Readings in Particle Physics

Catalog description

Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105 Classical and Quantum Waves. 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.