Discrete Symmetries and CP Violation From Experiment to Theory

by Sozzi, Marco

• ISBN13: 9780199296668
• ISBN10: 0199296669
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The investigation of discrete symmetries is a fascinating subject which has been central to the agenda of physics research for 50 years, and has been the target of many experiments, ongoing and in preparation, all over the world. This book approaches the subject from a somewhat lesstraditional angle: while being self-contained and suitable to the reader who wants to acquire a solid knowledge of the topic, it puts more emphasis on the experimental aspects of the field, trying to provide a wider picture than usual and to convey the intellectual challenge of experimental physics.The book includes the related connection to phenomenology, a purpose for which the precision experiments in this field - often rather elegant and requiring a good amount of ingenuity - are very well suited. The book discusses discrete symmetries (parity, charge conjugation, time reversal, and of course CP symmetry) in microscopic (atomic, nuclear, and particle) physics, and includes the detailed description of some key or representative experiments. The book discusses their principles and challengesmore than the historical development. The main past achievements and the most recent developments are both included. The level goes from introductory to advanced. While mainly addressed to graduate students, the book can also be useful to undergraduates (by skipping some of the more advancedsections, and utilizing the brief introductions to some topics in the appendices), and to young researchers looking for a wider modern overview of the issues related to CP symmetry.

Author Biography

Marco Sozzi
Associate Professor in Physics
Scuola Normale Superiore
Piazza dei Cavalieri 7 -
56126 Pisa
Italy Studied in Torino, where he received his Ph.D. in elementary particle physics. Involved in particle physics experiments at Fermilab and CERN, where he spent several years as a fellow and a research associate. His main areas of research is CP violation, and he worked in the NA48 experiment at CERN which proved the
existence of direct CP violation in kaon decays, since its beginning, and participated to the follow-up program in NA48/1 and NA48/2, of which he is deputy spokesman.
He is author of about 70 articles and monographies in international journals.He has been teaching courses in general physics, particle physics and CP violation to undergraduate and graduate students at the Scuola Normale and the Universities of Pisa and Firenze, as well at international schools.
Since 2003 he has habilitation for associate professorship in physics.

Table of Contents

Symmetries and invariances

Parity

Charge conjugation

Time reversal

CPT and spin-statistics

CP symmetry

Flavoured neutral meson systems

CP Violation in the K system

The link to theory

CP Violation in heavy meson systems

Widening the picture

Appendices

Bibliography

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.