FYS205 Particle physics and cosmology (Autumn 2022)

• know central concepts and principles in special relativity
• be able to use Newton¿s law of gravity and be familiar with general relativity
• be familiar with the content of the standard model of particle physics
• know central concepts and principles in nuclear physics, radioactivity and particle physics
• be able to explain observations that underpins our modern cosmology
• be able to distinguish experimentally supported knowledge and speculation within particle physics and cosmology

The course gives an overview over the modern understanding of the fundamental laws of nature and evolution of the universe. Special and general theory of relativity will be presented, and Newton¿s law of gravity will be studied. Nuclear physics and radioactivity. The standard model of particle physics, both theoretical construction and experimental verification. C-, P- and CP-violation, quark-confinement, neutrino-oscillations, Feynmann-diagrams and the Higgs mechanism will be discussed.

The Big Bang phenomenology will be discussed in detail, with focus experimental observations and shortcomings of our theoretical (and experimental) understanding. Examples here include theories of inflation, dark matter, dark energy, baryogenesis etc. This will include connections to particle physics. At this point more speculative theories for solving these problems will be discussed. This includes GUT theories, supersymmetry, extra dimensions and string theory. Experiments trying to confirm these will be discussed.

Lectures, seminars and laboratory exercises. The lectures will include demonstrations and calculation.
Students in teacher education has practice and the other students have compulsory assignments.
A detailed syllabus for the course is awarded by semester.

 The course has an expected scope of work of 270 hours.