PHYS 892: Particle Physics Winter 2007 sno.phys.queensu.ca/~potato/phys_892.htm

Description

This course concerns itself with special topics in modern Particle Physics. The course has three main components. The first covers current topics within the Standard Model, and each student is expected to present a seminar on one of the topics from the list provided. The students are asked to provide input on their preference of topics, and I will do the best I can to accommodate their first choices. The second thrust is on surveys of major themes in particle physics, and the students are expected to prepare a written report on their topic. Themes include items like prospects for physics from the LHC. The final third of the course covers topics geared towards physics beyond the standard model. Again, the students will be expected to present a seminar on their topic.

Syllabus

• Standard Model Physics ▼

  Each student has been assigned to deliver a lecture according to the following list of Standard Model topics. Following each lecture, of approximately 30 minutes, we will have a discussion period. The other students are expected to participate in the discussion, and be prepared for the topic, having done some reading before hand.

   

  • Topic 1: A. Wright: The Higgs Mechanism: How does the Higgs particle generate masses, why is it required by theory, what are current limits and where do they come from, and what will be the consequences if it is not discovered at the LHC? 
  • Topic 2: P. Pasuthip: The muon anomalous magnetic moment: What is it? How is g-2 measured? Describe the recent results from the BNL experiment and the consequences thereof.
  • Topic 3: K. Clark: Non q-qbar mesons: What are the predictions, and what is the experimental status of meson states which are predicted to exist such as glueballs and hybrid mesons?
  • Topic 4: Not Taken: Rare K decays: Explain the physics potential in studying very rare K decay processes such as measured by experiments at BNL, and planned for KOPIO and RSVP.
  • Topic 5: Not Taken: Meson Spectroscopy with Charm particles. Describe what we have learned from the charm Dalitz plot analyses of charm particles. Include introductory remarks on the Dalitz plot formulism.
  • Topic 6: R. Martin: B-Bbar Mixing. Explain the interest in B-Bbar mixing, the results from Babar and Belle, and in particular, our understanding of CP violation as a consequence.
  • Topic 7: S. Habib: The Penta-quark: Review the status of the pentaquark search/discovery.
  • Topic 8: C. Howard: The top quark: Describe the discovery of the top quark, and explain how measurements of the top quark parameters is influencing particle physics (eg, limiting the Higgs range…)
  • Topic 9: Not Taken: Lattice QCD. How does this work, what are the predictions, and how is the fit to experimental data?
  • Topic 10: R. Collister: The ALPHA project to search for CPT invariance by laser spectroscopy of anti-hydrogen.

• Summary Report Topics ▼

In addition, prepare a written report on one of the topics on the following list. The reports will be handed in to be marked on March 1st, 2007. We will discuss each of these topics in class. For the students not writing the report, they will still be expected to read up on the topic prior to the discussion period, so as to be able to participate in the discussion intelligently. Hence the report writer must provide a list with a few suggested references for reading by February 26th, 2007.

 

• Topic 1: Not Taken: An overview of CP violation
• Topic 2: C. Howard: Description and Prospects for new physics from the LHC
• Topic 3: Not Taken: Description and Physics case for the ILC
• Topic 4: Not Taken: Status of knowledge about the CKM quark mixing matrix elements.
• Topic 5: R. Martin: Status of knowledge about the PMNS neutrino mixing matrix elements.
• Topic 6: A. Wright: What have we learned from measurements of the W and Z boson mass and width measurements at LEP and the Tevatron?
• Topic 7: K. Clark: An overview of Big Bang cosmology.
• Topic 8: P. Pasuthip: An overview of the physics interest in neutrinoless double beta decay.
• Topic 9: S. Habib: An overview of the status of direct dark matter WIMP detection.

 

• Beyond the Standard Model Topics ▼

The second seminar/lecture has been assigned according to the list below. These topics are geared more towards potential physics beyond the standard model. These will be broader, more general introductions that explain the basic physics concepts, their experimental status and prospects.

 

• Topic 1: K. Clark: Supersymmetry
• Topic 2: R. Martin: String theory and extra dimensions.
• Topic 3: C. Howard: Grand Unified Theories
• Topic 4: Not Taken: Axions: Describe the interest in axions, why they are predicted by some theorists, current search limits, and their relevance to dark matter.
• Topic 5: A. Wright: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis: What does it predict, and how does it constrain physics beyond the standard model?
• Topic 6: P. Pasuthip: Baryo-genesis and Lepto-genesis: An overview on the state of our understanding of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe and experimental prospects.
• Topic 7: Not Taken: The search for other evidence for non-standard model physics: Monopoles, technicolor and compositeness.
• Topic 8: S. Habib: The physics potential from gravitational wave experiments (eg LIGO and LISA).
• Topic 9: Not Taken: The potential for new particle physics from ultra high energy neutrino telescopes (like Icecube and KM3). For example very long baseline neutrino oscillations, dark matter, supersymmetry, topological defects…

Schedule