Table of Contents - Institute of · PDF fileTable of Contents Undergraduate ... 1.3 MATHEMATICS AND THE PHYSICS COURSES ... PRINCIPLES OF CLASSICAL PHYSICS, QUANTUM PHYSICS &

Table of Contents

Undergraduate Courses in Physics ................................................. 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 PHYSICS COURSES IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2013-14 .................................................................. 1

1.2.1 The First Year (Part IA) .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2.2 The Second Year (Part IB) ..................................................................................................... 2 1.2.3 The Third Year (Part II) - Physics ....................................................................................... 2 1.2.4 The Fourth Year (Part III) - Physics .................................................................................... 3 1.2.5 Master of Advanced Studies (MASt) in Physics .................................................................... 3

1.3 MATHEMATICS AND THE PHYSICS COURSES .............................................................................. 3

Aims and Objectives of the Physics Teaching ................................ 4

Programme ................................................................................... 4

2.1 THE UNIVERSITY’S AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................ 4 2.2 COURSE AIMS .................................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 COURSE OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................... 4

Part IA Physics .............................................................................. 6

3.1 AIMS OF THE COURSE ...................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 THE LECTURE COURSES .................................................................................................................. 6 3.3 PRACTICALS ....................................................................................................................................... 6 3.4 THE EXAMINATION .......................................................................................................................... 6

3.4.1 Examiners’ Notices ................................................................................................................ 6 3.4.2 The Written Paper for Part IA................................................................................................ 6

3.5 BOOKS ................................................................................................................................................. 6 3.6 SOME IMPORTANT DATES .............................................................................................................. 8 3.7 LECTURE LIST ................................................................................................................................... 9

PRINCIPLES OF CLASSICAL PHYSICS, QUANTUM PHYSICS & RELATIVITY .................... 10 IA PRACTICAL CLASS ................................................................................................................ 13

Part IB Physics A .......................................................................... 15

4.1 INTRODUCTION AND COURSE AIMS ............................................................................................ 15 4.2 THE CONTENT OF THE COURSE ................................................................................................... 15 4.3 THE EXAMINATION ......................................................................................................................... 15 4.4 SOME IMPORTANT DATES .............................................................................................................16 4.5 LECTURE LIST .................................................................................................................................. 17

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS .................................................................................................... 18 OSCILLATIONS, WAVES AND OPTICS .....................................................................................19 QUANTUM PHYSICS ................................................................................................................. 20 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS ............................................................................................. 22 MATHEMATICAL METHODS ................................................................................................... 23 GREAT EXPERIMENTS............................................................................................................. 24 IB PRACTICAL CLASS – PHYSICS A ........................................................................................ 25

Part IB Physics B .......................................................................... 26

5.1 INTRODUCTION AND COURSE AIMS ........................................................................................... 26

5.2 COURSE CONTENT .......................................................................................................................... 26 5.3 THE EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................ 26 5.4 SOME IMPORTANT DATES ............................................................................................................. 27 5.5 LECTURE LIST .................................................................................................................................. 28

ELECTROMAGNETISM ............................................................................................................. 29 CLASSICAL DYNAMICS ............................................................................................................. 31 THERMODYNAMICS ................................................................................................................. 32 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING .......................................................................................... 33 MATHEMATICAL METHODS ................................................................................................... 35 GREAT EXPERIMENTS ............................................................................................................. 36 IB PRACTICAL CLASS – PHYSICS B ......................................................................................... 37 IB PRACTICAL CLASS – PHYSICS A and B .............................................................................. 38

Part II Physics ..............................................................................42

6.1 THE THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR COURSES IN PHYSICS .............................................................. 42 6.2 OUTLINE OF THE COURSES .......................................................................................................... 42 6.3 FURTHER WORK ............................................................................................................................. 43

6.3.1 Computing ............................................................................................................................ 43 6.3.2 Experimental Investigations ................................................................................................ 43 6.3.3 Courses in Theoretical Physics ............................................................................................. 43 6.3.4 Research Review ................................................................................................................... 45 6.3.5 Long-Vacation Work ............................................................................................................ 45 6.3.6 Physics Education................................................................................................................. 45

6.4 SUPERVISIONS AND EXAMPLES CLASSES .................................................................................. 45 6.5 NON-EXAMINED WORK ................................................................................................................. 46 6.6 THE EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................ 46

6.6.1 Examiners’ Notices ............................................................................................................... 46 6.6.2 The Written Papers for Part II ............................................................................................. 46 6.6.3 Requirements ....................................................................................................................... 46 6.6.4 Examination Entries............................................................................................................. 46 6.6.5 Submission of Further Work ................................................................................................ 46

6.7 HALF SUBJECT PHYSICS ................................................................................................................ 47 6.8 SOME IMPORTANT DATES ............................................................................................................. 48 6.9 LECTURE LIST .................................................................................................................................. 49

