EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN NUCLEAR-, PARTICLE-, AND ASTROPHYSICS

PHYSICS 535

Review of quantum physics; introduction to particles, antiparticles and fundamental interactions; detectors and accelerators; symmetries and conservation laws; electroweak and color interactions of quarks and leptons; unification theories.

PHYSICS 241

Kinetic theory; relativity; experimental origin of quantum theory; atomic structure and spectral lines; topics in solid state, nuclear and particle physics.

PHYSICS 772

Interactions among the particles, fields, and radiation of interstellar and intergalactic space. Gamma-ray, x-ray, and cosmic ray production, propagation, and detection. Knowledge of electrodynamics (such asPHYSICS 322) strongly encouraged.

PHYSICS 407

Advanced experiments in classical and modern physics. Possible experiments include beta decay, muon lifetime, nuclear magnetic resonance, Stern-Gerlach atomic beam, Mossbauer scattering, velocity of light, Zeeman effect, and Compton scattering. Techniques for the statistical analysis of experimental data and keeping a proper research lab notebook are emphasized. Two (four) credit students will typically perform four (eight) experiments.

PHYSICS 735

Structure of elementary particles, quarks and gluons, introduction to calculational techniques of particle interactions (Feynman diagrams), constituent models of electroweak and strong interactions and associated phenomenological techniques. Knowledge of introductory particle physics and quantum mechanics (such asPHYSICS 535) strongly encouraged.