Introduction to Particles and Nuclei  Syllabus

Instructor

Liron Barak

Email :lironbarak1@mail.tau.ac.il

Academic Year, Semesters

2017-2018, 2nd

Number of Hours/ Credits :3/4

Mandatory/Elective

Mandatory

Prerequisites

Quantum1

Year in program & how often given, if relevant

3rd, every year

Course overview – short abstract

The course introduces our current understanding of fundamental physics as encoded in the standard model, and the basic theoretical and experimental techniques used in current particle-physics research.

• Prerequisites – special relativity, symmetries
• Introduction to basic concepts and the standard model
• Properties of decays and cross sections
• Interactions of particles with matter
• Particle accelerators and detectors
• Quantum relativistic equations (Dirac, Klein-Gordon)
• Lagrangians, gauge interactions and the Higgs mechanism.
• Physics beyond the standard model
• Nuclear radioactivity
• Nuclear models and structure

Assessment: coursework and grade structure

Assignments – 10%

Final exams – 90%

Week-by-week content, assignments and reading

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: The Standard Model

Week 3: Decays and Scattering

Week 4: Accelerators and Colliders

Week 5: Maxwel and Klein-Gordon equations

Week 6: Particle detection

Week 7: Dirac equation

Week 8: Gauge theory, QED and QCD

Week 9: EW theory no Higgs

Week 10: Higgs mechanism

Week 11: Flavor physics

Weeks 12-14: Nuclear structure

Required text – in language of origin (if Hebrew or Arabic, no need to translate it)

Introduction to Elementary Particles, Griffiths

Quarks and Leptons, Halzen and Martin

Introduction to Elementary Particles, Perkins

Modern Particle Physics, Thomson

Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics, Das and Ferbel

The Experimental Foundations of Particle Physics, Cahn and Goldhaber

Gauge Theories of the Strong, Weak, and Electromagnetic Interactions, Quigg