COURSES
COURSES
THE Nitty and the Gritty: Elementary Particles
Fall 2009
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe Connections
The Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College at Arizona State University
and
The OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning at ASU
Weekly, November 2 - November 23
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Physics
Arizona State University
.
This course is designed for adults who, while not necessarily trained in the sciences, have sincere curiosity about the fundamental nature of matter in our universe. It is taught at the university general studies level and has no mathematics or physics prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school graduation. New concepts will be carefully introduced.
Lecture Schedule: Part I
Lecture 1: The Basic Constituents of Matter
.Lecture 2: The Electron
.Lecture 3: The Hadrons and the Strong Nuclear Force
.Lecture 4: Neutrinos and the Weak Force
.
Lecture 5: Strange and Stranger Particles
.
Lecture 6: The Discovery of Quarks
.
Lecture 7: Field Theories, String Theory, Supersymmetry and the Higgs
.
Lecture 8: The LHC: What can it tell us?
.
Cafe Scientifique:
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The instructor will be available in the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the Tempe Connections room, for as long after the lecture as there are those present who want to discuss the course material.
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Enrichment Reading:
.
There are numerous popular books written about elementary particles. I have selected a small number of trustworthy books with the additiional selection criterion that they are well written for the lay person. The links are to the Amazon web site; other quality book sellers may also have these in stock.
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The Discovery of Subatomic Particles
Steven Weinberg
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Reviews the history of the discovery primarily of the electron, proton and neutron.
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Inward Bound: of Matter and Forces in the Physical World
Abraham Pais
.
Much more deatiled than the Weinberg book, this continues the discussion into the discovery of mesons and strange particles.
Robert P. Crease
From the beginning to the quark age.
The Particle Odyssey: a Journey to the Heart of Matter
Frank Close, Michael Martin and Christine Sutton
Basically a coffee table book, but with excellent pictures and discussion.
.
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THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS - Part I
Fall 2008
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe Connections
The Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College at Arizona State University
and
The OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning at ASU
Weekly, September 15 - October 7
1:00 - 2:30 PM
.
.
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Physics
Arizona State University
.
This course is designed for adults who, while not necessarily trained in the sciences, have sincere curiosity about the universe in which we live and the physical laws which govern it. It is taught at the university general studies level and has no mathematics or physics prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school graduation. New concepts will be carefully introduced.
.
The course surveys the origins, primary concepts and principle technological advancements of quantum phsyics. Part II will review the advancements in quantum physics through the latter half Twentieth Century and going into the Twenty-first.
Lecture Schedule: Part I
Lecture 1: Problems with Classical Physics
Lecture 2: Early Quantum Theories
Lecture 3: Wave-Particle Duality
Lecture 4: Quantum States and the Uncertainty Principle
Lecture 5: Wave Functions and Probabilities
Lecture 6: Spin and the Pauli Exclusion Principle
Lecture 7: Quantum Tunneling and Other Weird Happenings
THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS - Part I
Spring 2009
February 9, 23, March 2, 9
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Lecture Schedule: Part II (Each class session will consist of two lectures.)
Lecture 8: Review of Part I
Lecture 9: The Quantum Physics of Electrical Conductors
Lecture 10: Bose-Einstein Condensates
Lecture 11: Relativistic Quantum Electrodynamics
Lecture 12: The EPR Criticism
Lecture 13: Bell's Theorems and Experimental Validation of Quantum Theory
Lecture 14: Schrödinger's Cat
Lecture 15: Quantum Computing
Cafe Scientifique:
The instructor will be available in the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the Tempe Connections room, for as long after the lecture as there are those present who want to discuss the course material.
Enrichment Reading:
There are numerous popular books written about the quantum physics. Many are misleading or jsut plain wrong. I have selected a small number of trustworthy books with the additiional selection criterion that they are well written for the lay person. The links are to the Amazon web site; other quality book sellers will also have these in stock and I suggest that one search around for the best prices.
Tony Hey and Patrick Walters
A good, colorfully illustrated, survey with high concentration on technology. It can serve as a text or guide for this course.
Kenneth Ford
Focusses on subatomic matter. Basic concepts are left to the final chapters.
The Cosmic Code - Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature
Heinz R. Pagels
One of the best books on modern physics written by a highly prolific physicist who met an untimely death while mountain climbing.
QED - The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
Richard P. Feynman
Everyone has heard of Richard Feynman. This brief book concentrates on photon-electron interactions, but is full of insight and delightful comments.
The Quantum Challenge (2nd Edition)
George Greenstein and Arthur G. Zajonc
Somewhat expensive, this book is well worth the money. It brings the reader up-to-date on contemporary quantum physics research, focussing especially on entangled states and quantum interference and non-locality. Main relevance to Part II of this course.
