The Standard Model

Physics 226
Particles and Symmetries

Winter 2012

 

Instructor       Toby Burnett  tburnett@uw.edu 206 543-8963
Office, hours PAB 201 , After class
TA Tomasz Sakrejda tomaszs@uw.edu
Lectures
MWF 1:30-2:20 PAA A114
Website http://courses.washington.edu/partsym
e-mail list Phys226a_wi12@u.washington.edu
Description This course is an introduction to the fundamental constituents of matter and the symmetries which characterize their interactions. Topics include the fundamental symmetries of nature (such as Lorentz invariance, CPT, and baryon and lepton number conservation), the "building blocks" of the current Standard Model of nuclear and particle physics, the importance of symmetries in characterizing the interactions of particles, and the key experimental evidence on which the Standard Model is based.
Objectives Acquire practical facility with special relativity and its application to relativistic particle dynamics. Be able to identify various classes of elementary particles and predict the type of interactions responsible for their decays and scatterings. Be able to perform order-of magnitude estimates relevant for interpreting and/or judging the feasibility of a variety of modern physics experiments.  In particular, we will attempt to pay close attention to the results now coming from the LHC at CERN.  For the latest LHC news go to the LPCC.
Textbooks The course notes, by Prof. Steve Ellis,  are the primary reference for this class, but these books will also be used:
Introduction to Relativity by John B. Kogut
Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics by A. Das and T. Ferbel
Calendar
Mon Wed Fri Topic / class notes Reading

 Jan 4 6
Introduction
Special relativity
K1,2
9
HW1
11 13
HW2
Spacetime physics K 3,4
(MLK) 18
(snow)
24
Relativistic dynamics K 4
23
HW3
25 27
HW4
Particles and interactions K 6
DF 4.1-4
30 Feb 1 3
HW5
quarks and mesons DF 9.1-9.4.3
6
summary sheets
Midterm
8 10
HW6
baryons  
13 15 17
HW7
symmetries DF 9.4.4-9.8
DF 10.4
20 22 24
HW8
isospin DF 10.5, 11
27 29 Mar 2
HW9
discrete symmetries DF 13
5 7 9
HW10
Force carriers & Standard Model DF 13.1-13.9
12
Final
   
Final exam time: 230-420 pm
,
 
  • HWn: Homework #n, due on day shown by end of class. See Grading. Scans of the problems assigned from K or DF may be found here. Solutions will be posted (for the class only) here
  • K, DF: Suplementary books Kogut or Das & Ferbel
Class notes

Chapter 0: Introduction

Chapter 1: Special relativity

Chapter 2: Minkowski spacetime

Chapter 3: Relativistic dynamics

Chapter 4: Known particles

Chapter 5: Quarks and hadrons

Chapter 6: Symmetries

Chapter 7: Weak Interactions

 

Supplementary

Chapter 10: Intro to Group Theory

Chapter 11: Young Diagrams and SU(N) Representations

Grading There will be weekly homework assignments, one midterm, and a final exam. There may be occasional pop quizzes during lecture. Grades will be based approximately 40% on homework, 20% on the midterm, and 40% on the final.  HW must be turned-in by the end of class on the due date, typically a Friday (either in class or in my mailbox).  Late HW with a 50% discount in points is allowed if turned-in (in class or in my mailbox) by the end of class on the class-day following the original due date (so typically a Monday—note this does not apply to the last HW as there is no following class-day).  Scores on HW assignments and the MidTerm Exam can be seen on the Catalyst web page at  https://catalyst.uw.edu/gradebook/tburnett/58921.  The column labeled Total Score is calculated assuming that the average (percentage) scores on the remaining HW assignments are identical to those on the previous assignments and that the (percentage) grade on the Final Exam is identical to that on the MidTerm Exam.  The Class Grade is currently a “flat” (i.e., not highly curved) mapping of the scores onto the range 0.0 to 4.0 such that the highest score yields a 4.0 grade and that passing (a grade of 2.0) comes from a score just over 40%.  The total score and the grading algorithm will “mature” as more information becomes available.  It is to everyone’s advantage to learn more from the last HW sets and do well on the Final Exam.
Useful Resources

Particle Data Group: Constants, Units, Atomic and Nuclear Properties

Particle Data Group: Summary Tables of Particle Properties

Particle Adventure (a breezy interactive tour from the Particle Data Group)

The LHC (introductory videos)

Interactive Table of Nuclides from the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

Interactive Chart of Nuclides from the National Nuclear Data Center at BNL

 

Schematic drawing of the ATLAS detector at the LHC