Physics 3 (U03232)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 9 ? Acronym : PHY-3-Phys3

Physics 3 provides an introduction to four of the main areas of active experimental physics research: diffraction physics, condensed matter physics, nuclear physics and particle physics. Each of these subjects is currently being researched in the School of Physics, and someone who is active in that particular research area will teach each topic. The course aims to give a taste of what active physics research actually investigates.

Condensed matter provides an introduction to the basic concepts of the behaviour of electrons in metals. The failures of the classical model to describe the behaviour of real metals will be explored. The simplest quantum model, the free electron model, will be outlined and its
successes and failures explored. Finally the effects of electron lattice interactions will be examined for the 1-d case and the nearly free electron model will be described.

Physical optics covers polarisation of light and its properties, twin and multiple beam interference,
its applications in interferometers and thin films and simplified diffractions and its implication in spectroscopy and imaging.

The nuclear & particle physics components explore the quantum world at the nuclear and particle scales. The basic concepts of nuclear and particle physics are introduced: Nuclear properties, structure and decays and fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions are described.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Physics 2B: Waves, Quantum Physics and Materials (PHY-2-B); Foundations of Mathematical Physics (PHY-2-FoMP) or Principles of Mathematical Physics (PHY-2-PoMP).

? Prohibited combinations : U03754 Condensed Matter and Optics

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Undergraduate (School of Physics), (School of Physics, Schedule Q)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 6 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	10:00	11:00	Lecture Theatre B, JCMB	KB

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	10:00	10:50	KB
Lecture	Tuesday	10:00	10:50	KB
Lecture	Thursday	10:00	10:50	KB
Lecture	Friday	10:00	10:50	KB

? Additional Class Information : Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course a student should comprehend the basics of the four areas covered: optics, condensed matter, nuclear physics and particle physics, and be able solve problems relating to these areas. In particular, the student should have, or be able to:

• Learned the principals of interference between plain waves both in vacuum and in dielectric media

• Learned the principals of diffraction and the Fourier formulation of diffraction

• Experienced the application of diffraction to simple and more complex optical problems

• Experienced the application of diffraction to the problem of scattering of x-rays, electrons and neutrons from solid matter

• Learned of translational symmetry in crystalline solids

• Seen the application of translational symmetry to understand the vibrational and thermal properties of a crystal lattice

• Identify nuclear forces

• Understand external and internal properties of nuclei, eg mass, charge distributions, angular momentum, spin, parity, magnetic moment, excited states

• Describe nucleon-nucleon interactions

• Compare theoretical descriptions such as liquid drop, shell and collective models

• Interpret semi-empirical mass formula and apply to binding energies and nuclear stability

• Understand statistical nature of nuclear decay and summarise, account for the various mechanisms

• Identify the elementary particles (quarks, leptons, gauge bosons) and describe quantum properties eg spin, mass, charge, strangeness

• Identify particle interactions and understand description in quantum dynamics using the concepts of Feynman diagrams and virtual exchange bosons

• Describe composite hadrons using quark model and decay modes and lifetime or resonance width

• Understand particle accelerators and detectors

• Apply symmetries, conservation laws, relativistic kinematics to particle scattering and decay

• Describe qualitatively the Standard Model and illustrate its main features