Prerequisites: phys UN2601 or phys un2802 Primarily for junior and senior physics majors; other majors must obtain the instructors permission. Each experiment is chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. Each section meets one afternoon per week, with registration in each section limited by the laboratory capacity. Experiments (classical and modern) cover topics in electricity, magnetism, optics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics.
Prerequisites: PHYS UN3003 or PHYS UN3007 May be taken before or concurrently with this course. A sequence of experiments in solid-state electronics, with introductory lectures.
Prerequisites: the written permission of the faculty member who agrees to act as supervisor, and the director of undergraduate studies permission. Readings in a selected field of physics under the supervision of a faculty member. Written reports and periodic conferences with the instructor.
Prerequisites: Permission of the departmental representative required. For specially selected students, the opportunity to do a research problem in contemporary physics under the supervision of a faculty member. Each year several juniors are chosen in the spring to carry out such a project beginning in the autumn term. A detailed report on the research is presented by the student when the project is complete.
Prerequisites: PHYS UN3003 and PHYS UN3007 and differential and integral calculus; linear algebra; or the instructor's permission. This course will present a wide variety of mathematical ideas and techniques used in the study of physical systems. Topics will include: ordinary and partial differential equations; generalized functions; integral transforms; Green’s functions; nonlinear equations, chaos, and solitons; Hilbert space and linear operators; Feynman path integrals; Riemannian manifolds; tensor analysis; probability and statistics. There will also be a discussion of applications to classical mechanics, fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, plasma physics, quantum mechanics, and general relativity.
Prerequisites: PHYS UN3003 and PHYS UN3007 Formulation of quantum mechanics in terms of state vectors and linear operators. Three dimensional spherically symmetric potentials. The theory of angular momentum and spin. Identical particles and the exclusion principle. Methods of approximation. Multi-electron atoms.
Prerequisites: PHYS GU4021 or the equivalent. Thermodynamics, kinetic theory, and methods of statistical mechanics; energy and entropy; Boltzmann, Fermi, and Bose distributions; ideal and real gases; blackbody radiation; chemical equilibrium; phase transitions; ferromagnetism.
Prerequisites: (PHYS GU4021 and PHYS GU4022) In this course, we will learn how the concepts of quantum mechanics are applied to real physical systems, and how they enable novel applications in quantum optics and quantum information. We will start with microscopic, elementary quantum systems – electrons, atoms, and ions - and understand how light interacts with atoms. Equipped with these foundations, we will discuss fundamental quantum applications, such as atomic clocks, laser cooling and ultracold quantum gases - a synthetic form of matter, cooled down to just a sliver above absolute zero temperature. This leads us to manybody quantum systems. We will introduce the quantum physics of insulating and metallic behavior, superfluidity and quantum magnetism – and demonstrate how the corresponding concepts apply both to real condensed matter systems and ultracold quantum gases. The course will conclude with a discussion of the basics of quantum information science - bringing us to the forefront of today’s quantum applications.
Prerequisites: PHYS UN2601 or PHYS UN2802 or the equivalent. This course covers the Standard Model of Particle Physics, including it conception, successes, and limitations, with the goal of introducing upper-level physics majors to the foundations and current status of particle physics as a field of research. Specific topics to be covered include: historical introduction and review of the Standard Model; particle interactions and particle dynamics; relativistic kinematics; Feynman calculus, quantum electrodynamics, quantum chromodynamics, and weak interactions; electroweak unification and the Higgs mechanism; neutrino oscillations; and beyond-standard model physics and evidence. Along the way, students will research special topics and familiarize themselves with particle physics research.
Prerequisites: PHYS W4021-W4022-W4023 or the instructor's permission. An introduction to the basic concepts of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe: the thermal history from inflation through nucleosynthesis, recombination, reionization to today; constituents of the universe including dark matter and dark energy; distance scales; galaxy formation; large scale structure of the universe in its many manifestations: microwave background anisotropies, galaxy surveys, gravitational lensing, intergalactic medium, gravitational waves. Current topics of interest at the discretion of the instructor.
Prerequisites: PHYS W4021-W4022-W4023, or their equivalents. Fundamentals of statistical mechanics; theory of ensembles; quantum statistics; imperfect gases; cooperative phenomena.
Prerequisites: PHYS W4021-W4022, or their equivalents. The fundamental principles of quantum mechanics; elementary examples; angular momentum and the rotation group; spin and identical particles; isospin; time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory.
Prerequisites: PHYS G6037 or the equivalent. The elementary particles and their properties; interactions of charged particles and radiation with matter; accelerators, particle beams, detectors; conservation laws; symmetry principles; strong interactions, resonances, unitary symmetry; electromagnetic interactions; weak interactions; current topics.
Prerequisites: PHYS W3008 or its equivalent. Fundamentals of electromagnetism from an advanced perspective with emphasis on electromagnetic fields in vaccum with no bounding surfaces present. A thorough understanding of Maxwells equations and their application to a wide variety of phenomena. Maxwells equations (in vacuum) and the Lorentz force law - noncovariant form. Scalar and vector potentials, gauge transformations. Generalized functions (delta functions and their derivatives), point changes. Fourier transforms, longitutdinal ad transverse vector fields. Solution of Maxwells equations in unbounded space for electrostatics and magnetostatics with given charge and current sources. Special relativity, Loretnz transformations, 4-momentum, relativistic reactions. Index mechanics of Cartesian tensor notation. Covariatn formulation of Maxwells equations and the Lorentz force law, Lorentz transformation properties of E and B. Lagrangian density for the electromagnetic field, Langrangian density for the Proca field. Symmetries and conservation laws, Noethers theorem. Field conservation laws (energy, linear momentum, angular momentum, stress tensor). Monochromatic plane wave solutions of the time-dependent source-free Maxwell equations, elliptical polarization, partially-polarized electromagnetgic waves, Stokes parameters. Solution of the time-dependent Maxwell equations in unbounded space with given chare and current sources (retarded and advanced solutions). Properties of electromagnetic fields in the radiaion zone, angular distribution of radiated power, frequency distribution of radiated energy, radiation form periodic and non-periodic motions. Radiation from antennas and antenna arrays. Lienard-Wiechert fields, the relativistic form of the Larmor radiation forumla, synchrotron radiation, bremsstrahlung, undulator and wiggler radiation. Electric dipole and magnetic dipole radiation. Scattering of electromagnetic radiation, the differential scattering cross-section, low-energy and high-energy approximations, scattering from a random or periodic array of scatterers. Radiation reaction force, Feynman-Wheeler theoryy. The macroscopic Maxwell equations (spatial averaging to get P, M, D, H). Convolutions, linear materials (permittivity, permeability, and conductivity), causality, analytics continuation, Kramers-Kronig relations. Propagation of monochromatic plane waves in isotropic and non-isotropic linear materials, ordinary ad extraordinary waves. Cherenkov radiation, transition radiation.
Prerequisites: Prerequisites; GR6011, another introductory astrophysics course or the instructor's permission; basic General Relativity or familiarity with tensors in flat space. A continuation of G6011. Likely topics include shocks and their application to supernovae; pulsar wind nebulae; atomic physics of astrophysical plasmas; accretion onto magnetized neutron stars and white dwarfs; thick accretion disks, non-thermal X-ray generation processes; particle acceleration and propagation; gravitational wave radiation; magnetars.
Prerequisites: PHYS G6037-G6038. Relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory.