Particle Physics: The Basics

Searching for Supersymmetry

In this course, Professor Tina Potter (University of Cambridge) explores the big questions that experimental particle physicists and high energy physicists are working towards answering, especially those related to finding supersymmetric Dark Matter candidates. In the first mini-lecture, we review the basics of particle physics, including the Standard Model particles and fundamental forces. In the second mini-lecture, we discuss the evidence for Dark Matter and ways to find Dark Matter, as well as the concept of supersymmetry. The third mini-lecture turns towards the experimental side of particle physics, where we look at the Large Hadron Collider and its experiments at ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb. In the fourth mini-lecture, we delve into the search for supersymmetry (SUSY), discussing how we can detect SUSY via missing energy and reviewing some of the SUSY results found thus far. In the fifth mini-lecture, we consider the future of the Large Hadron Collider program, including some of the results that hint at new, undiscovered physics.

Particle Physics: The Basics

In this mini-lecture, we review the basics of particle physics, focusing in particular on: (i) the atom (nucleus, electrons, protons, neutrons, quarks) and the strong force that holds its constituents together; (ii) particle interactions, including photon exchange and annihilation; (iii) how particle physics uses very high energies to look back in time at the early universe; (iv) the fundamental particles in the Standard Model and the fundamental forces that govern how these particles behave; and (v) the big questions in physics today.