weak interactions

Parity violation.  Helicity.

CP violation, K0 and B0 systems.

6.  The Standard Model and beyond

Quark-lepton generations.

Neutrino oscillations.

The Higgs boson.

Grand Unified Theories

Supersymmetry.

Feedback will be offered by examples class tutors based on examples sheets, and model answers will be issued.

Martin, B.R. & Shaw, G. Particle Physics (Wiley) (Main text)
Perkins, D.H. Introduction to High Energy Physics (CUP)