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Experimental Foundations of Particle Physics
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:57
Abstract
The Standard Model of particle physics is a monumental achievement of human ingenuity. While typically approached from the theoretical side, in this course we will collect the experimental evidence upon which the Standard Model has been built.The course expands the particle physics MSc curriculum and it can be followed in parallel to "PPP I", and complemented by "Experimental Methods".
Objective
Learn how the Standard Model of particle physics was really built. The course follows the structure of a "proseminar" where students read original papers and present them in class. Students, typically working in groups of two (or more depending on the number of participants), will take turns presenting the papers throughout the semester.
Content
The course will _not_ follow the historical trajectory of experimental particle physics. Instead, it aims to provide a modern view of the results of the experiments and show where they fit in the theoretical construction. Introductory material: Review of basic relativistic kinematics (Lorentz transformations, invariant mass, etc.) Passage of particles through matter: Bethe Bloch dE/dx, bremsstrahlung, photon interactions, electromagnetic showers, hadronic showers, Cherenkov radiation, Transition Radiation Experimental papers discussed in the course include: Deep inelastic scattering J/psi and tau discovery Strong interaction: gluons and jets (anti-k_t jet clustering) Parity violation, neutrino observation, neutrino helicity Neutral current, W/Z discovery Number of neutrino families, muon pair production asymmetry, W+W- production Top/bottom discoveries Higgs discovery and properties CP violation in the kaon system Neutrino oscillations
Resources
Literature
The students will read the original papers collected in the seminal text by Cahn and Goldhaber. Examples: - Deep Inelastic scattering: M. Breidenbach et al., “Observed Behavior of Highly Inelastic Electron Proton Scattering.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 23, 935 (1969). - J/psi and tau discovery: J. J. Aubert et al., “Experimental Observation of a Heavy Particle J.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 33, 1404 (1974). J.-E. Augustin et al., “Discovery of a Narrow Resonance in e+e− Annihilation.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 33, 1406 (1974). M. L. Perl et al., “Evidence for Anomalous Lepton Production in e+e− Annihila- tion.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 35, 1489 (1975). - Weak interaction: C. S. Wu et al., “Experimental Test of Parity Conservation in Beta Decay.” Phys. Rev., 105, 1413 (1957). M. Goldhaber, L. Grodzins, and A. W. Sunyar, “Helicity of Neutrinos.” Phys. Rev., 109, 1015 (1958). F. Reines and C. L. Cowan, Jr., “Free Anti Neutrino Absorption Cross Section. I. Measurement of the Free Anti Neutrino Absorption Cross Section by Protons.” Phys. Rev., 113, 273 (1959). G. Danby et al., “Observation of High Energy Neutrino Reactions and the Existence of Two Kinds of Neutrinos.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 9, 36 (1962). - Neutral currents and the discovery of weak bosons: UA 1 Collaboration, “Experimental Observation of Isolated Large Transverse Energy Electrons with Associated Missing Energy at √s = 540 GeV.” Phys. Lett., 122B, 103 (1983). - Electroweak physics at LEP: ALEPH , “The Number of Light Neutrino Species.” Phys. Lett., B 231, 519 (1989). - Bottom and top discoveries: S. W. Herb et al., “Observation of a Dimuon Resonance at 9.5 GeV in 400 GeV Proton Nucleus Collisions.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 39, 252 (1977). F. Abe et al., “Observation of Top Quark Production in p p Collisions with the Collider Detector at Fermilab.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 74, 2626 (1995). - Higgs Discovery: "Observation of the diphoton decay of the Higgs boson and measurement of its properties" - Eur. Phys. J. C 74 (2014) 3076 - CP violation in the kaon system system: J. H. Christenson, J. W. Cronin, V. L. Fitch, and R. Turlay, “Evidence for the 2π Decay of the K20 Meson.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 13, 138 (1964). - Mixing and CP violation in the B-system papers: H. Albrecht et al., “Observation of B0–B0 Mixing.” Phys. Lett., 192B, 245 (1987). CDF Collaboration, “Measurement of the Bs0–B0s Oscillation Frequency.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 97, 062003 (2006). - Neutrino oscillations: SNO Collaboration, “Direct Evidence for Neutrino Flavor Transformation from Neutral-Current Interactions in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.” Phys. Rev. Lett., 89, 011301 (2002). The theoretical background will be distilled to the very basics using where needed textbooks such as "Introduction to Elementary Particles" by A. Bettini and "Modern Particle Physics" by M. Thomson.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Experimental Foundations of Particle Physics | No time listed | 3 h weekly |
Offered In
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Proseminars and Semester Papers (Detailed information at: Bachelor students in Physics who wish to register for a MSc Semester Project or Proseminar need to contact the study administration ( ).)
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