  We give a pedagogical introduction to the physics of large extra dimensions.
We focus our discussion on minimal extensions of the Standard Model in which
gauge fields may propagate in a single, compact extra dimension while the
fermions are restricted to a 4-dimensional Minkowski subspace. First, the basic
ideas, including an appropriate gauge-fixing procedure in the
higher-dimensional context, are illustrated in simple toy models. Then, we
outline how the presented techniques can be extended to more realistic
theories. Finally, we investigate the phenomenology of different minimal
Standard Model extensions, in which all or only some of the SU(2)$_L$ and
U(1)$_Y$ gauge fields and Higgs bosons feel the presence of the fifth
dimension. Bounds on the compactification scale between 4 and 6 TeV, depending
on the model, are established by analyzing existing data.
