Gauge theories. Electroweak interactions. Vector bosons Z W and their
properties. Flavour physics. CP Violation. Neutrino physics.
Higgs boson couplings and decays.
Protons structure and strong interactions. QCD.
Physics at hadron colliders. Physics beyond the Standard Model.
Supersymmetry. Extra-dimensions. Cosmology.
This course intends to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent aspects of elementary particle
physics, with particular reference to experiments at different colliders.
The approach will be experimental-phenomenological and the theoretical principles of the models will be anyway reviewed.
Prerequisites
To understand the contents of the course
it is recommended that the student has attended the course Fisica delle Particelle Elementari and has the basic knowledge
required by quantum field theory
(quantum Mechanics, Special Relativity,
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics).
Teaching Methods
6 ECTS
Activity in classroom: 24 + 24 hours.
Further information
Contact information:
Carlo.Civinini@fi.infn.it
barbagli@fi.infn.it
Type of Assessment
Oral examination at the end of the course.
Seminar presentation about
a follow up of a subject of the course.
Questions about the presentation and the rest of the contents of the lessons.
The goal is to check the
acquired knowledge and the capability of organizing, applyng and discussing it.
Course program
Introduction to gauge theories. Electroweak theory.
Z0 vector boson: decay widths, cross section at resonance, asymmetries.
W vector boson: decay widths, WW pair production. Flavour physics: CKM matrix,
CP violation, meson oscillations, CP asymmetries, unitarity triangle.
Nautrino physics: neutrino masses, oscillations, mixing matrix with three
neutrinos. Higgs boson: couplings and decays. Grand Unification theories.
Proton structure. Elastic and deeply inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering.
Form factors. Birth of quark parton model. Structure functions. Scaling
invariance. Gluons. QCD. Strong coupling constant and its properties.
Asymptotic freedom. Parton densities and evolution equations. Jets and
fragmentation. Physics at hadron colliders. Diffractive interactions and their
properties and interpretation. Total cross section at LHC and
its components. Higgs production. Theories beyond the Standard Model.
Supersymmetry. Large Extra Dimensions. Cosmological implications.