Experimental Methods of Particle Physics PHYS 7361 (Spring 2010) Syllabus http://www.physics.smu.edu/~kehoe/7361_10s Instructor: Professor Bob Kehoe Office: Fondren Science 113 e-mail: kehoe@physics.smu.edu Phone: (214) 768-1793 Fax: (214) 768-4095 Texts: Particle Detectors, C. Grupen and B. Shwartz (2003), Introduction to Experimental Particle Physics, R. Fernow (1990). Class Coordinates: Tues. & Thurs. 2p.m 3:20p.m. in Rm 158 Fondren Science Course Objectives: To provide an introduction to the science of particle physics detectors and their use. Students will familiarize themselves with the physics of particle interactions with matter, and several major detector technology categories. They will also study the electronics and triggering used to acquire data signals. Elements of modern reconstruction and statistical analysis will be discussed. Calculation will be one emphasis of the course. Method of Instruction: The class will consist of lectures. Homework is the foundation of your effort to acquire skill in using the material in the course. It will consist primarily of problems from the textbooks, supplemented by vocabulary questions from the instructor. It will be due on each Tuesday following the week the material is covered and will be worth 25% of the course grade. Tests: There will be one mid-term exam, and one final exam. The mid-term will make up 25% of the class grade. The final is cumulative over the whole course and counts for 30% of the grade. Presentation: A presentation on a special topic near the end of the semester will count for 20% of the course grade. This can entail either more detailed research into a specific topic within the course, or a solution to a specific experimental problem such as designing a specific detector to make a particular kind of measurement. Grading and Attendance Policy: In all cases, it is crucial to show your work clearly to get credit for solutions to physics problems. Regrading requests must be well-justified in writing. Anticipated absences resulting from religious observance or officially sanctioned extracurricular activity must be brought to the instructor s attention at least 2 weeks in advance. Make-up exams will need to be arranged with the instructor.
Other References: The Department graduate library and/or University library have several other texts which serve as useful complements to the texts in this course: D. Green, The Physics of Particle Detectors, Cambridge U. Press, 2000. R. Cahn and G. Goldhaber, Experimental Foundations of Particle Physics, Cambridge U. Press, 2009. Experimental Techniques in High-Energy Nuclear and Particle Physics, ed. by T. Ferbel, World Scientific Publ. Co., 1999. R. Fruhwirth, et al., Data Analysis Techniques for High-Energy Physics, Cambridge U. Press, 2000. W. Leo, Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments, Springer-Verlag, 1994. C. Leroy and P. Rancoita, Principles of Radiation Interaction in Matter and Detection, World Scientific Publ. Co., 2009. K. Kleinknecht, Detectors for Particle Radiation, Cambridge U. Press, 1998. A. Frodesen, O. Skyeggestad and H. Tofte, Probability and Statistics in Particle Physics, Columbia U. Press, 1979. R. Barlow, Statistics: A Guide to the Use of Statistical Methods in the Physical Sciences, John Wiley and Sons, 1989. G. Cowan, Statistical Data Analysis, Oxford U. Press, 1998. L. Lyons, Statistics for Nuclear and Particle Physicists, Cambridge U. Press, 1989.
Physics 7361 Schedule, Spring 2010 GS = Grupen and Shwartz; F = Fernow; () = optional reading Date Reading, Tests, Quizzes Homework Problems: Jan 19 T Introduction F Ch. 1.1 to 1.6 F Ch. 1: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 Jan 26 T Feb 2 T Feb 9 T Feb 16 T Feb 23 T Mar 2 T Mar 4 Th Mar 6-14 Mar 16 T Mar 23 T Mar 30 T Apr 6 T Ionization and Multiple Scattering GS Ch. 1.1.1 to 1.1.4 GS Ch. 1: 1, 2, 4 F Ch. 2.1 to 2.4.1, 2.7 F Ch. 2: 1, 2, 4 Other Electromagnetic Interactions GS Ch. 1.1.5, 1.1.10, 5.4 to 5.7 GS Ch. 5: 3, 4 F Ch. 2.4.2 F Ch. 2: 7 Photon Interactions w/matter GS Ch. 1.2 GS Ch. 1: 5 F Ch. 2.5 F Ch. 2: 8, 9 Nuclear Interactions GS Ch. 1.3 F Ch. 3.1 to 3.2 F Ch. 3: 2, 3, 4 Tracking Detectors GS Ch. 7 GS Ch. 7: 1, 4, 5 (F Ch. 9.1, 4 and 10.1, 2, 4) F Ch. 9: 7; Ch. 10: 1, 3 *Choice of presentation topic due, including outline of primary points Calorimetry GS Ch. 8 GS Ch. 8: 1, 2, 3 (F Ch. 11) F Ch. 11: 1, 2, 3 Mid-term exam *Spring Break, no class Detectors for Particle Identification GS Ch. 9 and 10 GS Ch. 9: 1, 2, 4, 6; Ch. 10: 2, 4, 6 (F Ch. 8) F Ch. 8: 3, 7 *First draft of presentation slides Electronics and Triggering GS Ch. 14 GS Ch. 14: 2 F Ch. 13 F Ch. 13: 4, 5, 6 Combined Systems F Ch. 14 F Ch. 14: 1, 2, 3 (GS Ch. 10 and 11) GS Ch. 11: 1 Reconstruction GS Ch. 15.1 to 15.4 GS Ch. 15: 4
