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You May Not Start To Read The Questions Printed On The Subsequent Pages of This Question Paper Until Instructed That You May Do So by The Invigilator

This document contains instructions and questions for an experimental and theoretical physics exam. It is divided into two sections, with Section A focusing on nuclear and particle physics topics, and Section B covering astrophysics and cosmology topics. Students are asked to attempt multiple questions from each section, which involve explaining concepts, deriving equations, performing calculations, and drawing diagrams related to the various subfields of physics covered.

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45 views

You May Not Start To Read The Questions Printed On The Subsequent Pages of This Question Paper Until Instructed That You May Do So by The Invigilator

This document contains instructions and questions for an experimental and theoretical physics exam. It is divided into two sections, with Section A focusing on nuclear and particle physics topics, and Section B covering astrophysics and cosmology topics. Students are asked to attempt multiple questions from each section, which involve explaining concepts, deriving equations, performing calculations, and drawing diagrams related to the various subfields of physics covered.

Uploaded by

SpringOrchid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

NATURAL SCIENCES TRIPOS Part II

Thursday 2nd June 2005 9.00 to 12.00


EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL PHYSICS (3)
Candidates oering the whole of this paper should attempt two
questions from Section A and two questions from Section B.
Candidates oering half of this paper should attempt two questions
from Section A or two questions from Section B.
Answers to each question should be tied up separately, with the number
of the question written clearly on the cover sheet.
The approximate number of marks allocated to each part of a question
is indicated in the right margin. This paper contains 5 sides, and is
accompanied by a book giving values of constants and containing
mathematical formulae which you may quote without proof.
STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS
Script paper
Metric graph paper
Rough work pad
Blue coversheets
Tags
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Mathematical formulae handbook
Approved calculators allowed
You may not start to read the questions
printed on the subsequent pages of this
question paper until instructed that you
may do so by the Invigilator.
D3
2
SECTION A
A1 Write brief notes on three of the following: [25]
(a) Fermi theory of decay;
(b) nuclear mass;
(c) the Nuclear Shell Model;
(d) nuclear ssion.
A2 Explain why the lowest mass states of baryons formed from u-, d- and
s-quarks form an octet of spin-
1
2
states and a decuplet of spin-
3
2
states. [7]
Briey explain the origin of the baryon mass formula
M
qqq
= m
1
+ m
2
+ m
3
+ A

_
S
1
S
2
m
1
m
2
+
S
1
S
3
m
1
m
3
+
S
2
S
3
m
2
m
3
_
where A

is a constant. Show that the masses of spin-


1
2
and spin-
3
2
uus bound
states can be written as
M
uus
= 2m
u
+ m
s
+ A

_
1
4m
2
u

1
m
u
m
s
_
for J
P
=
1
2
+
M
uus
= 2m
u
+ m
s
+ A

_
1
4m
2
u
+
1
2m
u
m
s
_
for J
P
=
3
2
+
.
[10]
The
+
and
+
baryons are bound states of uus quarks. The
+
baryon
has spin-
1
2
and the
+
baryon has spin-
3
2
. Calculate the masses of the
+
and

+
and compare with the measured values of m(
+
) = 1.19 GeV and
m(
+
) = 1.38 GeV. [3]
The
+
and
+
decay predominantly via the following decay modes

+
p [uud] +
0
[(u u d

d)/

2]

+
[uds] +
+
[u

d]
where the quark contents of the hadrons are shown in the square brackets.
Draw Feynman diagrams for these decays and explain why the total widths,
(
+
) 8 10
12
MeV and (
+
) 36 MeV, are signicantly dierent. [5]
[Mass of the u-quark, m
u
362 MeV; mass of the s-quark, m
s
537 MeV;
A

= 0.026 GeV
3
.]
D3
3
A3 The Breit-Wigner cross-section for the production of an intermediate
resonant state in particle collisions can be written as
(i R f) =
g
p
2

f
[E E
R
]
2
+
2
R
/4
.
Explain the physical meaning of each symbol in the above expression. [3]
In an e
+
e

collider, the energy of both the e


+
and e

is chosen to produce
Z
0
bosons at rest. Show that the cross-section for Z
0
decays into
fermion-antifermion pairs (f

f) can be written as

_
e
+
e

Z
0
f

f
_
=
3
M
2
Z

e
+
e

f

f
[

s M
Z
]
2
+
2
Z
/4
and sketch its behaviour for

s < 150 GeV. What other physical process can
occur for

s 150 GeV ? [6]
Draw a Feynman diagram for the decay of the Z
0
f

f and list all possible
Standard Model decay modes of the Z
0
. Calculate the cross-section at the Z
0
peak
for the decay of the Z
0
into quark-antiquark pairs and compare it to that for Z
0
decays into e
+
e

pairs. Quote your results in natural units and barns. [7]


