Class Hours:

Now: MWF 2:30 - 3:20 p.m. in SW218.

N.B. Would like to change this, pending everyone's agreement, to two lecture sessions, 75 minutes long, preferably on M and W. Would also prefer moving the room to SW251 if it is available on the hours that we decide on.

Office Hours:

Will announce after we decide on class hours above.

Text:

     B. Povh et al., Particles and Nuclei: An Introduction to the Physical Concepts , Springer-Verlag, New York,
     1999. Available at the IU Bookstore.

     Byron Roe, Particle Physics in the New Millennium, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1996. I will be making copies
     of these available on approximately the second week of the semester.

Course Web Page:

     http://needmore.physics.indiana.edu/~rickv/P535_s01/

     (includes online grades).
 
 

Course Description and Objectives:

From the University Graduate School handbook: Survey of the properties and interactions of nuclei and
elementary particles. Experimental probes of subatomic structure. Basic features and symmetries of
electromagnetic, strong and weak forces. Models of hadron and nuclear structure. The role of nuclear and
particle interactions in stars and the evolution of the universe.

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the fields of nuclear and particle physics to the
level where you should be able to understand how we have arrived at our present description of matter and its
interactions and to have a good idea of the basis of current research. We will start with an outline of the
tools we use to perform experiments in this field. It is important that theorists and experimentalists at least
be able to talk to each other. We need to have some common language and some understanding of each other's
techniques and the scope of the problems we are each trying to address.

An attempt at a unified description of nuclear and particle physics will be followed since the experiments that
uncovered the substructure of atomic nuclei in nuclear physics are similar to the discovery of the substructure
of protons and neutrons (nucleons). The components of nucleons, quarks, and the other fundamental components,
leptons, are then revealed as the building blocks of all matter. The forces between these building blocks: the
electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces and the particles carrying or mediating those forces will be
elucidated. The fundamental particles and their interactions are described by the Standard Model that also
includes the mechanism for generating mass.

Using the knowledge gained in the above approach, composite systems of hadrons and nuclei are then formed and
understood through multiple-body interactions causing increased complexity, culminating in nuclear
thermodynamics and the description of the quark-gluon plasma.

Even though every measurement that has been made is consistent with the Standard Model, we know that it cannot
be complete: there has to be a theoretical structure beyond the Standard Model. Leading candidates for
extensions of the Standard model will be explored as well as current topics in nuclear and particle physics.

Finally, coupling the very small with the very large, the profound impact that nuclear and particle physics has
on our understanding of cosmology and the evolution of stars will be discussed.
 
 

Prerequisites:

Graduate-level or upper undergraduate-level quantum mechanics (including relativistic quantum mechanics, i.e.
P453 or equivalent), special relativity (e.g. ~Jackson). Relativistic quantum field theory is not required, but
depending on the experience of the class, we could go into more detail on the evaluation of Feynman diagrams.

Suggested References: (will be on reserve in Swain Library in conjunction with reserves for P622, P634, and 641)

Nuclear Physics

     * J.D. Walecka, Theoretical Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics,.

     A classic "teaching text" written by a master teacher.

     * M.A. Preston and R.K. Bhaduri, Structure of the Nucleus,.

     * J. Blatt and V.F. Weisskopf, Theoretical Nuclear Physics,.

     Another (older) classic. Encyclopedic.

     * J.M. Eisenberg and W. Greiner, Nuclear Theory,.

     Recommended by colleagues.

Particle Physics

     * Donald H. Perkins, Introduction to High Energy Physics, 3rd ed., Addison-Wesley.

     A classic "teaching text", but fairly outdated. An updated 4th edition should be available.

     * Chris Quigg, Gauge Theories of the Strong, Weak, and Electromagnetic Interactions, Frontiers in Physics,
     Lecture Notes 56 (1983).

     Yet another classic giving a "top-down" and thorough treatment of the Standard Model as we know it today.

     * Robert N. Cahn and Gerson Goldhaber, The Experimental Foundations of Particle Physics, Cambridge
     University Press (1991).

     Great source of reprints of historically important articles.

     * T.D. Lee, Particle Physics and Introduction to Field Theory, Revised and Updated First Edition, Harwood
     Academic Publishers (1988).

     More theoretical text.

     * Francis Halzen and Alan D. Martin, Quarks & Leptons: An Introductory Course in Modern Particle Physics,
     Wiley and Sons (1983).

     Covering much of the same material of our text, but at a somewhat more advanced level (including the quantitative calculation of
     matrix elements from Feynman diagrams.)

     * F. Mandl and G. Shaw, Quantum Field Theory, Wiley and Sons (1984).

     Text showing the source and derivation of Feynman's diagrammatic approach and how to calculate a matrix element in detail.

     * I. J. R. Aitchison and A. J. G. Hey, Gauge Theories in Particle Physics, 2nd ed., Graduate Student Series in Physics, Adam Hilger
     (1982).

     A text concentrating on gauge theories such as QED and the weak interactions.

     * V. Barger and R.J.N. Phillips, Collider Physics, Frontiers in Physics Lecture Note Series 71,
     Addison-Wesley (1987).

     Nice coverage of the phenomenology encountered in hadronic or leptonic collisions - more up to date.

     * Particle Data Group, Particle Properties Data Booklet

     The "bible" of particle physicists - it fits into a shirt pocket, and is at least small enough to carry
     around with the rest of one's papers. It is published every two years, and updated yearly on the Web
     (easily accessible at web address here.) The Particle Data Group also publishes the full version as an
     entire volume of either Physical Review D ,Physics Letters, or European Physics Journal. I have ordered the
     booklet and the full version for the entire class. Contains a summary of all the particles and their
     properties measured to date and also contains succinct reviews/summaries of subtopics in the field.

Problem Sets:

One per week, handed out on Monday, due the following Monday.

Grading:

Problem Sets 50%

Midterm Exam 25%

Final Exam 25%