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.

Core courses | Preparatory course | EHEP main sequence | Advanced Topics | Special Topics | Sample Schedule



List of some relevant courses

"Core" courses:

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.

  • PHY 1520F     Quantum Mechanics
  • PHY 1510F     Electromagnetism
  • PHY 1500F     Statistical Mechanics
  • PHY 1530F     Fluid Mechanics  

    • Preparatory course:

    Since many undergraduate programmes do not include an advanced undergraduate particle physics course, we offer the following cross-listed 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:

    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.

    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 Particle Physics) ended. 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:

    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.

    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:

    While these courses are more targeted towards the theory student, many experimental students have taken these courses and enjoyed learning more about particle physics theory. These courses typically alternate from year to the next i.e. in 2007-2008: PHY2406S, in 2008-2009: PHY2407S.