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• If you are sick, stay home (this goes for any illness!). Please call your primary care provider if you are ill and need immediate care or the UF Student Health Care Center at 352-392-1161 to be evaluated.
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• COVID is still a thing!  If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms please use the CDC website and consult with your doctor regarding your needing to isolate / quarantine, mask, and attending class (Click here for guidance from the CDC).

This is a 3 credit course.

Prerequisites

Pre-req: Modern Physics PHY3101 or PHY3063 with associated math requirements; Quantum Mechanics I PHY4604

Please note: This course will use QM and this is a math-intensive course.  See the Files area for a list of all math skills / terms we will be using in the course.

Description

(from the course catalog) History and phenomenology of particle physics, physics of the Standard Model and beyond, and particle accelerators and detectors.

This is a one-semester course providing an undergraduate-level introduction to particle physics.  During this semester we will explore the mathematical and theoretical framework of the Standard Model, Quantum Chromodynamics, and Quantum Electrodynamics including the unified Electroweak force.  This course is best presented as a 2-semester course; as we are time-limited there will be some topics we will delve into deeply and others we will only summarize. 

Success in this course depends heavily on your having mastered concepts presented in Modern Physics; we will not spend time reviewing them.

Course Goals

The purpose of this course is to provide you with an introductory mathematical and theoretical framework of most areas of particle physics as well as aid in your professional development as a Physicist.  (note: due to time constraints we only very briefly cover dark matter if at all)

Course Objectives (eg Student Learning Outcomes)

By the end of this course, students will have a solid foundation in the important concepts, principles, terminology, and methodologies used in particle physics.  Students will gain experience in presenting themselves on the professional stage.  Specifically, students will be able to:

• use Feynman diagrams to calculate predictions for interactions (cross sections) 
• calculate branching ratios for various particle decays
• perform calculations of mathematical/theoretical motivation for the force carriers
  
• perform calculations of mathematical/theoretical motivation for the Higgs boson
  
• explain in detail why neutrinos are massless in the Standard Model
• produce a professional-level PRL-style publication (aka Rapid Communication of breaking results)
• present findings in a professional APS session-style presentation

While this is not a General Education course, it may be helpful to understand the Student Learning Outcomes in terms of the 3 General Education SLO thrusts:

Content:

The most up-to-date course schedule is presented in a canvas page HERE.  This schedule includes sections of the book covered each lecture and all assignment due dates.

Room locations are shown in the table below.

Important announcements will be made using Canvas Announcements. However, please send all email to drhray@ufl.edu. (Do not use Canvas mail!) Your email must come from your @ufl.edu email address, otherwise it will be ignored.  Do not call my office, email only.

Class Comportment

All participants of this course (students, TAs, and instructors) should adhere to the following etiquette policies:

• Treat your instructor and classmates with respect in email or any other communication
• Always use your professors’ proper title: Dr. or Prof.
• Use clear and concise language.
• All college level communication should have correct spelling and grammar 
• Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm as tone is sometimes lost in an online interaction and your message might be taken seriously.

Grade components are listed in the Assignments tab. Below are the detailed descriptions for each category:  

Homework (50%, drop lowest 5%): Homework is long-form and must be handwritten and turned in on paper, not electronically. 

Homework will not be graded on your obtaining the final "correct" answer but on your demonstrating critical thinking on the topics through a good faith effort at problem solving.  Therefore it is possible to get the correct answer and not receive full credit for a problem.  It is also possible to get full credit without obtaining the final correct result.

To receive full credit for homework:

• All homework must be written out in your own handwriting
• Your name must be clearly written at the top
• When solving numerical problems you must first write down the full equation in variable-only form and reduce it using only variables, until the final point at which you insert numbers
• Each problem must be solved in a linear fashion - e.g. start a new line for each line of your calculation
• You must clearly indicate the value of any constants used (if a numerical result is required)
• You must fully explain / work each step in the calculation (eg no skipping steps / "doing the math in your head")

These requirements will facilitate your development as a professional physicist, training you to organize your work in a linear and logically sequentially way.

Homework is due on paper at the end of class, in class.  Electronic homework will not be accepted.  Late homework must be placed under my office door with an email to let me know you have done so. 

Paper and Presentation (50% + 2% extra credit, no drop lowest): 

During the course of this semester you will learn how professional physicists communicate their results by producing a mock publication and presentation on a particle physics topic of your choice.  A list of possible topics is found here. (2% extra credit for completing on-time).  Rubrics for all paper drafts and presentations are found on a separate page.

As it is not expected that you have experience writing a professional publication, there will be multiple drafts due with timely feedback.  An example of a well-organized paper outline is found here.

Paper (35%): You will produce a 3-page paper (1 front + 1 back = 1 page) on a topic of your choice.  This page count includes images, tables, and references.  It can be slightly longer with prior approval.  Throughout the semester there are several due dates for an outline and drafts of your publication.  The instructor will provide feedback in a timely for these drafts.

