The module will introduce the theory of quarks and gluons, QCD.
The pre-QCD parton model and the Bjorken scaling will be discussed.
The concepts of confinement and asymptotic freedom will be covered.
Experimental proof of the existence of quarks and gluons came from
deep inelastic scattering experiments that probed the structure of
the hadrons. These experiments measured in detail the momentum
distributions of quarks and gluons in the proton.
QCD measurements in hadron colliders will also be discussed.
The module will also cover the chiral symmetry breaking of QCD
leading to the appearance of pseudo-Goldstones, the pions.
We will use these ideas to introduce potential new strong interaction
sectors which can explain the origin of the Higgs boson, the fermion
mass hierarchy problem, and the unification of interactions.