Physics with European Language BSc

You’ll study a selection of mathematical techniques that are used for analysing physical behaviour. Topics will include:

• complex numbers
• calculus of a single variable
• plane geometry
• differential equations
• calculus of several variables
• matrix algebra

You’ll spend around three hours per week in workshops and lectures studying this module.

How does the world really work?

We’ll take you from Newton’s mechanics, the pinnacle of the scientific revolution and the foundation of our understanding of modern physics, right through to our current understanding of physics with Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

This module will underpin your entire physics degree. It contains all the ideas and principles that form the basis of our modern world. As you’ll find out, some of these ideas are very strange indeed.

You’ll study:

• Newton’s laws of mechanics
• The physics of waves and oscillations
• Electricity and magnetism
• Quantum mechanics and the foundations of modern physics
• Einstein’s relativity

In this module you will receive: an introduction to the basic techniques and equipment used in experimental physics; training in the analysis and interpretation of experimental data; opportunities to observe phenomena discussed in theory modules and training in the skills of record keeping and writing scientific reports.

You’ll receive training in basic computing techniques using Python, and will be introduced to their use in solving physical problems.

You’ll spend two hours in computer classes and a one hour lecture each week. 

This year-long module will train you in the mathematical modelling of physical processes. You’ll cover topics such as basic statistics and errors, dimensional analysis, curve sketching, orders of magnitude and estimates, and integrating problems in physics among others.

You will choose from French, German or Spanish language modules appropriate to your level of prior training and level of understanding and achievement.

This module provides an introduction to the theory and elementary applications of quantum mechanics, a theory that is one of the key achievements of physics. Quantum mechanics is an elegant theoretical construct that is both beautiful and mysterious. Some of the predictions of quantum mechanics are wholly counter-intuitive and there are aspects of it that are not properly understood. Nonetheless, it has been thoroughly tested empirically for nearly a century and, wherever predictions can be made, they agree with experiment.

The notes, videos, and simulations for the first semester of The Quantum World are all publicly available and freely accessible. Check out the notes online, which include embedded links to the videos and interactive simulations.

You’ll study:

• Quantum vs classical states
• Fourier series and transforms: translating from position to momentum space
• The Heisenberg uncertainty principle (particularly from a Fourier perspective)
• The time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger equation
• Bound and unbound states, scattering and tunnelling
• Wavepackets
• The subtleties of the particle in a box
• Operators, observables, and the thorny measurement problem
• Matrix mechanics and Dirac notation
• The quantum harmonic oscillator
• Conservation and correspondence principles
• Angular momentum
• Stern-Gerlach experiment
• Spin
• Zeeman effect, Rabi oscillations
• 2D and 3D systems
• Degeneracies
• Hydrogen atom and the radial Schrödinger equation
• Entanglement and non-locality
• ... and, of course, that ever-frustrating feline...

Macroscopic systems exhibit behaviour that often differs from that of their microscopic constituents. This module explores the relationship between the macro and micro worlds, and the complexity which emerges from the interplay of many interacting degrees of freedom.

You’ll study:

• Laws of thermodynamics, and how they are still relevant
• Macroscopic characterisation of matter, for example how liquid nitrogen is made and understood
• Statistical formulation, linking micro and macro systems
• Quantum statistics, providing a theory for everything!

In this module you will explore the concepts of scalar and vector fields. You will learn the mathematics of vector calculus, which give us a powerful tool for studying the properties of fields and understanding their physics.

You will then study its application in two important and contrasting areas of physics: fluid dynamics, and electromagnetism. We use examples such as water draining from a sink or wind in a tornado to provide intuitive illustrations of the application of vector calculus, which can then help us to understand the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields.

You’ll study:

• The fundamental principles and techniques of vector calculus, and methods to visualise and calculate the properties of scalar and vector fields
• The application of vector calculus to fluid flow problems
• Maxwell’s equations of electrodynamics, and their applications in electrostatics, magnetic fields and electromagnetic waves.

The physics of waves features in our everyday lives. Waves are important phenomena. They include:

• electromagnetic waves that we know as light
• communication via radio and microwaves
• surface waves on water
• shock waves in earthquakes

Understanding light and how it can be manipulated leads to important technical applications such as optics and cameras in mobile phones, telecommunication and the internet or even quantum computers.

This module will cover the wave description of light; geometrical optics and imaging, interference and diffraction; optical interferometry. The second half of the module will introduce more general methods for the discussion of wave propagation, and Fourier methods.