The publication will be written and compiled in LaTex.  If you are unfamiliar with LaTex you may use the free online complier, Overleaf.  The paper template from Phys. Rev. D. is offered by Overleaf as a starting point.  You must adhere fully to this template - do not change the font, font size, change 2-column to 1-column, etc.  Examples of publications are found in the Files area.

The UF library has an incredible wealth of tools to help you!  Please see their guide to Physics resources.

Presentation (15%): The presentation will be 10-15 minutes depending on the number of students enrolled and will be given during class time the last week of class.  While no draft is explicitly assigned for the presentation the instructor is happy to provide feedback on this project as requested.

All publication drafts are due electronically at the end of class on the due date. 

WARNING: Ethical violations such as plagiarism, cheating, academic misconduct (e.g. passing off others’ work as your own, reusing old assignments, etc.) will not be tolerated.  Students will be reported to SCCR for suspected violations and a penalty of a failing course grade will be requested if they are found guilty.  Students must be especially wary of plagiarism. The UF Student Honor Code defines plagiarism as follows: "A student shall not represent as the student’s own work all or any portion of the work of another. Plagiarism includes (but is not limited to): a. Quoting oral or written materials, whether published or unpublished, without proper attribution. b. Submitting a document or assignment which in whole or in part is identical or substantially identical to a document or assignment not authored by the student." Students are encouraged to reach out with any additional questions regarding what constitutes plagiarism. Note that plagiarism also includes the use of any artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT and Grammarly (offers AI writing "assistance").

For all assignments:

Once lecture is done on the due date the assignment will be considered late.  Late submissions will receive points as follows:

after class - 24 hours later: 50% of max points

24 hours - 48 hours later: 25% of max points

late by more than 48 hours: 0 points

Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies. Click here to read the university attendance policies (Links to an external site.) .

Grading in this class is consistent with UF policies available at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/grades-grading-policies/

Note: This is not a General Education course. 

Grading scale is not curved.  However, rounding to the nearest whole number will be implemented by Canvas (eg 94.49 rounds to 94, 94.50 rounds to 95)

This course is aligned with the UF policies described below. 

• Contact Hours:
  • "Contact Hours" refers to the hours per week in which students are in contact with the instructor, excluding office hours or other voluntary contact. The number of contact hours in this course equals the number of credits the course offers.
    

• Workload:
  • As a Carnegie I, research-intensive university, UF is required by federal law to assign at least 2 hours of work outside of class for every contact hour. Work done in these hours may include reading/viewing assigned material and doing explicitly assigned individual or group work, as well as reviewing notes from class, synthesizing information in advance of exams or papers, and other self-determined study tasks.
• UF Attendance Policy for Excused Absences
• Statement Regarding Evaluations:

  • Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online.  Students can complete evaluations in three ways: [1] The email they receive from GatorEvalus; [2] Their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals; or [3] The central portal at https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/.  Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at: https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens.  Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/.

• Statement Regarding Course Recording:
  • Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.
  • A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.
  • Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Code and Student Conduct Code.
    

• Honor Policy:
  • UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code". On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Conduct Code specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Click here to read the Conduct Code.  If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor in this class.

Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the disability Resource Center. Click here to get started with the Disability Resource Center.

It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.

Physics is practiced and advanced by a scientific community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and identities and is open and welcoming to everyone. We recognize the value in diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of this course. This includes, but is not limited to differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion and disability. Students may have opportunities to work together in this course. We expect respectful student collaborations such as attentive listening and responding to the contributions of all teammates.

Physics, like all human endeavors, is something that is learned. Our aim is to foster an atmosphere of learning that is based on inclusion, transparency and respect for all participants.  We acknowledge the different needs and perspectives we bring to our common learning space and strive to provide everyone with equal access. All students meeting the course prerequisites belong here and are well positioned for success.

• Knack (although may target only Physics 1 and 2)

The UF police are together for a safe campus. 392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies) http://www.police.ufl.edu/. 

Career Connections Center (352-392-1601 | CareerCenterMarketing@ufsa.ufl.edu) connects job seekers with employers and offers guidance to enrich your collegiate experience and prepare you for life after graduation.

If you or someone you know is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu, 352-392-1575, or visit U Matter, We Care website to refer or report a concern and a team member will reach out to the student in distress

Counseling and Wellness Center (352-392-1575) provides counseling and support as well as crisis and wellness services including a variety of workshops throughout the semester (e.g., Yappy Hour, Relaxation and Resilience).

Dean of Students Office (352-392-1261) provides a variety of services to students and families, including Field and Fork (UF’s food pantry) and New Student and Family programs

Office of Student Veteran Services assists student military veterans with access to benefits.

ONE.UF is the home of all the student self-service applications, including access to:

• Advising
• Bursar
• Financial Aid
• Registrar

The official source of rules and regulations for UF students is the Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog. Quick links to other information have also been provided below.

• Student Responsibilities, including academic honesty and student conduct code
• e-Learning Supported Services Policies includes links to relevant policies including Acceptable Use, Privacy, and many more
• Accessibility, including the Electronic Information Technology Accessibility Policy and ADA Compliance
• Student Computing Requirements, including minimum and recommended technology requirements and competencies