FYS9190 – Supersymmetry
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Choose semester
Course content
Introduction to basic group theory, representations and Lie algebras. The Poincaré algebra and its supersymmetric extensions, Weyl spinors, N=1 supersymmetry, superspace and superfields, supersymmetry breaking, renormalization group equations, the hierarchy problem, GUTs, vacuum energy, the Lagrangian of the MSSM, R-parity, radiative EWSB and Higgs bosons, mass spectrum of the MSSM, Dark Matter candidates, Feynman-diagram calculations, sparticles at colliders, precision test, current bounds and searches, variations on the MSSM.
Learning outcome
The students should be able to understand research papers dealing with the phenomenology of supersymmetric particles and supersymmetric model building, and be able to interpret current and future experimental results from searches for supersymmetry. They should understand the fundamental arguments in favor of supersymmetry at low energies, and the problems that the theory faces. They should be able to carry out calculations in perturbation theory of supersymmetric particle production, scattering on ordinary matter, annihilation and decay.
Admission
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must apply for a position as a visiting student within a given deadline.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
FYS4170 – Relativistic Quantum Field Theory and FYS4560 – Elementary particle physics (discontinued)
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with FYS5190 – Supersymmetry
Teaching
The course will be taught over a whole semester with 4 hours of lectures per week. Exercises will be given and their resolution discussed in class. A mandatory research project must be handed in during the course. There will be held lectures specific for the research project.
Examination
Combination of final oral exam and research project. To pass the course, both research project and final exam must be passed.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
This course offers both postponed and resit of examination. Read more:
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.