You’ll study:

• Imaging and matrix methods
• Microscopes and telescopes. State of the art telescopes such as the Hubble Telescope, the VLT (Very Large Telescope) and the James Webb Telescope.
• Interference patterns and their applications, for example to study the structure of proteins, of crystals and of fullerenes

In this module you will develop your experimental technique and gain experience of some key instruments and methods. The experiments will cover electrical measurements, optics and radiation. You will also learn how to use a computer to control experiments and to record data directly from measuring instruments.

In this module you will further develop your laboratory skills.

• You will learn how to create software to perform automated laboratory experiments, such as driving a robot buggy, measuring the time taken for heat to flow through a thin metal sheet, and developing a sensitive temperature controller.
• You will explore topics at greater depth by performing open-ended laboratory investigations in areas such as chaos, quantum physics, elementary particles, x-ray and gamma radiation, and magnetic resonance imaging.

You will choose from French, German or Spanish language modules appropriate to your level of prior training and level of understanding and achievement.

This module will introduce students to the physics of atoms, nuclei and the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions. The module will also develop the quantum mechanical description of these.

Topics to be covered are:

• Approximation techniques first order perturbation theory, degeneracies, second order perturbation theory, transition rates, time-dependent perturbation theory, Fermi's golden rule
• Particle Physics protons and neutrons, antiparticles, particle accelerators and scattering experiments, conservation laws, neutrinos, leptons, baryons and hadrons, the quark model and the strong interaction, weak interactions, standard model
• Introduction to atomic physics review of simple model of hydrogen atom, Fermi statistics and Pauli principle, aufbau principle, hydrogenic atoms, exchange, fine structure and hyperfine interactions, dipole interaction, selection rules and transition rates
• Lasers optical polarization and photons, optical cavities, population inversions, Bose statistics and stimulated emission, Einstein A and B coefficients
• Nuclear Physics Radioactivity, decay processes, alpha, beta and gamma emission, detectors, stability curves and binding energies, nuclear fission, fusion, liquid drop and shell models.

Solid state physics underpins almost every technological development around us, from solar cells and LEDs to silicon chips and mobile phones.

The aim of this module is to introduce to you the fundamental topics in solid state physics. We start by looking at why atoms and molecules come together to form a crystal structure. We then follow the electronic structure of these through to interesting electronic, thermal and magnetic properties that we can harness to make devices.

You’ll study:

• Why atoms and molecules come together to form crystal structures
• The description of crystal structures, reciprocal lattices, diffraction and Brillouin zones
• Nearly-free electron model – Bloch's theorem, band gaps from electron Bragg scattering and effective masses
• Band theory, Fermi surfaces, qualitative picture of transport, metals, insulators and semiconductors
• Semiconductors – doping, inhomogeneous semiconductors, basic description of pn junction
• Phonons normal modes of ionic lattice, quantization, Debye theory of heat capacities, acoustic and optical phonons
• Optical properties of solids absorption and reflection of light by metals, Brewster angle, dielectric constants, plasma oscillations
• Magnetism – Landau diamagnetism, paramagnetism, exchange interactions, Ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, neutron scattering, dipolar interactions and domain formation, magnetic technology

You’ll carry out a project within the areas of chemical and molecular physics, which may be experimental or theoretical in nature.

Spending around two hours per week in lectures and tutorials, you’ll work in pairs to plan your project under the guidance of a project supervisor.

You will choose from French, German or Spanish language modules appropriate to your level of prior training and level of understanding and achievement.

Cosmology is the scientific study of the Universe as a whole. It aims to understand what the Universe is made of, and its evolution from the Big Bang until today (and into the future).

You’ll study:

• observational evidence for the Big Bang
• how the expansion of the Universe depends on its contents and geometry
• how the contents of the Universe evolve as it expands and cools
• dark matter and dark energy: observational evidence and the latest theoretical models
• inflation, a proposed period of accelerated expansion in the very early Universe

Science is the cornerstone of modern healthcare. For example, in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) more than 80% of clinical decisions are informed by scientific analysis.

In this module, we will explore some of the critical technologies that underpin these decisions. The course begins by exploring particle accelerators, and how they are used to create, for example, high energy photons or anti-matter particles. We will then see how these are used to either diagnose or treat illnesses such as cancer.

We will look closely at medical imaging techniques such as X-ray computed tomography (the CT scan), exploring the mathematics of how high-definition images of the body can be formed. We will cover nuclear medicine – how radiation can be used to track the function of organs in the body – and how advanced mathematical models feed into diagnostic decisions. 

This module aims to provide you with the skills necessary to use computational methods in the solution of non-trivial problems in physics and astronomy. You’ll also sharpen your programming skills through a three hour computing class and one hour of lectures per week. 

This module explores the physical processes involved in the most extreme environments known in the Universe. Among the objects studied are neutron stars, black holes, supernova explosions, and active galactic nuclei.

