Particle Physics - A.A. 2019-2020 – 6 CFU

Prof. Paolo Bagnaia

Syllabus
========

Introduction - Livingston plot - Spectrometers and Calorimeters - Particle identification - Concept
of a resonance - The Gaussian distribution - Hypothesis tests.

1. The Static Quark Model - Hadron characteristics - Parity - G-parity - Charge conjugation - The
static quark model - Hadron characteristics - The eightfold way - Omega minus discovery - Meson
quantum numbers - Neutral meson mixing.

2. The hadron structure - Elastic and Inelastic scattering e/Nucleus - Mott formula - Nuclear form
factors - The structure of atomic nuclei - Coherent and incoherent behaviour of nuclei - Size and
shape of nuclei - Definition and properties of the magnetic moment - Elastic and inelastic
scattering e-nucleon - Rosenbluth formula - Structure of nuclei and nucleons - The form factors of
the proton - Structure functions - Deep inelastic scattering - The SLAC experiment - Structure
functions - Bjorken scaling - The parton model - The quark-parton model - Sum rules - Parton density
functions - Scaling violations.

3. Heavy flavors - Mandelstam variables - The reaction e+e- to leptons and hadrons - Main processes
in the s and t channels - The ratio R between hadron and muon final states - Discovery of the J/psi
particle in hadronic and e+e- processes - Charmonium - Determination of the J/psi quentum numbers -
Open charm - Production and decay - Cabibbo allowed and suppressed decays - Charmed hadrons in
hadronic multiplets - The third family : the tau lepton and the b quark - Discovery of the b mesons
- The t quark.

4. Weak interactions - Charged and neutral currents - Fermi theory - G_fermi - Lepton universality
in the lepton sector - Parity violation - Measurement of the nu helicity - Weak decays of mesons and
leptons - Weak decays and symmetries - Fermi and Gamow-Teller transition - Beta decays - Cabibbo
theory - GIM mechanism.

5. The K0 meson and the CKM matrix - K0 oscillations - Discovery of the K0L decay - K0 regeneration
- CP violation - CP violations : direct and indirect - CP violation in the Standard Model - The CKM
matrix - Test of the Standard Model in heavy flavor decays - The unitarity triangle - The CPT
theorem.

6. The standard Model - The electroweak theory - QCD - Color - Asymptotic freedom - Confinement -
The coupling constant alpha_strong- Parton showers - The running of alpha_strong - Measurement of
the quark and gluon spin.

7. High energy neutrino interactions - The neutrino beams - Wide- and narrow-band beams - Neutrino
detectors - Heavy liquid bubble chambers - Emulsions - Calorimeters (CDHS, CHARM) - Charged currents
- Thresholds - Helicity constraints - Cross sections - Structure functions - Sum rules - Comparison
with ep - Neutral currents - Couplings - Cross sections (total and differential) - Leptonic and
semi-leptonic processes - Measurement of the Weinberg angle.

Conclusion - Is the present Standard Model the ultimate theory ? Some possible answers -
Presentation of the current activity in our University in experimental high energy physics.


Exam
====

The argument of the first question is decided in advance, possibly expanding one of the subjects
treated in class. The other questions are instead asked in the traditional way.

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