Experimental Methods in Nuclear and Particle Physics

Objectives:

The course, which aims at master students, conveys an overview of experimental methods and instrumentation most often used in nuclear and particle physics experiments such as modern collider experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva.

Content:

The course is structured in two parts. The first part provides important results and formulae on the interaction of particles with matter. It covers the energy loss of charged particles in matter (Bethe-Bloch ionization, Cherenkov effect, Bremsstrahlung), interactions of photons in matter, as well as drift and diffusion of electrons and ions in electric and magnetic fields. Important quantities such as radiation length, interaction length, critical energy, as well as detector properties like efficiency and resolution are introduced.

The second part deals with the principles and operation of the main types of detectors. It describes specific detector systems used to measure ionization, particle positions and tracks, particle-decay vertices, particle momentum, electromagnetic energy, hadronic energy, timing and particle type. It also introduces trigger and data acquisition systems needed to collect the necessary amount of information in modern particle and nuclear physics experiments.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge:

The student will be able to:

• have wide knowledge about basic interaction processes of electrons, heavy charged particles and photons in matter and electromagnetic fields
• justify which experimental method and technique is best suited for measuring a specific particle property
• assess how complete detector systems work, which is necessary for conducting research in experimental particle or nuclear physics

Skills:

The student will be able to:

• analyze the design of detector systems in particle or nuclear physics
• set up dedicated test systems in the laboratory
• mathematically describe measurement results

Competence:

The student will be able to:

• read and understand modern scientific papers about detector systems
• understand the principles behind the functioning of detector systems in particle and nuclear physics
• discuss and present various detector concepts in particle and nuclear physics