QCD and Collider Physics
                   (Physics 880.20, Spring 2011, course web page)

   Course  objective: This course will deal with the applications of perturbative QCD (pQCD) to hard processes in high-energy colliders. After a brief review of the QCD Lagrangian and Feynman rules in various gauges, we will discuss the running of the QCD coupling and asymptotic freedom. This will be followed by detailed descriptions of the applications of pQCD in electron-positron annihilation, deep-inelastic scattering, Drell-Yan and hadron-hadron collisions. Topics will include total cross sections, parton distribution functions, fragmentation functions, parton evolution and jets. The course will end with a discussion of factorization and jet modification in dense matter and heavy-ion collisions. Many of the exercises will include numerical calculation and comparison with real experimental data (and hopefully some brand new LHC data!).
                                                                      

   
Classes will be from 2:30 to 4:18, Tuesdays and Thursdays in 2128.
   Due to a conflict our first class on Tuesday March 29th will be in M2061.

    Course Textbook: QCD and Collider Physics
                                     by R. K. Ellis, W. J. Stirling and B. R. Webber
                                     textbook web page @ Cambridge University Press

      Other books: An introduction to Quantum Field Theory   by G. Sterman

                          
An introduction to Quantum Field Theory   by M. E. Peskin and D. V. Schroeder

                           Foundations of Quantum Chromodynamics by T. Muta

                           Applications of Perturbative QCD                by R. D. Field


      These will be complemented with a set of research papers, which I will list as we use them.
      I will post detailed notes after every class here.