Interactions of Particles and Matter, with a View to Tracking
Interactions of particles and matter, with a view to tracking 2nd EIROforum School on Instrumentation, May 15th-22nd 2011, EPN science campus, Grenoble The importance of interactions Particles can interact with matter they traverse according to their nature and energy, and according to the properties of the matter being traversed. These interactions blur the trajectory and cause energy loss, but ... they are the basis for tracking and identification. In this presentation, we review the mechanisms that are relevant to present particle physics experiments. Particles we©re interested in Common, long-lived particles that high- energy experiments track and identify: gauge bosons: leptons: e±, µ±, , e µ hadrons: p, n, , K, ... Most are subject to electro-magnetic interactions (), some interact through the strong force (gluons), a few only feel the weak force (W±, Z). No gravity ... [Drawings: Mark Alford (0- mesons, ½+ baryons), ETHZ (bottom)] Energies that concern us The physics of current experiments may play in the TeV-EeV energy range. But detection relies on processes from the particle energy down to the eV ! [Top: LHC, 3.5+3.5 TeV, Bottom: Auger Observatory, > EeV] Interactions of neutrinos Neutrino interactions with matter are exceedingly rare. Interactions coming in 2 kinds: W± exchange: ªcharged currentº Z exchange: ªneutral currentº Typical reactions: - e n p e + e p n e ( discovery: Reines and Cowan, 1956) - + ± (in the vicinity of a nucleus, W or Z) - - e e (neutral current discovery, 1973) First neutral current event First neutral current event, seen in + the Gargamelle bubble chamber: e - - + - e e e e - One candidate found in 360,000 e anti-neutrino events.
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