Experimental Particle Physics Graduate Courses at Toronto
(last updated 13 September 2007)
Courses form an important yet incomplete aspect of your graduate education,
and the graduate curriculum at U. of T. evolves in order to try to provide
you with the best possible background, both in terms of general "cultural"
knowledge of physics in general and particle physics in particular. We see
course work as giving students a firm grounding in the underlying observations
and phenomena, in the theoretical framework and tools used to describe and
understand at a more fundamental level the constituents and forces, develop an
appreciation for the techniques and experimental approaches needed in HEP
today, and key skills that will enable our students to be successful as
collaborators and communicators.
You should choose your courses in consultation with your
supervisor, and after studying the course descriptions and
getting advice from senior graduate students; in general it
is wise to sit in on a range of courses for the first week
or two before making your final choices.
On this page, we provide an approximate idea of the sort of
programme of study which we believe makes sense for the typical
graduate student in experimental particle physics. This is
intended as a guide to help you through the sometimes strange
course nomenclature and number schemes, and not as a list
of "requirements." (You should note that the course numbers and the official
titles which will appear on your transcript occasionally
reflect less the present content of the courses than the delays
involved in propagating changes through university bureaucracy;
when in doubt, speak to the professor teaching the course in question!)
After a brief description of the various courses which form a
part of the quantum optics programme, we present some ideas
of typical schedules.
Please note: This page is not intended to give a complete
overview of the many interesting and relevant courses offered
by other groups in the department. All particle physics students
take a few courses from beyond their specialty, both for their own
education and interest and also sometimes for use in their own
research. For instance, experimental particle physics students
may end up taking
PHY 1850F (Condensed Matter Physics); 2404S (Quantum
Field Theory), and/or special topics courses offered periodically.
In addition, many optics students take courses in Astronomy,
Math, or Computer Science.
You should discuss these other course offerings with other students
and with your supervisor.
The following Fall-term courses are intended as core preparation
for graduate students in all disciplines. While they
are not required, experimental particle physics students should
be comfortable with at least Quantum Mechanics and Electromagnetism,
unless they have already had courses at the appropriate level in these
disciplines.
Since many undergraduate programmes do not include an advanced
undergraduate particle physics course, we offer the following cross-listed course:
We have a 2-term sequence of courses that we think are relevant to
experimental particle physics students, both of
which are considered core knowledge for our graduate students.
Beyond the courses listed above there are a few additional courses
that are offered that might serve to round out the education of an
experimental particle physicist. We consider most of these as optional
and other offerings are available, from time-to-time from the computing
department (large scale software design) that may be just as useful.
One should consult with their advisor in identifying the last few
courses in a student's programme.
While these courses are targeted more towards the theory student,
many experimental students have taken these courses and enjoyed
taking a more in-depth look at some aspects of particle physics theory.
These courses typically alternate from year to the next i.e. in 2007-2008:
PHY2406S, in 2008-2009:
PHY2407S.
"Core" courses:
Preparatory course:
Even if you have had an advanced course in particle
physics, there is enough material here that it is highly likely this course
will have a different emphasis and provide you with a different perspective on
the field of particle physics. Students with advanced undergraduate particle
physics backgrounds may be able to skip this course, but should not do so
lightly, and certainly not without consulting with their supervisors.
Central EHEP sequence:
Quantum field theory underlies most of the predictions of the Standard
Model of particle physics. As such it is important, at this point
in a practicing particle physicist's life to be exposed to some
of the details of these enormously powerful calculations. While
PHY1810F will cover a much broader array of tests of the Standard
Model of particle physics, the details of perturbation theory,
covered here, show how, in principle, one could do the detailed
calculations of Standard Model phenomenon (sometimes to 10 or 11
digit precision) that give us such faith in this underlying model.
Students may wish to consider taking the second course in this
series (PHY2404S) however that is not strictly necessary for
experimental students. One should consult with their advisor when
considering that option.
This course covers a wide array of experimental particle physics techniques
ranging from introductory particle accelerator design to the interaction
of particles with matter. It includes detailed discussions of charged particle
tracking detector as well as neutral particle calorimeter design and concludes
with a discussion of triggering, particle identification and software
simulations necessary for modern particle physics experiments.
There are no pre-requisites for this course, but the advanced course in
electricity and magnetism (PHY1510F) will make some of the concepts discussed
here more accessible.
This is a more advanced course that picks up where PHY1489 (Introduction to High Energy
Physics) left off.. It covers the phenomenology of the Standard Model and provides a survey
of our current knowledge in particle physics. The course covers
the phenomenology of the weak interactions,
the Higgs mechanism, CP violation, Quantum ChromoDynamics (QCD),
and neutrino oscillations.
In modern experimental particle physics experiments have have 100's or 1000's
of collaborators. Being able to effectively communicate one's ideas is
more important than ever. One needs to be able to do this in many different
forums: face-to-face discussions, presentations to a small group of
collaborators, over video or phone links to people spread out across the
world. One also needs to be able to prepare presentations and posters that
can be understood in stand-alone settings (ie. posted on webpages long
after the meeting has ended) and, or course, write clear, coherent,
scientific descriptions of one's research and findings -- both for journal
publications but also for internal working documents. We find this course
provides our students with invaluable advice and feedback on many of these
aspects of what will become part of their day-to-day life in a modern
high energy physics collaboration.
Advanced HEP courses:
Building on the concepts introduced in Quantum Field Theory I this
course provides a more sophisticated look at the details of quantum
field theories. It explores possibilities beyond the standard model.
As such it may be of interest to experimental students
Special-topics courses:
This course builds on the QFT1/QFT2 (2403F, 2404S) sequence to provide
insight into the fascinating theory of strings that may provide a
way of harmonising the field theories that describe the quantum mechanical
phenomenon of the known particles and Einstein's gravity that describe
the gravitational interactions of the very largest scale structures
of our universe. In addition to having a strong background in field theory
students in the course are expected to have a strong background in general
relativity (1483F and 1484S). As such it may not be possible to fit this
course into a single year programme with eight courses.
This course's title and syllabus are subject to change. This course also builds
on the QFT1/QFT2 (2403F, 2404S) sequence.
| 2-semester plan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | 2403F Field Theory 1 | |
| 1510F Advanced EM | ||
| 1520F Advanced QM | ||
| others (e.g., 1485H,1483F,1487H) | ||
| Spring | 1489H Introduction to High Energy Physics | |
| 2405S Particle Detectors | ||
| 1600 Communications | ||
| 2408S SM Phenomenology | ||
| others (e.g. 2404S,1484S,2406S) | ||
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