Syllabus for Freshman Seminar on Extra Dimensions
Location: Physics Rm. 432.
Time: Tue. Thu. 9:30-10:30 pmLecturer: John Terning
Office: 435
Office Hours: TR 10:30-11:30
Web Page: http://particle.physics.ucdavis.edu/teaching/FRS/
Course Description:
This course will examine traditional and current thoughts about extra dimensions and how to test for their existence. Popular discussions of extra spatial dimensions date back over 100 years, but have recently attracted renewed attention. What we mean by an extra dimension will be examined; as well as why we regard time as the fourth dimension. Ideas about how extra dimensions of space (the fifth and higher dimensions) can be hidden from our view will be covered, including the latest suggestions inspired by string theory. The role of experiment in probing extra dimensions will also be surveyed. No mathematics will be used. High school physics will be helpful, but not required.
Format:
In addition to the 2 weekly meetings, students will be expected to do weekly reading, mostly from the book "Warped Passages", by Prof. Lisa Randall.
Textbook:
"Warped Passages"
Discussion Schedule:
April 2: Intro. - Chap. 1
April 7: Chap. 2 - Chap. 3
April 9: Chap. 4 (room change for this date Rm 525)
April 14: Chap. 5
April 16: Chap. 6:
April 21: Chap. 7:
April 23: Chap. 8 - Chap. 9:
April 28: Chap. 10:
April 30: Chap. 11 - Chap. 12:
May 5: Chap. 13:
May 7: Chap. 14:
May 12: Chap. 15 - Chap. 16:
May 14: Chap. 17 - Chap. 18
May 19: *
May 21: *
May 26: Chap. 19
May 28: Chap. 20 - Chap. 21
June 2: Chap. 22 - Chap. 23
June 4: Chap. 24 - Chap. 25
Assignment Schedule:
April 16: summary of chapter 2
April 28: first essay
April 30: choice of final essay topic
May 14: draft of final essay
June 4: final essay
Grading:
Students will be graded on:
the quality of their participation in class discussion (20%),
in-class assignments (10%),
a 400-500 word summary (5%),
a short midterm paper , 750-1000 words (15%),
draft of final paper , 750 words minimum, (10%),
and on a final paper , 1200-1500 words (40%).
Additional Materials
At NIF, a Quest for Fusion Energy (or Maybe Folly) - NYTimes.com
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - New York Times
Biggest Supernova - New York Times
David Kestenbaum: The search for supersymmetry
Gliese 581c - New York Times
Stephen Hawking Plans Prelude to the Ride of His Life - New York Times
Light Speeds Up an Asteroid as it Spins - New York Times
Cosmic-Ray Detector May Be Shelved - New York Times
Large Hadron Collider and Black Holes - Los Angeles Times
Large Hadron Collider and Black Holes - New York Times
Large Hadron Collider on NPR Part 2 (talking about the experiment and the CMS detector in particular)
Large Hadron Collider on NPR Part 1 (with an interview of Alvaro De Rujula)
Perspective in Renaissance Art - CBS News
Flatland: A romance of many dimensions
Slides
Chapter 1: Demystifying Dimensions
Chapter 2: Rolled-up Extra Dimensions
Chapter 3: Branes, Braneworlds, and the Bulk
Chapter 4: Approaches to Theoretical Physics
Chapter 10: The Origin of Masses
Chapter 12: The Hierarchy Problem
Chapter 14: The Theory Formerly Known as String
Chapter 18: Kaluza-Klein Particles
Chapter 19: Large Extra Dimensions
Chapter 20: Warped Extra Dimensions
Other Information
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