Free partcles states. Quark model. Gauge theories. Particles in interaction: pertubative expansion of the elements of the Scattering Matrix. Applications to the calculation of life times and cross sections in quantum electrodynamics and in weak interactions. Spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Higgs mechanism. Construction of the electroweak model. Structure of the proton.
F.Mandl, G.Shaw: Quantum Field Theory;
M.E.Peskin, D.V.Schroeder: An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory;
T.P.Cheng,L.F.Li: "Gauge theory of elementary particle physics"
Learning Objectives
Starting from the knowledge of Quantum Mechanics, Classical Electromagnetism, elements of special relativity, notions of group theory, knowledge of the relativistic wave equations and basics in free field quantization, the student acquires the instruments to calculate cross sections and life times using Feynman diagrams and Feynman rules at the lowest order in particle physics. Spontaneous symmetry breaking is then introduced together with its relation with phase transitions and the Higgs mechanism to understand the structure of the electroweak standard model. Also low energy effective models and their use is introduced.
Prerequisites
Mandatory courses of the first three years.
Teaching Methods
48 hours of lessons
Further information
Students reception by appointment
Type of Assessment
Oral exam
Course program
Applications of group theory to Particle Physics (classification of free particle states, internal symmetries of particles, hadrons quark model). Effective theories and gauge theories, abelian and non abelian. Propagators. Scattering matrix. Wick’s theorem. Perturbative expansion in the interaction picture. Derivation of Feynman rules in effective and gauge theories. Spontaneous symmetry breaking in the global and local case. Higgs mechanism. Weak interactions in the effective models and construction of the Standard electroweak model for leptons. Applications of the acquired techniques to calculations of elementary processes at the tree level (cross-sections and life-times) in spinor and scalar quantum electrodynamics and in effective theories. Structure of the proton and dynamical evidence of the existence of point-like constituents.