The invention of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) in the 1980s has led to a revolution in the imaging of surfaces and has provided an enormous stimulus for the development of nanoscience. The operation of a scanning probe microscope relies on the interaction between a local probe and a surface. A family of techniques has been derived from the STM which exploit a range of different forces and other interactions for image formation. The most widely-used of these techniques is atomic force microscopy which, unlike, STM, can be used to image insulating samples. In this module the focus will be on the development of physical models to describe the interaction between a local point-like probe and a surface. The operation of the STM will be considered in detail together with design considerations which are common across all scanning probe microscopes. In the second half of the course, forces between the tip and sample will be considered and methods for measuring these interactions will be discussed. The probe-surface interaction can also be used to modify the surface with a specificity which can result in placement of single atoms and molecules and these patterning processes will be discussed. Throughout the course images from the current research literature will be introduced to inform students of the range of possible applications of this these techniques.

Particle physics has been hugely influential in both science and society, from the discovery of the electron to the detection of the Higgs boson. In this module you will be introduced to the mathematical tools required to understand our current description of the Standard Model of particle physics.

You’ll study:

• The Dirac equation, which describes electrons, quarks and neutrinos
• How symmetry and conservation laws are crucial in particle physics
• The Feynman approach to computing the scattering of particles

In this module you will learn how the same physics that works on Earth – gravity, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, optics, quantum physics, atomic and nuclear physics – is used to understand stars. You will explore the most important physical processes occurring in stars of different types. You will then use this knowledge to build mathematical models of stars and to understand their internal structure, their formation, evolution, and death.

You’ll study:

• How astronomers measure the most important properties of stars such as their mass, size, distance, brightness, temperature, chemical composition and age. This module will then teach you how physics is able to explain these properties.
• How energy is generated inside stars through nuclear fusion, and how it is transported to the surface to make stars shine.
• How to write the equations that describe the structure of stars, and how to use them to build mathematical models that explain their properties and evolution.
• How stars are born, how they evolve with time, how long they live, how they die, and what remnants they leave behind. You will be able to understand, for instance, how supernovae explode and how some black holes form.

We will study some of the fundamental forces at the nanoscale and look at the role of key concepts such as entropy. We will also learn how we can visualise and measure the nanoscale structures that form.

The nanoscale world is very different from our regular experience. Thermal energy pushes and pulls everything towards a state of disorder whilst nanoscale forces allow for materials to resist this and stay together. We will study some of the fundamental forces at the nanoscale and look at the role of key concepts such as entropy. We will also learn how we can visualise and measure the nanoscale structures that form.

While the forces we will study operate over distances as small as 1 nanometre we will explore how these concepts are responsible for phenomena in our everyday world we often don’t even think about:

• Why is a droplet spherical?
• What is going on when you scramble an egg?
• How can a gecko walk across a perfectly smooth ceiling?
• Why do you use soap when you wash?
• Why don’t oil and water mix?

This module will develop your current understanding of the various large-scale physical processes that dictate the formation, evolution and structure of galaxies, from when the Universe was in its infancy to the present day.

You’ll explore a range of topics, starting with the fundamentals of observational techniques used by astronomers for understanding the structure of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. We will then look at the more sophisticated ways of unpicking the physics that drives the complexity we see throughout the population of galaxies in the Universe.

Specifically, in this module, you will study:

• The structure of the Milky Way – how we determine the structure of the Milky Way, its rotation curve and what this implies for its dark matter content
• Properties of galaxies in the Universe – how astronomers classify galaxies, the properties of the different classes and how their constituents vary between classes
• Dynamics of galaxies – kinematics of the gas and stars in galaxies, why spiral arms form, the theory of epicycles, bar formation, different types of orbits of matter within galaxies
• Active galaxies – radio galaxies, quasars and active galactic nuclei, super-massive black holes
• The environment of galaxies – how the environment that a galaxy resides in affects its evolution and structure
• Galaxy evolution – observations of galaxy evolution from the early Universe to the present day, models of galaxy evolution.

Symmetry plays a central role in physics. Most of the fundamental Laws of modern physics have been formulated using symmetry principles. Symmetry is also expected to guide for further understanding and development of theories of physical phenomena.

Through a combination of lectures, engagement sessions and workshops, this module equips you with:

• the key concepts of symmetry
• the correspondence between symmetries and conservation laws
• the derivations of physics laws from the action principles
• and the consequences of symmetry breaking.

You’ll study:

• Symmetries of space and phase space using classical mechanics
• Symmetries of spacetime and in electromagnetism using special relativity
• Main symmetry groups of modern physics laws
• How structures in nature are results of symmetry breaking.