Standard Model - Theory Part

Prof. Dr. Stephan Dürr, Summer 2026

Content Summary

Reminder on Standard Model interactions
Reminder on Special Relativity
Reminder on Quantum Mechanics
Free-particle Solutions in Weyl and Pauli-Dirac representations
Spinor projection operators and completeness relations
S-matrix and Feynman rules for QED
Electroweak gauge interactions
Strong gauge interactions
Charged-current and neutral-current interactions
Universality, V-A and parity violation
Hypercharge assignments in the Standard Model
Higgs mechanism for non-abelian gauge group
Fermion masses and CKM mixing matrix
Box diagrams and GIM mechanism
Neutral meson oscillations and CP-violation
Constraints on the unitarity triangles
Neutrino masses and PMNS mixing matrix
Atmospheric and solar neutrinos, MSW effect
Normal versus inverted neutrino mass hierarchy
Hints of flavor non-universality (?)
Possible BSM scenarios (?)

You should be familiar with key concepts in analysis and mathematical physics (e.g. distributions, Fourier transform), the theory of special relativity (including four-vector calculus), standard quantum mechanics (e.g. the algebra of spins or angular momenta), and have attended a course on particle physics (e.g. GETA at BUW).

While GETA made only use of concepts in quantum mechanics, this course will make use of concepts in quantum field theory. Due to time constraints we will be unable to go into details (I recommend the QFT book by Mark Srednicki since it separates technical and conceptual issues). Nonetheless, anybody planning to specialize in particle physics is encouraged to attend (simultaneously or at a later point) a course in quantum field theory.

Useful Books

D. Griffith: "Introduction to Elementary Particles", Wiley (2008).
C.G.Tully: "Elementary Particle Physics in a Nutshell", Princeton University Press (2011).
M. Thomson: "Modern Particle Physics", Cambridge University Press (2013).
J.F. Donoghue, E. Golowich and B.R. Holstein: "Dynamics of the Standard Model", Cambridge University Press (2014).
M.D. Schwartz: "Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model", Cambridge University Press (2014).
G. Barr, R. Devenish, R. Walczak and T. Weidberg: "Particle Physics in the LHC era", Oxford University Press (2016).

The theory part will closely follow the book by Mark Thomson; please get a pdf or a hardcopy from the library.

In addition, I produce a document which serves as a reading help to the book by highlighting key points (from the theory viewpoint). It's supposed to let you think about self-assessment questions, and to give you an idea where you should be in your studies, at a given point in time.

Organization Details

Language:	German or English (as preferred by the audience)
Lectures/Exercises:	Mon, 14-16, F.13.11
Lectures/Exercises:	Wed, 10-12, D.10.08
Lectures/Exercises:	Thu, 10-12, F.13.17
Exercises:	On any weekday possible; scheduled as deemed useful; the latest theory series will be available here.
Start:	Mon 20 April 2026.

Last Update: Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:26:22 +0200