Spring 1999-2000
The centerpiece of this course is the "Standard Model". Developed in the 1970's, this model successfully incorporates all known phenomena in particle physics. What I want to do is get enough background established so that we can dissect and really understand the Standard Model. We will have to be able to penetrate the mathematical structure of this (and this will bring great rewards, for example, deriving the necessary existence of electricity and magnetism!) We will also spend a lot of time understanding the classic, recent, and current experimental work. Note: my own interest is in elementary particle physics. We will probably do little, if any, nuclear physics.
Your first assignment: Get a copy of the Particle Physics Booklet. This is available FREE by sending email to the Particle Data Group at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, pdgrequest@lbl.gov, or going to the Particle Data Group website, and click on "List of our products". Tell them you want the "Particle Physics Booklet" (the little book) as well as the "Review of Particle Physics" (the big book).
Problem sessions will be probably held on Monday evenings, starting at 7:30 pm, in room 343.
See below for the rules for problem sets.
Textbooks and books on reserve.
Rules:
Problem sets will, in general, be due in class on Tuesdays. You can turn in late sets for half credit at the next Thursday class. After that, forget it. Please do not put them in our mailboxes -- we'll just lose them.
Problem Set 1 -- due in class Thursday, Feb.10.
Problem Set 2 -- due in class Tuesday, Feb 22.
Problem Set 3 -- due in class Tuesday, Mar 7.
Problem set 4, with the next reading assignment, was distributed on paper. If you can read Postscript, you can get a copy here. You can check out the BaBar drift chamber here.
Next reading assignment.
Problem set 5, with the next reading assignment, was distributed on paper. If you can read Postscript, you can get a copy here. Sorry, but the figures in problem 5.3 are available only on paper. Due in class Tuesday, April 11.
Problem set 6, with the next reading assignment, was distributed on paper. If you can read Postscript, you can get a copy here. Due date to be determined