PHYS 3717: Particle Physics (Fall 2026)
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Course Information:
Prof. Samuel Homiller (shomiller@pitt.edu, 416 Allen Hall)
Meeting Time: TuTh, 11:00am - 12:15pm
Location: 103 Allen Hall
Office Hours: After class on Thursdays, or by appointment
This course is the first part of a two-semester sequence, providing an overview and basic tools for experimental and theoretical research in particle physics. The course will be largely self-contained: the relevant background in special relativity, quantum mechanics and especially quantum field theory will be provided. We’ll discuss methods of particle acceleration and detection, and how to calculate particle reactions using quantum mechanical methods, symmetry principles and relativistic kinematics. While building this toolkit, we’ll apply these methods to the Standard Model of particle physics, a relativistic quantum field theory that is currently our best theoretical model of elementary particles and their interactions.
Course Outline:
An outline of the course is as follows:
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Overview of the Standard Model
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Review of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics
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Basics of Collider Physics
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Symmetries and the Poincar'e Group
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Free Quantum Fields
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Interacting Fields and Feynman Diagrams
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Fermions and Yukawa Theory
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Gauge Fields and Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)
Grading Scheme:
The final grade will be determined based on homework assignments (60%), a final exam (30%) and participation (10%). The latter includes either in-class participation, discussions in office hours, or work on optional extra assignments / explorations that I will provide both in class and with homework assignments.
Homework will be assigned roughly every 1.5 weeks, with some assignments given additional time for longer problems. Solutions will be provided after all students have turned in the assignment. Late assignments will be accepted if turned in no later than one week after the original due date, and awarded 50% credit. Please reach out to me proactively to discuss any outstanding circumstances that might prevent you from turning in an assignment on time so we can make arrangements. I encourage you to work with your peers on the homework problems or discuss them with me in office hours (preferably after you have given them serious thought on your own), but each student is responsible for their own submission, and directly copying solutions from each other will not be allowed.
The final exam will take place during the university scheduled exam period. It will be open note and open book.
Textbook & Resources
The primary text for the course will be Phenomenology of Particle Physics by Andr'e Rubbia (ISBN: 978-1-009-02343-9). This thick book has a similar scope to the entire 3717–3718 sequence, with a lot of details on various experimental methods and historical notes that we won’t have time to cover in class but I strongly encourage you to read.
There are a number of other excellent textbooks covering both particle physics and quantum field theory from a high-energy perspective. Several that you might find particularly useful are:
- An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by M. Peskin and D. V. Schroeder
- Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model by M. D. Schwartz
- The Standard Model and Beyond by P. Langacker
- Gauge Theory of Elementary Particle Physics by T.-P. Cheng and L.-F. Li
Additional references for particular sections of the class will also be shared on Canvas, the course website and discussed in class. I will also distribute my handwritten lecture notes from class on a regular basis, and these will be largely self-contained.
Homework:
- Homework 1 (due Sept. 8, 2026)