Spring 2014 PHYS 556 Syllabus

Particle Physics Required Book Introduction to Elementary Particles 2nd Edition, David Griffiths The Particle Physics Booklet (FREE! from pdg.lbl.gov) Contact Information:

§ Instructor: Dr. Renee Fatemi § Email: rfatemi@pa.uky.edu § Office location: CP 375 § Office hours: Friday 1PM + Email me for an appointment § Course Website: http://pa.as.uky.edu/fundamental-particle-phy

Course Description Particle physics seeks to uncover the fundamental nature of matter, energy, space and time. The purview of particle physics continually changes as we learn more about the universe, but currently the most pressing questions include:

− What is the origin of mass? Why do fundamental particles have different masses?

− Can the forces of nature be unified? − What is the nature of dark matter? − What is dark energy? − Why is there more matter than anti-matter in the universe?

These questions have arisen from decades of investigations that lead to the discovery of the fundamental particles that make up ordinary matter and a deeper understanding of the forces that govern their interactions. This course is an introduction to these particles and forces, and the overarching framework that describes their interactions, the standard model. The primary objectives of this course are to:

1) Provide a historical overview of the development of elementary particle physics, including discussions of the theory and experiments that confirm the current version of the standard model.

2) Introduce the theory behind Quantum Electrodynamics (QED), Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and Weak interactions, building on the concepts contained in special relativity and undergraduate level quantum mechanics.

3) Survey the most pressing questions in the field and provide an in-

depth discussion of the theoretical and experimental status of the investigations into these questions.

Grading Breakdown The course material will come from two types of sources, the book and recent scientific literature. The material in the book will serve as the foundation for an in-depth study of a current particle physics topic. Following from this format, half of your grade will come from homework problems in the book and half will come from a presentation of a recent experimental paper. The breakdown is as follows: Homework = 50% Paper Presentation = 30% Paper Presentation Outline = 10% Presentation Questions = 10% Homework Homework problem sets will be due approximately every two weeks. Homework must be submitted by the beginning of class on the due date indicated in the syllabus. At that time the problems selected for grading will be announced. If you cannot attend class that day your homework must be placed in my mailbox or received by my email before the start of class. Homework received after the start of class will receive no credit unless the absence is excused. Paper Presentation

Each student must select, study and present a particle physics paper that has been recently published in the journal Science, Nature or Physical Review Letters. The paper must have been published in the last 15 years to be considered recent and must pertain, very generally, to the topics discussed in the course. I have included a list of possible topics and papers on the course website. If you would like to present a paper that is not on this list, please make sure it fulfills the above criteria, and send me a copy for approval. Paper topics are awarded on a first come first serve basis and must be choose be approved by Jan. 31st. The paper presentations will be 25 minutes in length, with five minutes allocated for questions. The presentations will take place during the last two weeks of class and during the allotted time for the final exam. Full credit will be awarded to the presentation that successfully fulfills the following criteria:

1) What is the primary physics issue discussed in the paper? What mystery is being investigated or which fundamental principle is being tested?

2) Give a general overview of the past and current experiments used to investigate the topic of the paper.

3) Give a general overview of the theoretical predictions that have been or will be confronted by the experiments discussed in the paper.

4) Answer all questions from audience appropriately. It is conventional to use tools such as PowerPoint or Keynote to prepare and display your presentation. The choice of presentation tools is left to the group and is not limited these formats. Feel free to use demonstrations, movies or performance art as you wish. Your main concern should be how effectively these tools convey the material to the audience. Presentation Outline A written outline of the final presentation is due on March 14th – the last class before spring break. This outline should list each slide you plan to present with a short summary of the material on that slide. The point of this outline is not to convey the content that will be on the slides, but instead it

should show your plan for dividing up the material, the number of slides for each topic and the general flow. The outline should start with a short paragraph summarizing criteria 1) above and it should end with a list of additional references you will be using. Presentation Questions The presentations are designed to allow the presenter, as well as the students in the class, to learn about a new and exciting topic in particle physics. Asking and answering questions are an essential part of this process. Each student must read the paper before it is presented and turn in a list of at least two questions about each paper before the presentations begin. In addition each student must ask a minimum of two questions during the span of the entire class presentations. Class Schedule (subject to change) Jan 15th Syllabus Jan 17 Chapter 1 Jan 20 ********** MLK Holiday - NO CLASS ************** Jan 22 Chapter 1 Jan 24 Chapter 1 Jan 27 Chapter 2 Jan 29 Chapter 2 Jan 31 Chapter 4 Homework Set #1 Feb 3 Chapter 4 Feb 5 Chapter 4 Feb 7 Chapter 4 Feb 10 Chapter 4 Feb 12 *********CLASS CANCELED******************* Feb 14 *********CLASS CANCELED******************* Feb 17 Chapter 3 Feb 19 Chapter 3 Feb 21 Chapter 3 Feb 24 Chapter 6 Homework Set #2 Due Feb 26 Chapter 6 Feb 28 Chapter 6 Mar 3 Chapter 6 Mar 5 Chapter 6 Mar 7 Chapter 6 Mar 10 Chapter 7 Homework Set #3 Due Mar 12 Chapter 7

Mar 14 Chapter 7 Presentation Outline Due Mar 17 SPRING BREAK Mar 19 SPRING BREAK Mar 21 SPRING BREAK Mar 24 Chapter 7 Mar 26 Chapter 7 Mar 28 Chapter 7 Mar 31 Chapter 7 April 2 Chapter 7 April 4 Chapter 7 April 7 Chapter 7 April 9 Chapter 7 April 11 Chapter 7 April 14 Neutrinos Homework Set #4 Due April 16 Neutrinos April 18 Detectors April 21 Detectors April 23 Detectors April 25 FINAL PRESENTATIONS (2 talks) April 28 FINAL PRESENTATIONS (2 talks) April 30 FINAL PRESENTATIONS (2 talks) May 2 FINAL PRESENTATIONS (2 talks) May 7 8:00 AM FINAL EXAM (4 talks) Attendance Policy The university policy on excused absences can be found in University Senate Rule 5.2.4.2 (http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/part2.html) Absence from the final project, without prior permission from the professor, will result in an automatic zero. Scheduling for make-up times will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Course Evaluations: Course evaluations are an important (and mandatory!) component of our Department's instructional program. An on-line course evaluation system was developed to allow each student ample time to evaluate each component of the course and instructor, thus providing the Department with meaningful

numerical scores and detailed commentary while minimizing the loss of instructional time in the classroom. The evaluation window for Spring 2014 will be open from April 14th to April 30th. To access the system during this time, simply go the following webpage: http://pa.as.uky.edu/, click on the link for Course Evaluations and then follow the instructions. You will need to use your student ID\# to log into the system, and this will also allow us to monitor who has filled out evaluations. However, when you log in you will be assigned a random number that will keep all your comments and scores anonymous.