Explain how measurements of the total width of the Z
0
and the partial
widths for Z
0
f

f can be used to measure the number of light neutrino species. [5]
One method for searching for the Standard Model Higgs boson, H, is via the
reaction
e
+
e

Z
0
Z
0
H.
Draw a Feynman diagram of this reaction. The branching fraction for the Higgs
decay to b

b pairs is 85%. Estimate the branching fraction for Z


0
b

b. Explain
why b quarks can help to distinguish e
+
e

Z
0
H from the background reaction
e
+
e

Z
0
Z
0
. [4]
_

_
Mass of the Z
0
= 91.2 GeV; spin of the Z
0
= 1;
total width of the Z
0
= 2.5 GeV;
Z
0
partial width to each charged lepton type,
e
+
e
= 84 MeV;
Z
0
partial width to each neutrino species,

= 167 MeV;
Z
0
partial width to each up-type quark,
u u
= 252 MeV;
Z
0
partial width to each down-type quark,
d

d
= 414 MeV;
hc = 0.197 GeV fm and 1 barn = 10
28
m
2
.
_

_
D3
(TURN OVER
4
SECTION B
B4 Write brief notes on three of the following: [25]
(a) the formation and properties of protostars;
(b) the Lagrange points and the orbits of test particles in the gravitational
two-body problem;
(c) the generation and transport of energy in stars;
(d) the Equivalence Principle.
B5 Describe briey the events that are thought to occur when a 10 solar mass
star becomes a supernova. [7]
The total energy released in such a supernova is of order 2 10
46
J and
about half of this is emitted in the form of neutrinos, with a typical energy of
10 MeV, over a period of about 10 seconds. If this supernova exploded at a
distance of 30 parsecs from the Earth, how large would the ux of neutrinos be at
the Earth? [1 parsec = 3 10
16
m] [3]
The envelope of the star, which has a mass of 2 10
31
kg, is expelled at a
velocity of 7 10
6
m s
1
forming a supernova remnant. Outline the subsequent
evolution of this remnant and its interaction with the interstellar medium. [5]
Given that the mean density of the interstellar medium is
10
6
particles m
3
, nd the radius of the remnant at which the mass of material
swept up is equal to that of the envelope and estimate the time t
1
after the
explosion at which this occurs. [3]
Neglecting the eect of radiative cooling, show that at time t, which is much
greater than t
1
, the radius R of the remnant is given by
R = C
_
E

_
1/5
t
2/5
where E is the original kinetic energy of the remnant, is the density of the
interstellar medium, and C is a constant. [4]
Taking C to have the value 1.4, estimate the time that would elapse between
the arrival of the neutrinos and the arrival of the shock front at the Earth. [3]
D3
5
B6 The cosmological eld equations can be written in the form

R
R
+
4G
3
(1 + )

3
= 0,
_

R
R
_
2

8G
3


3
=
kc
2
R
2
.
Describe briey the physical meanings of the quantities appearing in these
equations. [3]
Explain the signicance of the Hubble parameter H =

R/R and discuss
recent data giving its current value. [4]
Show that for a universe with k = 0, the second eld equation requires that

m
+

= 1, where

m
=
8G
3H
2
and

=

3H
2
.
[3]
Describe briey the astronomical evidence that constrains the current values
of
m
and

. Include in your answer a diagram of the (


m
,

) plane and
indicate on it which regions are allowed according to the various sets of recent
observations. [4]
Show that, with the assumptions that k = 0 and = 0, can be eliminated
between the eld equations to obtain the relationship 2

H + 3H
2
= . Show that a
solution to this equation is
H(t) =
_
/3
tanh
_
3t
2
_
/3
_
and nd an expression for the age of the Universe in terms of the current values of
H and

. [6]
Make an estimate of the age of the Universe using this expression and the
best values that are currently known for the cosmological parameters. [3]
Using the expression for H(t), discuss the eventual fate of the Universe if
these assumptions are correct. [2]
END OF PAPER
D3

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