MODERN COSMOLOGY
Winter 2008
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe Connections
and the
Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College at Arizona State University
Weekly, January 30 - February 27
2:00 - 4:00 PM
To be repeated: Beginning Thursday, March 6
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Physics
Arizona State University
This course is designed for adults who, while not necessarily trained in the sciences, have sincere curiosity about the universe in which we live and how, accordiing to current scientific understanding, it came to be. It is taught at the university general studies level and has no mathematics or physics prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school graduation. New concepts will be carefully introduced.
The eleven lectures of which the course consists should bring to the student a good comprehension of contemporary scientific progress in understanding cosmology, that is, the nature and origin of the universe. It will set the observational and theoretical stage for the "standard model" of cosmology, i.e., the "Big Bang" and present the latest astrophysical and cosmological evidence for structure beyond the comprehensible three-dimensional universe we observe by ordinary means.
Lecture Schedule:
Lecture 1 - March 6
Cosmology through the Ages - an introduction
Lecture 2 - March 6
Scoping the Universe - a survey of modern astronomy
Lecture 3 - March 6
Some Essential Physics - light as an electromagnetic wave and as photons
Lecture 4 - March 20
Some Essential Physics - the Special Theory of Relativity
Lecture 5 - March 20
Some Essential Physics - the General Theory of Relativity, Einstein's theory of gravity
Lecture 6 - March 27
The Universe is Expanding - how can we tell?
Lecture 7 - March 27
What's Out There? Matter and Radiation; CMBR
Lecture 8 - April 3
Expansion in an Einstein-Friedman Universe
Lecture 9 - April 3
The First 300,000 years- Creation of the the stuff we're made of
Lecture 10 - April 10
Big Bang Problems - inflation
Lecture 11 - April 10
Other Strange Doings - multiple dimensions, etc
Cafe Scientifique:
I will be available in the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the Tempe Connections room, a half-hour before and as long after the lecture for as there are those who want to discuss the course material.
Enrichment Reading:
There are numerous books written about the Big Bang and modern cosmology. I have selected a small number of them with athe selection criteria being that they are well written for the lay person and that their authors have played an important role in the science they discuss. The links are to the Amazon web site; other quality book sellers will also have these in stock and I suggest that one search around for the best prices.
21st Century Astronomy (2nd Edition, 2006)
Jeff Hester*, David Burstein*, George Blumenthal, Ronald Greeley*, Bradford Smith, Howard Voss*, Gary Wegner
Four (*) of this excellent new text's seven coauthors are on the Arizona State University faculty. Jeff Hester, the principal author is well known for his recent Hubble telescope photograph of the Eagle Nebula, a birthplace of stars. The book is up-to-date on astronomy and has well written and illustrated chapters on cosmology. It comes with an instructional CD rom.
The First Three Minutes (updated edition, 1993)
Steven Weinberg
This classic by Nobel Prize laureate Steven Weinberg should be everyone's starting point. Written, as the author says, "for a smart old attorney who doesn't understand my language, but who expects nonetheless to hear some convincing arguments before he makes up his mind," it is as correct as it can be considering its age. However, all developments after the publication of the "updated edition" (the original was published in 1977) fit in well inasmuch as Weinberg takes a careful "we'll wait and see" approach to unsettled issues.
The Elegant Universe (2000)
Brian Greene
A best seller and actually read, Greene's description of the universe as seen through the eyes of a string theorist has been most people's introduction to string theory. Is the universe 10-dimensional?
The Fabric of the Cosmos (2005)
Brian Greene
In his second volume, Greene introduces "branes" (short for membranes), a recent and important generalization to string theory. The structure and evolution of the universe (and possible other universes) is always at the forefront of his narrative.
The Inflationary Universe (1997)
Alan Guth
Devised to correct a serious problem in the Big Bang theory, "inflation" during the first very small fraction of a second of the universe's existence was proposed by Guth and is now an essential feature of most Big Bang models. The book is outdated by subsequent developments, but the idea is still robust and this is a good place to start.
Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions (2006)
Lisa Randall
Lisa Randall's award-winning book for the general reader takes us into the extra dimensions that string theorists propose and explains how we might be able to detect them experimentally in the very near future. Highlighted by the pioneering work of hers and Raman Sundram's, the book goes beyond string theory into a multi-universe multi-dimensional structure of branes, all of which may be closer and more observable than we think.
Introduction to Cosmology (2003)
Barbara Ryden
The only technical book on this list, Ryden's excellent new textbook for undergraduate physics and astrophysics majors is within reach of anyone with a background in calculus and introductory college level physics. Here is where you can find the equations that make the Big Bang go bang.
Return to R. Jacob's Home Page.