Frank C. Porter
Frank C. Porter
Professor of Physics
B.S., Caltech, 1972; Ph.D., University of California, 1977. Research Fellow, Caltech, 1977-78; Weizmann Research Fellow, 1978-80; Senior Research Fellow, 1980-82; Assistant Professor, 1982-88; Associate Professor, 1988-94; Professor, 1994-.
Research Interests: Experimental high energy physics, CP violation and rare B decays, Testing the standard model, Lepton flavor violation, Statistical methods in physics, Electromagnetic calorimetry
Overview
Frank Porter is a Professor of Physics at Caltech. He is an experimental physicist, working on problems in particle physics, also known as high energy physics. He has taught a variety of physics courses at Caltech in addition to the present course on Vibrations and Waves. These include undergraduate and graduate-level courses in quantum mechanics, classical mechanics and electrodynamics, particle physics, and mathematical methods of physics. He has authored a textbook, with Ilya Narsky, on Statistical Analysis Techniques in Particle Physics (Wiley-VCH).
Professional Membership
- Fellow, American Physical Society
Professional Membership
- Fellow, American Physical Society
Related Courses
Ph 125 abc. Quantum Mechanics.
9 units (4-0-5); first, second, third terms, 2025-26.
Prerequisites: Ma 2 ab, Ph 12 abc or Ph 2 ab, or equivalents.
A one-year course in quantum mechanics and its applications, for students who have completed Ph 12 or Ph 2. Wave mechanics in 3-D, scattering theory, Hilbert spaces, matrix mechanics, angular momentum, symmetries, spin-1/2 systems, approximation methods, identical particles, and selected topics in atomic, solid-state, nuclear, and particle physics.
Instructor: Porter
Instructor: Porter
Ph 139. Introduction to Elementary Particle Physics.
9 units (3-0-6); second term, 2025-26.
Prerequisites: Ph 125 ab or equivalent, or instructor's permission.
This course provides an introduction to particle physics which includes Standard Model, Feynman diagrams, matrix elements, electroweak theory, QCD, gauge theories, the Higgs mechanism, neutrino mixing, astro-particle physics/cosmology, accelerators, experimental techniques, important historical and recent results, physics beyond the Standard Model, and major open questions in the field.
Instructor: Porter
Instructor: Porter