UCT PHY4000/1/2W Particle Physics
Course Information 2006

Particle Physics

Lecturers: Dr Z. Z. Vilakazi, Room 405, Physics (ph 021 6503357, email: vilakazi.at.physci.uct.ac.za) 

Textbook:

• Perkins, D. Introduction to High Energy Physics (Cambridge, 4th ed., 2000) 
  

• Halzen, F & Martin, A. D. Quarks & Leptons (Wiley)
  
• Hughes I. Elementary Particles (Cambridge, 3rd ed)
• Dodd J. The ideas of particle physics (Cambridge)
• Griffiths D. Introduction to Elementary Particles (Wiley, 1987)
• Martin B. & Shaw G. Particle Physics (Wiley, 1992)

Course Outline: 

A selection of topics from

• Introduction
  
• Classification of particles, cross-sections, units, relativistic kinematics.
• Photons. Dirac equation. QED. Gauge Theories
• Resonances. Quark Model. SU(3). Colour. QCD
• Deep inelastic scattering
• Accelerators and detectors
• Introduction to field theory
• The standard model.
  
• Beyond the standard model [if time allows] 

• 25 lectures: 18 September  -  7 October (Monday to Friday, 1st and/or  2nd  lecture period, D. M. Elliott Lecture Theatre).
• several reading assignments: material from textbooks, popular scientific journals (e.g. Sci. Am., Physics Today)
• about 4 large  problem sets: Handed out Friday, collected a week later!  Students may discuss/solve these together but final calculations and submitted work must represent individual work.
• several mini-talks (< 10 minutes long, working in groups of 3) of assigned topics (results, concepts,...)
• final (early October) written/oral presentations by each student of an assigned important result, concept or experiment
• Final examination: 1.5 hours, open book, in Physics Library in exam week.
• Aggregation: problem sets 40, written/oral project 10, exam 50. Total 100.

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