Syllabus

PHYSICS-UA 136 Spring 2016 Professor Peter Nemethy

READINGS IN PARTICLE PHYSICS

Motto - Yes, you can: read, comprehend, and make presentations on original journal articles!

Class code / PHYS-UA 136
Instructor Details / Name: Peter Nemethy
Email Address:
Telephone: 8- 7747 (internal) 212 998 7747 (from outside)
Office: 707 Meyer Hall
Office Hours: Wednesday 4 pm – 5:30 pm and by pre-arrangement
Class Details / Semester: Spring 2016
Full Title of Course: Readings in Particle Physics
Meeting Days and Times: TUES & THURS 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
All course information will be posted on ‘NYU Classes’ during semester.
Prerequisites / Classical and Quantum Waves (PHYS-UA 105) or permission of instructor.
Class Description / Particle physics is the study of the very fundamental constituents of matter and of the forces between them. By its nature it is microscopic, but it also connects with astrophysics and cosmology on the largest scales. This course introduces the most important advances in elementary particle physics. It centers on journal articles in which these advances were first published, with overview lectures, original reading, discussion, and student presentations. Topics include the discovery of elementary particles in cosmic rays, antimatter, symmetries found in nature, and the invention of the Quark model of elementary particles and its experimental verification. A field trip with a visit to CERN may be considered.
Desired Outcomes / On completion of this course, students should:
  • Acquired an understanding of particle detectors and techniques.
  • Acquired an ability to read and comprehend original journal articles.
  • Be able to give a clear and logical seminar on their in-depth reading.

Assessment Components / Attendance and Participation: 15%
Problem Sets : 10%
Seminar Presentation (50 minutes) : 75%
There is no Final Exam.
Failure to submit or fulfill any required course component results in failure of the class.
Required Text(s) / No textbooks are used in this course.
Supplemental Texts(s) (not required to purchase as copies are in NYU-L Library or available on line) / Scientific Journal Articles for reading will be posted on ‘NYU Classes’, and will
be available electronically.
Internet Research Guidelines / The careful use of internet resources is encouraged and a list of recommended websites will be given. Failure to cite published sources, internet and other non-traditional media sources in your work constitutes plagiarism.
Some suggested student
Journal Club Seminar Topics /
  1. “Saving Energy conservation:” Discovery of the Neutrino (1956-1960). Nobel Prize 1995.
  1. “A new conservation law:” Two Neutrinos. (1975) Nobel Prize 1988.
  1. “Ambiguities in conservation laws?” Additive vs. Multiplicative Muon Conservation. (1961, 1980).
  1. “A new Quantum Number? and a new Quark?:” The J/Psi and Charm (1974). Nobel Prize 1976.
  1. Fallback Option [Perhaps: “A surprise in Neutrino Physics:” Discovery of Weak Neutral Currents.(~1970) ]
  1. “Carriers of the weak force => Electroweak Interaction:” Experimental proof of the existence of the Z and W Bosons (1982). Nobel Prize 1984. “And a payoff: the number of lepton generations.”
  1. “A third generation of leptons:” Discovery of the Tau (1975) Nobel Prize 1995.
  1. “Completing the Quark Model:” The Discovery of the Top Quark (1994).
  1. “Can’t take anything for granted:” The discovery of CP Violation. (1964) Nobel Prize 1980.
  1. “Doing Physics by Chemistry and Astronomy:” Solar Neutrinos. (1968-2000) Nobel Prize 2002.
  1. “Shocking Doings:” Neutrino Oscillations, Neutrino Masses. (1995-2010) Nobel Prize 2002.
[*** 10. and 11. Could be combined into one collaborative joint journal club topic by two persons, with two seminar-periods devoted to it.** *]
  1. Fallback Option [Perhaps: “Antiprotons to antimatter”: Antiproton annihilations, antineutrons, atomic anti-hydrogen. (1961 -2012).]
  1. ….and more….

Tentative and approximate Course Calendar, will definitely change and evolve.

Session 1
1/26/2016 / Introduction and overview. / Instructor presentation.
Session 2
1/28/2016 / Conservation Laws, Selection Rules.
Particle Detectors and Techniques 1. / Instructor presentation.
Session 3
2/2/2016 / Particle Detectors and Techniques 2. / Instructor presentation
Friday session on Monday schedule.
Session 4
2/4/2016 / Particle Detectors and Techniques 3. / Instructor presentation
Session 5
2/9/2016 / Particle Detectors and Techniques 4.
Lifetimes, cross-sections, Invariant Mass / Instructor presentation
Session 6
2/11/2016 / The Discovery of the Antiproton / Student SemInar or
Instructor seminar
Session 7
2/16/2014 / Strangeness and the 8-fold way 1 / Instructor presentation
Session 8
2/18/2014 / . Strangeness and the 8-fold way 2 / Instructor presentation
Session 9
2/23/2014 / The Omega-minus Experiment / Student Seminar or
Instructor seminar
Session 10
2/25/2014 / Quarks / Instructor presentation
Session 11
3/1/2014 / Discovery of the Neutrino / Student Seminar
Session 12
3/3/2014 / Two Neutrinos and a Conservation Law / Student Seminar
Session 13
3/8/2014 / Parity and Parity Conservation / Instructor presentation
Session 14
3/10/2014
3/14 -3-/18 / Held in Reserve
Spring Break / --
Session 15
3/22/2014 / Two Experiments: Parity Non-conservation / Instructor seminar
Session 16
3/24/2014 / Additive vs. Multiplicative Muon Conservation / Student Seminar
Session 17
3/29/2014 / Weak Neutral Currents / Instructor seminar
Session 18
3/31/2014 / The J/PSI and Charm / Student Seminar
Session 19
4/5/2014 / A new accelerator to hunt the W & Z:
Motivation and solution / Instructor seminar
Session 20
4/7/2014 / Experimental proof of the W and Z Boson / Student Seminar
Session 21
4/12/2014 / Discovery of the Tau / Student Seminar
Session 22
4/14/2014 / Discovery of the Top Quark:
Completing the Quark Model / Student Seminar
Session 23
4/19/2014 / The discovery of CP Violation / Student Seminar
Session 24
4/21/2014 / Solar Neutrinos (1) / Student Seminar
Session 25
4/26/2014 / Solar Neutrinos (2) / Student Seminar
Session 26
4/28/2014 / An overview:
Neutrino Masses and Oscillations / Student Seminar
Session 27
5/3/2014 / The ATLAS Experiment / Guest seminar
Session 28
5/9/2014 / Antimatter / Student Seminar
Suggested Co-curricular Activities / An optional Field trip to CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, may be considered,
depending on the level of student interest, permissions, and practicalities. Rough timing: would utilize a fewdays of spring break and the late part of the week before.

Page 1 of 6