Elementary Particles: Decays and Properties

This lecture covers the decay processes of elementary particles, emphasizing the weak charged current interaction as the only one capable of changing flavor. It discusses the stability of particles like the electron and neutrinos, as well as the decay modes of hadrons and nonelementary particles. The lecture also explores the order of magnitude of particle lifetimes based on available decay processes and the measurement of particle properties through kinematic reconstruction. Examples of particle properties measurements, such as dimuons and diphotons, are presented to illustrate how mass determination and particle identification are achieved in experimental setups.