FYS9555 – Research-Based Particle Physics
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
In this "hands-on" particle physics course the Standard Model of weak and strong interactions will be derived?through?conservation laws and the principle of gauge invariance. The course includes?calculations of the standard model and new physics processes. The theoretical calculations will be?followed by more experimental work by?making use of simulation tools, and analysis of real data?from particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Special focus will be given to the interplay between experimental measurement and results with the theoretical predictions.
Provided that financing is available, the course includes a 4-5 day trip to CERN with the possibility of building a particle detector in a laboratory.
Learning outcome
After completing the course, you are expected to:
- have a detailed understanding of the structure in terms of gauge symmetry groups of the Standard Theory of particle physics.
- know how to apply the Higgs mechanism to break spontaneously the electroweak symmetry, and thus generate the masses of the weak gauge bosons and the fermions.
- take advantage of "hands-on" experience to make detailed calculations of Standard Model and New Physics processes.
- make extensive use of computational tools, such as CompHEP, to calculate and simulate particle collisions and decays, and to confront the own calculations to the simulations and the available experimental results.
- access real and simulated LHC data through the CERN Open Data Portal, learn and use analysis, statistical and simulation tools to perform various state of the art particle physics analyses.
- study proton-proton collisions and exploit the potential of the Large Hadron Collider in terms of precision measurement of the production and decay of standard model particles, search for new physics phenomena.
- read and discuss publications related to High Energy Particle Physics, and explain how the authors arrived at the results.
- have experience in building a particle detector from scratch in a CERN laboratory, and have visited several CERN experiments. The CERN trip takes 4-5 days.
Admission to the course
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through?Studentweb.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must?apply for a position as a visiting student?within a given deadline.
Recommended previous knowledge
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with FYS5555 – Research-Based Particle Physics.
- 4 credits overlap with FYS4560 – Elementary particle physics (discontinued).
- 4 credits overlap with FYS9560 – Elementary particle physics (discontinued).
Teaching
The course will incorporate lectures, projects, demonstrations and guided practical sessions, data analysis and the use of statistical methods.
- 2 hours of lectures per week?
- 2 hours of practical work per week
The course also includes two smaller projects during the semester, as well as a bigger final project with a complete project rapport. All three projects will count towards your final grade.
Examination
- Written midterm exam in the form of two projects which counts 17 % towards the final grade each, 34 % in total.
- Written midterm exam in the form of a final project rapport which counts 33 % towards the final grade.
- Final oral exam, which counts 33 % towards the final grade. The oral exam includes a presentation of the final project.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: FYS5555 – Research-Based Particle Physics
Language of examination
The examination text is given in Norwegian. If the course is taught in English, the examination text will only be given in English. You may answer in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a?postponed exam?at the beginning of the next semester.
New examinations?are offered at the beginning of the next semester for students who do not successfully complete the exam during the previous semester.
We do not offer a re-scheduled exam for students who withdraw during the exam.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.