Fundamentals of Particle Detection and Interactions

📋 Course Outline

1. Ionisation energy loss and minimum ionising particles
2. Electromagnetic showers and radiation length
3. Electromagnetic calorimeters and photon detection
4. Hadronisation, jets and b-quark tagging
5. Cross sections, luminosity and event counting
6. Standard Model interactions and Feynman diagrams

📖 1. Ionisation energy loss and minimum ionising particles

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Ionisation energy loss: Ionisation energy loss is the energy a charged particle loses mainly by exciting and ionising atoms in matter as it passes through.
• Stopping power: Stopping power is the rate of energy loss per unit path length, usually written as $-\mathrm{d}E/\mathrm{d}x$.
• Minimum ionising particle: A minimum ionising particle is a charged particle whose ionisation energy loss per unit length is near the minimum of the typical $-\mathrm{d}E/\mathrm{d}x$ curve.
• Bethe–Bloch behaviour: Bethe–Bloch behaviour describes how $-\mathrm{d}E/\mathrm{d}x$ varies with particle speed, producing a characteristic minimum at relativistic energies.

📝 Essential Points