Program Overview

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Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction and overview of the physics of strong and electroweak interactions and their experimental foundation. These fundamental forces underlie the rich phenomenology of Nature's smallest components: elementary particles and atomic nuclei. The course will outline the theoretical and experimental advances which have led to the current understanding of physics at the subatomic scale. These topics will be covered at a mathematical level appropriate for undergraduate students of physics. The focus will be more on the understanding of phenomena rather than their rigorous mathematical description. The course will touch upon selected topics of current interest.

Course Content

The course will introduce the following topics:

• Symmetries and conservation laws in nuclear and particle physics.
• Relativistic kinematics and applications in high-energy reactions.
• The Standard Model theory: fundamental matter particles and their interactions by strong and electroweak forces.
• The Higgs mechanism and the origin of mass.
• Neutrino oscillations and masses.
• Effective nucleon-nucleon interactions and models of nuclear physics.
• Alpha, beta, and gamma decay and fission.
• Form factors and structure functions.
• Selected applications of nuclear and particle physics.

Learning Outcome

At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge:

• Explain the properties of fundamental particles and their interactions summarized in the Standard Model of particle physics.
• Give an account of nuclear models as a quantum-mechanical many-body system in an effective potential.
• Describe and evaluate properties of nuclear reactions and radioactivity.
• Describe experimental methods of nuclear and particle physics.
• Summarize key experimental results that have led to our present subatomic models.
• Demonstrate familiarity with applications of subatomic physics.

Skills:

• Determine which nuclear and particle processes are allowed by conservation laws.
• Apply relativistic kinematics to the study of high energy collisions.
• Estimate decay rates and cross sections of particle physics processes, e.g., beta decay or neutrino scattering, with the concept of Feynman diagrams.
• Relate length and time scales, relevant for subatomic interactions and decays, to characteristic mass scales of nuclear and particle physics.
• Summarize and discuss scientific articles with peers.

Competences:

• Apply prior knowledge of quantum mechanics and special relativity to describe subatomic phenomena.
• Apply prior knowledge of statistics and experimental uncertainties to experimental subatomic physics data.
• Relate nuclear and particle phenomenology to subatomic particles and interactions and demonstrate understanding of relevant energy scales and quantum numbers.
• Formulate the basic elements of calculations of cross sections and decay rates in subatomic physics.
• Relate concepts of subatomic physics to selected modern applications.

Literature

For final course literature, see the course platform. The following is an example of suggested course literature:

• B.R. Martin. Nuclear and particle physics. Wiley, 3rd ed.

Recommended Academic Qualifications

This course requires and builds upon concepts and techniques from Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics, and Special Relativity. To be successful in this course, students should have completed courses covering these topics at the level of the required BSc courses.

Teaching and Learning Methods

• Lectures
• Discussions
• Exercises

Workload

• Category: Lectures, 40 hours
• Preparation: 54 hours
• Exercises: 48 hours
• Exam: 64 hours
• Total: 206 hours

Assessment

• Type of assessment: Oral examination, 25 minutes (no preparation time)
• Continuous assessment:
  • The exam consists of three parts:
    • (A) 25-minute oral exam
    • (B) 6 homework sets
    • (C) Poster presentation (group exercise) of a scientific article
  • The grade combines the grade of the oral exam (50% for part A) and the grade from continuous assessment (50% for parts B+C).
  • Each part of the exam has to be passed separately in order to pass the course.
  • The grade from continuous assessment is the combined grade from a poster presentation (20%) and the best 5 out of 6 homework sets (80%).

Aid

• All aids allowed

Marking Scale

• 7-point grading scale

Re-exam

• Only the part(s) of the exam that were not passed should be re-taken.
• If the oral exam (part A) was not passed, the student will be given another oral exam of 25 minutes.
• If the continuous assessment (parts B+C) was not passed, the student will be given a 24-hour take-home exam. This take-home exam replaces the combined grade of parts B+C.

Course Information

• Language: English
• Course code: NFYB13008U
• Credit: 7.5 ECTS
• Level: Bachelor
• Duration: 1 block
• Placement: Block 2
• Schedule: C
• Course capacity: No limitation – unless you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
• Study board: Study Board of Physics, Chemistry and Nanoscience
• Contracting department: The Niels Bohr Institute
• Contracting faculty: Faculty of Science
• Course Coordinators: Markus Tobias Ahlers
• Lecturers: Jørgen Beck Hansen, Ian Bearden, Markus Tobias Ahlers

Final Notes

The course forms the basis for future studies or projects in particle physics or nuclear physics. It is also available as continuing and professional education.