*Complete draft of slides, and practice talks Apr 20 T Apr 27 T May 6 Th Statistical Treatment of Data GS Ch. 15.5, 6 GS Ch. 15: 1, 2, 3 *Final presentations Statistical Treatment of Data II *Final presentations Final Exam, 11:30am 2:30pm
Learning Objectives for PHYS 7361: (Spring 2010) By the end of this course, students will be able to perform calculations and make basic decisions concerning appropriate detector, triggering and analysis elements for topics in experimental particle physics. Course Objective #1: Students will be able to calculate quantities appropriate to each topic of the course. Specific Objective 1.1: Given a description of a particle incident on a given material, students will identify relations and provide determinations of appropriate properties for resulting electromagnetic, strong or weak interactions. Specific Objective 1.2: Perform calculations establishing important properties of detector performance. Assessment Activity 1.1: For each Specific Objective, at least one question to assess students ability to perform relevant calculations will be given. Success Criteria: Class average of 60% or higher. Assessment Timeframe: Mid-term and final exams. Assessment Activity 1.2: For each Specific Objective, a question with multiple choice answer will be given. Success Criteria: Class average of 60 % or higher. Assessment Timeframe: Pre-test during first week of semester, and post-test during final week. Course Objective #2: Acquire ability to choose appropriate detector technologies for specific types of particle physics measurements. Assessment Activity 2.1: A question requiring ability to differentiate detector properties and strengths will be given. Success Criteria: Demonstration of an appropriate technology by at least 60% or more students. Assessment Timeframe: Mid-term and final exams. Assessment Activity 2.2: A question with multiple choice answer will be given. Success Criteria: Class average of 60 % or higher. Assessment Timeframe: Pre-test during first week of semester, and post-test during final week. Course Objective #3: Employ algorithmic and statistical techniques to extract a measurement from raw experimental data. Assessment Activity 3.1: A calculation requiring use of statistical techniques will be requested.
Success Criteria: Correct solution by 60% or more students. Assessment Timeframe: Mid-term and final exams. Assessment Activity 3.2: A question with multiple choice answer will be given. Success Criteria: Class average of 60 % or higher. Assessment Timeframe: Pre-test during first week of semester, and post-test during final week. Course Objective #4: Communicate experimental results or ideas to an less knowledgeable audience. Assessment Activity 4.1: A presentation will be scheduled before the class on topics chosen by students. Success Criteria: A class average grade of 70% or higher. Assessment Timeframe: The last two weeks of class.
Jan 19 T Jan 26 T Feb 2 T Feb 9 T Feb 16 T Feb 23 T Mar 2 T Mar 6-14 Mar 16 T Mar 23 T Mar 30 T Apr 6 T Apr 20 T Introduction Kinematics, particle properties summary, scattering, experiment structure Ionization and Elastic Scattering Classical and quantum energy loss, Bethe-Bloch, material dependence, elastic scattering cross section, multiple scattering Other Electromagnetic Interactions Bremsstrahlung, radiation length, scintillation, Cerenkov, transition radiation, phonon production Photon Interactions w/matter Photoelectric effect, Compton effect, pair production Nuclear Interactions Elastic and inelastic strong physics, absorption length, particle production, neutrino interactions, νn scattering Tracking Detectors Drift chambers, TPCs, semiconductor detectors, scintillating fiber trackers Calorimetry Sampling vs. homogenous calorimeters, electromagnetic showers, hadronic showers, scintillation based, cryogenic calorimeters, calibration and monitoring, phonon detection *Spring Break, no class Detectors for Particle Identification Time-of-flight, ionization loss, Cerenkov detectors, transition radiation, calorimeter shower measures, vertex detectors Electronics and Triggering signal extraction, noise, shaping, digital electronics, ADC, identified particle triggers, energy deposition, software triggering Combined Systems Muon systems, fixed target, collider spectrometers, neutrino detectors, dark matter detectors Reconstruction Tracking, clustering, particle identification, calibration Statistical Treatment of Data Probability distributions, Gaussian/Poisson/binomial distributions, measurement errors, maximum likelihood