Research project ideas on particle physics

[LLT]

I'm just about to start a piece of research project on particle physics. Can anyone give me some useful ideas and websites containing useful information?

I just want to have a general idea about it.
Also interesting things that I can do with Particles.

What types of theories are linked to particles physics?

 

[quartodeciman]

I assume you may be just starting out. I like these web sites:

PDG's The Particle Adventure
(do as much of these tutorials as you need)

The Official String Theory Web Site
(don't miss the big bang tour under the subject of cosmology)

CERN the world's largest particle physics laboratory
(search through the education and press resources for links to other lab websites)

 

[Cristi]

Oh, I think this might help : www.siski.ru hihihhi

 

[Andersen]

I have a list of particle physics links here:

http://physics.about.com/cs/particlephysics/


some of it is "newsy" and might not be what you're after, but there are some general reference links as well.

Joe

 

[grady]

http://www-boone.fnal.gov/publicpages/index.html

http://www-boone.fnal.gov/public/plots/physics_eventdisplays.html

www.fnal.gov

 

[LLT]

I'm thinking of doing something about beta decay and how it's link to particle physics. How can the mass of neutrino be determined?

 

[neutroncount]

They are theorizing that neutrinos have mass due to the fact that less electron neutrinos are being detected then should be. Nuclear fusion from the sun should produce more neutrinos due to the nature of the reaction. Scientist are theorizing that neutrinos are "changing flavor" into muon neutrinos and tau neutrinos by oscillating due to their wave-particle duality quantum-mechainical nature. If you want to detect the electron neutrino deficiency all you need to do is set up a huge-ass container full of scintillator and bury DEEP underground and then donate a large amount of time and money into maintaining it and analyzing the data. But hey, don't let me stop ya

 

[LLT]

What determines a Beta Decay as a Beta Plus Decay or Beta Negative Decay?

 

[neutroncount]

Originally posted by LLT
What determines a Beta Decay as a Beta Plus Decay or Beta Negative Decay?

A beta negative decay gives off an electron and an electron antineutrino.

A beta positve decay gives off a positron and an electron neutrino.

 

[neutroncount]

So in retrospect I suppose you could create an accelerator with enough juice to create nuclides that beta decay and detect the electrons and neutrinos. Again, neutrinos are very hard to detect. Electrons are a lot easier. You could set up an experiment to detect just the elccrons and through the convervation of energy laws show that the electrons don't account for all the energy of the reaction and that neutrinos are what carries away the missing energy.

But again...it's expensive and complicated.

 

[LLT]

I mean, what type of nucleus undergo beta plus decay, what type of nucleus undergo beta minus decay? What determines which decay it undergoes?

 

[neutroncount]

Originally posted by LLT
I mean, what type of nucleus undergo beta plus decay, what type of nucleus undergo beta minus decay? What determines which decay it undergoes?

My modern physics class was a while ago. It's hard to remember some of this stuff and you're making look it up...ugh! hehe.

For a nuclide to decay with some certainty, it must be unstable. Uranium 238 is an example. I for one can't remember why certain nuclides undergo different decays. I bet someone in here would be a lot more help.

I have a couple of links that visually explain different decays for you. It's easier to see how the decay process goes.

http://www.nuclides.net/applets/radioactive_decay.htm

http://www.nuclides.net/Applets/about_radioactive_decay.htm

 

[Janus]

Originally posted by LLT
I mean, what type of nucleus undergo beta plus decay, what type of nucleus undergo beta minus decay? What determines which decay it undergoes?

Generally, Nuclei with a neutron excess will undergo b- becay, and nuclei with a neutron
deficiency will undergo b+ decay.

 

[neutroncount]

Originally posted by Janus
Generally, Nuclei with a neutron excess will undergo b- becay, and nuclei with a neutron
deficiency will undergo b+ decay.

THANK YOU! I couldn't remember why until you said something. The anitneutrino release in beta decay follows from a neutron to proton conversion and visa versa in beta positive decay except a neutrino is given off.

 

[quartodeciman]

Also, the nucleus must conspire to raise a massive W⁺ or W^- boson, since it is the weak interaction that intermediates the beta decay process. Danged, though, if I can find something short and sweet about this, searching "beta decay".

 

[neutroncount]

Originally posted by quartodeciman
Also, the nucleus must conspire to raise a massive W⁺ or W^- boson, since it is the weak interaction that intermediates the beta decay process. Danged, though, if I can find something short and sweet about this, searching "beta decay".

Found a good source.

http://www.egglescliffe.org.uk/physics/particles/parts/parts1.html

Nicely shows the Feynman diagram of a beta decay.

 

[quartodeciman]

That's good! I hoped for a bit more on the N -> P + W^- vs. P -> N + W⁺ bit, you know, flip a down-quark flavor or flip an up-quark flavor choice. Thanks. That site is COOL.

 

[Marts Liena]

Weak Decay

We are taught that the weak interaction proceeds through an intermediate vector boson, W particle. I think the IVB's are really just matter/antimatter meson pairs and that they are always produced in a pair. I can show how the interaction proceeds without violating any symmetry. However it cannot be done by just using one IVB as is currently the case with the Standard Model. It suggests that there is another mechanism at work behind the so called weak decay. I believe this to be bigbang antineutrinos! A rather radical proposal but one that can provide the energy, rather than rely on quantum "borrowing" and repaying.

 

[neutroncount]

W and Z particles have been detected at accelerators around the world. They were theorized for their actions before they were found and fit the model pretty damn well if you ask me. Besides antineutrinos are a byproduct of bety decay, not the mediator of it.

 

[LLT]

What types of debatable question can be arise due to beta decay?