Activities of the Department

Modern research in particle and nuclear physics has become closely interrelated. Recent results on the properties of neutrinos are just one example. Work at the forefront of this field requires experiments at large research centres and in international collaborations as well as a close collaboration between theoretical and experimental groups.

At the Physik-Department several groups of scientists are leading theoretical and experimental research activities in particle and nuclear physics. The experimentalists use local facilities, like the research reactor FRM-II in Garching or the tandem accelerator as well as international research centres, like CERN at Geneva, the Gran Sasso underground laboratory in Italy, the research reactor at ILL Grenoble, and the heavy-ion accelerators at the GSI Darmstadt. The theoretical groups have collaborations with the theory groups in CERN, Fermilab, ICTP Trieste, ECT Trento and different groups at universities world wide. All these activities are coordinated and partially financed by the newly formed Maier-Leibnitz Laboratorium, by the "Sonderforschungsbereich" on Astro-Particle Physics, and by various grants from state, federal and European agencies. The campus "Forschungsgelände Garching" offers also the possibility of close co-operation with colleagues from the LMU, four Max-Planck-Institutes (plasma physics, astrophysics, extraterrestric physics, quantum optics), other faculties of the TUM, and the Walter-Meissner Institut für Tieftemperaturphysik der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

I. Reading exercises:

Exercise1. Read and memorize using the dictionary:

quantum chromodynamics, mediate, confinement of quarks, composite particles, perturbative calculations of QCD, regime relevant, cool off, sufficiently, confine, lightest baryons, by bridging the gap, relevant, isospin dependence, upgrade, collaboration

Exercise 2. Answer the questions:

1. What is a large experimental and theoretical effort directed to?

2. Where are the properties of the QGP being studied?

3. Where is Hadronic matter at high temperatures and densities also studied?

4. What are the lightest baryons?

Exercise 3. Match the left part with the right:

1. A large experimental and theoretical effort is directed	a. at RHIC in Brookhaven, U.S.A. and further experiments will be performed at the LHC at CERN.
2. Neutrons and protons, the building blocks of atomic nuclei,	b. are investigated in the laboratory by the use of stable as well as radioactive ion beams.
3. Many nuclear reactions and nuclear properties that are relevant for various astrophysical processes	c. are the lightest baryons.
4. The properties of QGP are being studied	d. to find this phase of matter and to study the phase transition from the QGP to hadronic matter.

Exercise 4. Open brackets using the right words:

Besides the (weak/strong) interactions the (weak/strong) interaction (performs/plays) a particular important role in nuclei, since it (determines/settles) the rate of beta-decay, for example the lifetime of a free (proton/neutron).

The Speaking Module

II. Speaking exercises:

Exercise 1. Describe hadron; quantum chromodynamics; gluon; baryon; isotopic spin using the suggested words and expressions:

hadron which has; an elementary particle; strong interactions example: Hadron - an elementary particle which has strong interactions.

quantum chromodynamics of the strong interactions; a gauge theory; among quarks

gluons hypothetical massive particles; one of eight; with spin quantum number; that mediate; and negative parity; strong interactions between quarks

baryon which can be transformed; any elementary particle; into a nucleon and some number of mesons; and lighter particles

isotopic spin resembling the angular momentum vector; a quantum-mechanical variable; in algebraic structure; whose third component; members of groups of elementary particles; distinguished between; such as the nucleons; behave in the same wave; strong nuclear forces; with no respect to; but have different charges

Exercise 2. Ask questions to the given answers:

1. Question: ____________________________________ ?

Answer: Modern research in particle and nuclear physics has become closely interrelated.

2. Question: ____________________________________ ?

Answer: The theoretical groups have collaborations with the theory groups in CERN, Fermilab, ICTP Trieste, ECT Trento and different groups at universities world wide.

3. Question: ____________________________________ ?

Answer: Work at the forefront of this field requires experiments at large research centres and in international collaborations as well as a close collaboration between theoretical and experimental groups.

.

The Writing Module

III. Writing exercises:

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the suggested words: recent; at; nuclear; research; as well as; of; requires:

Modern ______ in particle and ______ physics has become closely interrelated. ______ results on the properties ______ neutrinos are just one example. Work ______ the forefront of this field ______ experiments at large research centres and in international collaborations ______ a close collaboration between theoretical and experimental groups.

Exercise 2. Fill in the table with words from the text. Group the synonyms:

strong	restriction
mediate	passage
responsible	intercede
confinement	compound
composite	execute
perform	quality
simple	full
property	examination
various	mirror
complete	significant
exist	accountable
transition	elementary
investigation	several
reflect	subsist
important	powerful

Exercise 3. Compose a story on one of the topics (up to 100 words):

“The complete nature of Quantum Chromodynamics”

“Neutrons and protons, the building blocks of atomic nuclei”

“Modern research in particle and nuclear physics”

Lesson 9

The Reading Module

Read the text: Elementary Particle

Standard Model of Elementary Particles

In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a particle not known to have substructure; that is, it is not known to be made up of smaller particles. If an elementary particle truly has no substructure, then it is one of the basic building blocks of the universe from which all other particles are made. In the Standard Model, the quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons are elementary particles.

Historically, the hadrons (mesons and baryons such as the proton and neutron) and even whole atoms were once regarded as elementary particles. A central feature in elementary particle theory is the early 20th century idea of "quanta", which revolutionised the understanding of electromagnetic radiation and brought about quantum mechanics.

All elementary particles are either bosons or fermions (depending on their spin). The spin-statistics theorem identifies the resulting quantum statistics that differentiates fermions from bosons. According to this methodology: particles normally associated with matter are fermions, having half-integer spin; they are divided into twelve flavours. Particles associated with fundamental forces are bosons, having integer spin.

Fermions:

Quarks — up, down, charm, strange, top, bottom

Leptons — electron neutrino, electron, muon neutrino, muon, tauon neutrino, tauon

Bosons:

Gauge bosons — gluon, W and Z bosons, photon

Other bosons — Higgs boson, graviton