• PHY4001        Physics Research Project      (60 CAT Points)   (1st semester)

Pre-Requisites:            None

Lecturers:                    N/A

Course Content: 

Students will undertake a single research project within a Research Centre in the School or at an appropriate external organisation. Safety, risk assessment, and ethics training. Searching and evaluating scientific literature. 

Compulsory Element:   None

Assessment:               Project Report 45%,  Lab Performance 30%,   Oral Presentation 15%, Literature Review 10%,  Safety/Risk Assessment 0% (but must be passed)

• PHY4003        Ionising Radiation in Medicine        (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:            None

Lecturers:                   Dr Jason Greenwood

Course Content: 

Interactions of radiation with matter; Introduction to radio-biology; Interaction of Charged Particles with Biological Matter; Modern approaches to Radiotherapy; Selected Modern Radiation Research Topics

 

Compulsory Element:   None         

        Assessment:          Assignment 20%, Online test 30%, Project Report 50%

 

• PHY4004        Medical Radiation Simulation         (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:       PHY4003

Lecturers:              Dr Stephen McMahon

Course Content: 

Introduction to a basic Linux scientific computational environment. Introduction to Monte-Carlo radiation transport simulation. Proton and photon interactions with matter. Applications of radiation transport to simulate aspects of medical imaging and radiotherapy. Validation of simulations and assessment of errors

 

Compulsory Element:       None      

Assessment:                    Assignment 40%, Written Report 60%

• PHY4005        Planetary Systems     (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                  PHY3003

Lecturers:                         Dr Chris Watson, Dr Ernst de Mooij

Course Content: 

Understand the structure of planetary systems and protoplanetary disks, and describe how they are formed through the comparison of observations and theory.

Understand different techniques for exoplanet discovery and calculate the values of planetary system parameters required for this.

Use knowledge of physics to constrain the orbital evolution of planets and their interior structure.

Describe the observed properties of planetary atmospheres by combining measurements with theory, and explain how these properties allow possible habitats for life to be evaluated.

Compulsory Element:   None

Assessment:                Assignment 40%, Written Report 60% 

• PHY4006        High-energy Astrophysics    (10 CAT Points)     (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                  PHY3003

Lecturers:                         Dr Ryan Milligan

Course Content: 

Observational overview, Accreting neutron stars and pulsars, Pulsar emission mechanisms, Black holes, active galactic nuclei, explosive transients (gamma-ray bursts, supernovae), and supernova remnants, Role of jets, Non-electromagnetic processes; cosmic rays, gravitational waves, Particle acceleration, Radiation processes (e.g., Bremsstrahlung, inverse Compton, etc.), Stellar dynamos, Flux emergence, Magnetic topologies, Zeeman + Hanle effects, Magnetic reconnection and flares.

 

Compulsory Element:   None         

Assessment:                Assignment 30%, Examination 70%

• PHY4007        Laser Physics           (10 CAT Points)     (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                  None

Lecturers:                         Prof Brendan Dromey

Course Content: 

Basic laser physics:  Population inversion and laser materials, gain in a laser system, saturation, transform limit, diffraction limit

Short pulse oscillators: Cavities, Q-switching, cavity modes, mode locking

Amplification: Beam transport considerations (B-Integral), chirped pulse amplification, stretcher and compressor design, white light generation, optical parametric chirped pulse amplification.

Different types of lasers: Fiber lasers, laser diodes, Dye lasers, high performance national and international laser facilities

Applications of state of the art lasers: Intense laser-matter interactions, high harmonic generation: perturbed atoms to relativistic plasmas, generation of shortest pulses of electromagnetic radiation

 

Compulsory Element:   None         

Assessment:                Assignment 30%, Examination 70%

• PHY4008        Plasma Physics          (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                  None

Lecturers:                         Dr Satya Kar

Course Content: 

Introduction to Plasmas: applications, fundamental concepts

Single particle orbit theory: Motion of charged particles in constant/varying electric and magnetic fields, particle drift

Plasma as Fluid: Two fluids model, Plasma oscillations and frequency.

Waves in Plasma: Electron plasma wave, Ion acoustic wave, electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma

Collisions and Resistivity: Concept of plasma resistivity, Collisional absorption of laser in plasma

Intense laser plasma Interaction: Resonance absorption, Landau damping, Ponderomotive force, Interaction in the relativistic regime, particle (electron and ion) acceleration mechanisms

 

Compulsory Element:   None         

Assessment:                Assignment 30%, Examination 70%

• PHY4009        Physics of Materials Characterisation        (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                  None

Lecturers:                         Dr Amit Kumar, Dr Miryam Arredondo

Course Content: 

Fundamental physics underlying electron microscopy-based analysis to investigate the delicate link between crystal structure and chemical composition at the nanoscale, and its impact on properties, with special focus on functional oxides and semiconductors. Physical principles of spectroscopy, Infrared and Raman spectroscopy/microscopy, Scanning nonlinear optical microscopy and scanning probe microscopy with specific applications towards study of phase transitions, domains and ferroic materials.

 

Compulsory Element:   None         

Assessment:                Assignment 30%, Examination 70%

• PHY4010        Physics of Nanomaterials  (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                None

Lecturers:                       Dr Fumin Huang, Dr Kristina Holsgrove

Course Content:

The module will cover the physics of nanomaterials with the emphasis on fabrication of materials and applications in magnetic recording and photonics. Magnetic recording materials including bit patterned media and spin valves.  Nanostructures for surface plasmon detection.  Optical properties of metal nanoparticles and nanostructures. Concept of metamaterials and negative refractive index materials. Examples of applications of nanophotonic devices e.g. in imaging, sensing and data storage.

The second half of this module will focus on the physics of nanomaterials when they are confined to two-dimensions (such as single layer atomic sheets). The underpinning physics associated with 2D electron transport in graphene (such as Dirac-cones), 2D-chalcogenides and heterointerfaces (e.g. LAO-STO) will be discussed. The novel phenomena of conducting ferroelectric domain walls with implications for Domain-Wall based nanoelectronics and the associated physics will also be covered.

Compulsory Element:   None         

Assessment:                Assignment 30%, Examination 70%

• PHY4011        Ultrafast Science         (10 CAT Points)    (SUSPENDED FOR 2023/4)

This module will not be available in 2023/4

• PHY4016        Cosmology     (10 CAT Points)    (2nd semester)

Pre-Requisites:                 None

Lecturers:                       Dr Stuart Sim

Course Content: 

Observational overview, Distance scale and redshift, Friedmann equation and expansion, and Universal geometry, Cosmological models, Observational parameters, The cosmological constant, Age of the universe, Density of the universe and dark matter, Cosmic microwave background, Early universe, Nucleosynthesis – the origin of light elements, Inflationary universe and the Initial singularity

 

Compulsory Element:   None         

Assessment:                Group Project Report 50%, Online test 50%