Courses

Random systems; Monte Carlo methods; Random walks, diffusion, and the Ising model; Phase transitions; Molecular dynamics; Variational and Spectral methods; Hartree-Fock method: helium atom, hydrogen ion; Periodic potentials and band structures; Self-organized...

Lattice translation vectors, symmetry operations; types of lattices; simple crystal structures; effect of deformation on crystals and their properties; crystal diffraction and the reciprocal lattice; Bragg's Law; experimental diffraction methods;...

The Atmosphere – an introduction: Origin and composition of the atmosphere; Distribution of constituents; Charged particles; Temperature distribution. Thermodynamics of water vapour and moist air: Thermodynamics of dry and moist air, stability; changes...

Radioactivity, nuclear radiation; Detection of nuclear radiation; Structure and properties of the nucleus; binding energy and nuclear forces; Fission and fusion; Applications of radioactivity – Dating, radiology, radiotherapy, analysis.

Forces between atoms and molecules and their consequences; Elastic modulae – Young's, Shear, Bulk; Poisson ratio, non-elastic behaviour; Flow properties of fluids; Continuity equation, hydrostatic equation, Euler's and Bernoulli's equations...

Limits of computation; Introduction to numerical methods—Functions and roots, Approximation, Interpolation, Systems of linear equations, Least squares, Numerical differentiation and integration, Finite differences; Realistic projectile motion;...

Laboratory experiments illustrating modern experimental techniques and error analysis

Laboratory experiments illustrating modern experimental techniques and error analysis.

Quantum Phenomena

Blackbody radiation and Planck’s hypothesis, photons and electromagnetic waves, photo-electric effect, Compton Effect, double-slit experiment, wave properties of particles, uncertainty principle, Schrödinger equation, particle in a...

Simple, damped and forced oscillations; decay of oscillations, resonance; general properties of waves; waves in one dimension; superposition of waves; dispersion and group velocity; Doppler effect; waves in physical media; waves in two and three dimensions,...