Physique des particules et Physique Nucleaire

Part I (1st quad): Particle physics.

This first part covers the main developments in particle physics, from the observation of the first particles to the most recent discoveries. The course discusses all the scientific aspects of the field: observations, their interpretations, the laws derived from them, detection and gas pedal techniques, interactions between particles and matter, culminating in the Standard Model, i.e. a description of the world of the infinitely small in terms of elementary particles and their fundamental interactions (strong, weak and electromagnetic).

Part II (2nd quad): Nuclear physics.

Introduction to nuclear physics. 
Fundamental properties of nuclei (mass, radius, binding energy, etc.). 
Nucleon-nucleon interaction. 
Nuclear decay. Alpha, beta and gamma radioactivity. 
Nuclear models. Layer model. 
Fusion-Fission.

Introduction to subatomic physics, i.e. the physics of the atomic nucleus (nuclear physics) and elementary particles (electrons, neutrinos, quarks, gluons, etc.). The course provides fundamental knowledge of the structure of matter at subatomic scales and of fundamental interactions. It lays the foundations for the in-depth courses offered at Master's level in Physics.

Required and corequired courses

Cours ayant celui-ci comme co-requis

Part I: Chalkboard course + slides (24h) in French, supplemented by three assignments.
Part II: Course with slides (18h) and exercise sessions (6h) (French)

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Part I:
“Particles and Fundamental Interactions”, S. Braibant et al, Ed. Springer
“Introduction to Elementary Particles”, David Griffiths, Ed. Wiley-VCH.

Part II:
K.S. Krane: Introductory Nuclear Physics (Wiley, 1988)
J.-L. Basdevant, J. Rich and M. Spiro: Fundamentals in Nuclear Physics (Springer, 2004)
Other books will be offered during the course. 

Contacts

Part I (1st quarter): Laurent Favart <Laurent.Favart@ulb.be>
Part II (2nd quadrimester): Michele Sferrazza <michele.sferrazza@ulb.be>

Campus

Plaine

Method(s) of evaluation

• written examination
• Oral examination
• Other

written examination

Oral examination

Other

Part I:

Oral exam out of 17 points + Personal work (optional) out of 3 points.


Part II:

Session 1: Written exam (theory and exercises)
Session 2: Oral exam.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

The overall mark corresponds to the average of the marks obtained for the two parts of the course, provided that both marks are above 7/20. If this is not the case, the overall mark will be the minimum of the two marks. Each mark of 10/20 or above may be carried over from one session to the next and from one year to the next.

Language(s) of evaluation

• french
• (if applicable english )