CP Violation

An overview of the phenomenology of CP violation is presented. The Standard Model mechanism of CP violation and its main experimental tests, both in the kaon and bottom systems, are discussed. (Lectures given at the 1993 Trieste Summer School and at the Escuela Latinoamericana de Fisica, ELAF'93, Argentina).Comment: 29 pages, LaTeX (4 figures not included), CERN-TH.7144/9

Flavourdynamics

These lectures provide an introductory overview of the dynamics of flavour-changing transitions. The main emphasis is put on present tests of the quark-mixing matrix structure and the phenomenological determination of its parameters. The interplay of strong interactions in weak decays and the important role of flavour symmetries for controlling the size of QCD corrections to some semileptonic transitions are discussed.Comment: 54 pages, latex, 14 figures (included in a separate .uu file) Lectures given at the XXIII International Meeting on Fundamental Physics (Comillas, 22--26 May 1995). 1 reference correcte

Electroweak Precision Tests

Precision measurements of electroweak observables provide stringent tests of the Standard Model structure and an accurate determination of its parameters. An overview of the present experimental status is presented.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Invited talk at the International Workshop ``Particles in Astrophysics and Cosmology: from Theory to Observation'' (Valencia, 3-8 May 1999

Importance of Precision Measurements in the Tau Sector

$\tau$ decays provide a powerful tool to test the structure of the weak currents and the universality of their couplings to the $W$ boson. The constraints implied by present data and the possible improvements at the $\tau$-charm Factory are analyzed.Comment: 17 pages, latex, 1 PS figure (included in a separate .uu file

Precision Tests of the Standard Model

Precision measurements of electroweak observables provide stringent tests of the Standard Model structure and an accurate determination of its parameters. An overview of the present experimental status is presented.Comment: 30 pages, 11 Postscript figures Lectures given at the 25th Winter Meeting on Fundamental Physics (Formigal, March 1997

Theoretical status of epsilon'/epsilon

The Standard Model prediction for epsilon'/epsilon is updated, taking into account the most recent theoretical developments. The final numerical value, epsilon'/\epsilon = (17\pm 6) x 10^{-4}, is in good agreement with present measurements.Comment: 6 pages. Invited talk at the 4th Int. Conference on Hyperons, Charm and Beauty Hadrons (Valencia, June 2000

The Standard Model of Electroweak Interactions

What follows is an updated version of the lectures given at the CERN Academic Training (November 1993) and at the Jaca Winter Meeting (February 1994). The aim is to provide a pedagogical introduction to the Standard Model of electroweak interactions. After briefly reviewing the empirical considerations which lead to the construction of the Standard Model Lagrangian, the particle content, structure and symmetries of the theory are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the many phenomenological tests (universality, flavour-changing neutral currents, precision measurements, quark mixing, etc.) which have established this theoretical framework as the Standard Theory of electroweak interactions.Comment: 40 pages, LaTeX (uses cite, epsf), 6 figures (included in a separate uu file). Lectures at the XXII Int. Winter Meeting (Jaca, February, 1994) and at the CERN Academic Training (Geneva, November, 1993

QCD Tests from Tau Decays

The total $\tau$ hadronic width can be accurately calculated using analyticity and the operator product expansion. The theoretical analysis of this observable is updated to include all available perturbative and non-perturbative corrections. The experimental determination of $\alpha_s(M_\tau^2)$ and its actual uncertainties are discussed.Comment: 16 pages, latex, 3 Postscript figures, uses sprocl.sty, Invited Talk at the 20th Johns Hopkins Workshop --Non Perturbative Particle Theory & Experimental tests-- (Heidelberg, 27-29 June 1996

The Standard Model of Electroweak Interactions

Gauge invariance is a powerful tool to determine the dynamics of the electroweak and strong forces. The particle content, structure and symmetries of the Standard Model Lagrangian are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the many phenomenological tests which have established this theoretical framework as the Standard Theory of electroweak interactions.Comment: Lectures given at the 2004 European School of High-Energy Physics, Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain, 31 May - 11 June 2004 47 pages, 35 figure