ADVANCED QUANTUM PHYSICS ............................................................................................ 50 OPTICS AND ELECTRODYNAMICS ......................................................................................... 51 RELATIVITY ............................................................................................................................... 52 THERMAL AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS ................................................................................. 54 ASTROPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS ...................................................................................... 55 PARTICLE AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS ....................................................................................... 57 QUANTUM CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS ......................................................................... 59 SOFT CONDENSED MATTER .................................................................................................. 60 COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS .................................................................................................... 61 COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS PROJECT ................................................................................... 62 THEORETICAL PHYSICS 1 - CLASSICAL FIELD THEORY (TP1) ........................................... 63 THEORETICAL PHYSICS 2 - TOPICS IN QUANTUM THEORY (TP2) ................................... 65 PART II EXPERIMENTS ............................................................................................................ 66 RESEARCH REVIEWS ............................................................................................................... 69 PHYSICS EDUCATION .............................................................................................................. 71 CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS ............................................................................................................ 73

Part III Physics ............................................................................. 75

7.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 75 7.2 MASTER OF ADVANCED STUDIES (MAST) IN PHYSICS ............................................................. 75 7.3 OUTLINE OF THE COURSE ............................................................................................................. 75 7.4 DETAILS OF THE COURSES............................................................................................................ 76

7.4.1 Project work ......................................................................................................................... 76 7.4.2 Major Topics......................................................................................................................... 76 7.4.3 Minor Topics ........................................................................................................................ 76 7.4.4 Other Lent Term courses ..................................................................................................... 77 7.4.5 Further Work ....................................................................................................................... 77 7.4.6 Long-Vacation Projects ........................................................................................................ 77 7.4.7 Entrepreneurship ................................................................................................................. 77 7.4.8 Examples Class in General Physics ...................................................................................... 77

7.5 RESTRICTIONS ON COMBINATION OF COURSES ...................................................................... 78 7.6 SUPERVISIONS ................................................................................................................................ 78 7.7 NON-EXAMINED WORK ................................................................................................................. 78 7.8 THE EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................ 78

7.8.1 Examiners’ Notices .............................................................................................................. 78 7.8.2 Examination Entries ............................................................................................................ 78 7.8.3 The Written Papers for Part III ........................................................................................... 78

7.9 SOME IMPORTANT DATES ............................................................................................................ 81 7.10 LECTURE LIST ................................................................................................................................. 83

ADVANCED QUANTUM CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS ................................................... 84 ATOMIC AND OPTICAL PHYSICS ............................................................................................ 85 PARTICLE PHYSICS .................................................................................................................. 86 PHYSICS OF THE EARTH AS A PLANET ................................................................................. 88 QUANTUM CONDENSED MATTER FIELD THEORY ............................................................ 90 QUANTUM FIELD THEORY ......................................................................................................91 RELATIVISTIC ASTROPHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY ............................................................. 92 SOFT MATTER AND BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS .......................................................................... 94 ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS ......................................................................................................... 95 BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS ............................................................................................................. 96 FORMATION OF STRUCTURE IN THE UNIVERSE ............................................................... 97 GAUGE FIELD THEORY ........................................................................................................... 99 MEDICAL PHYSICS ................................................................................................................. 100 NONLINEAR OPTICS AND QUANTUM STATES OF LIGHT ................................................ 102 PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS .................................................................................................... 103 SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND QUANTUM COHERENCE ..................................................... 104 THE FRONTIERS OF OBSERVATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS .................................................. 105 QUANTUM INFORMATION ................................................................................................... 107 ADVANCED QUANTUM FIELD THEORY .............................................................................. 108 NUCLEAR POWER ENGINEERING ....................................................................................... 109 INTERDISCIPLINARY TOPICS – NST PART III ..................................................................... 111 MATERIALS, ELECTRONICS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY ................................................. 112 ENTREPRENEURSHIP ............................................................................................................ 113 ETHICS IN PHYSICS................................................................................................................. 115 PHILOSOPHY OF PHYSICS ..................................................................................................... 116 PROJECTS ................................................................................................................................. 117

Guide for Students ..................................................................... 123

Academic Staff ........................................................................................................................... 125 Administration .......................................................................................................................... 126 Aims and Objectives ................................................................................................................. 126 Appeals ...................................................................................................................................... 126 Astronomical Society (CUAS) ................................................................................................... 126 Bicycles ...................................................................................................................................... 126 Books ......................................................................................................................................... 126 Bookshops ................................................................................................................................. 126 Buildings .................................................................................................................................... 127 Calculators ................................................................................................................................. 127 CamCORS .................................................................................................................................. 127 CamSIS ....................................................................................................................................... 127

CamTools ................................................................................................................................... 127 Canteen ...................................................................................................................................... 127 Careers ....................................................................................................................................... 127 Cavendish Laboratory ............................................................................................................... 127 Cavendish Stores ....................................................................................................................... 127 Cheating .................................................................................................................................... 127 Classing Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 128 College ....................................................................................................................................... 128 Common Room ......................................................................................................................... 128 Complaints ................................................................................................................................ 128 Computing ................................................................................................................................. 128 Counselling ................................................................................................................................ 129 Courses ...................................................................................................................................... 129 Databases .................................................................................................................................. 129 Department of Physics .............................................................................................................. 129 Director of Studies .................................................................................................................... 130 Disability ................................................................................................................................... 130 Electronic Mail .......................................................................................................................... 130 Examinations ............................................................................................................................ 130 Examples Classes ....................................................................................................................... 131 Examples Sheets ........................................................................................................................ 131 Faculty of Physics and Chemistry .............................................................................................. 131 Feedback ..................................................................................................................................... 131 Fire Alarms ................................................................................................................................. 131 Formulae .................................................................................................................................... 131 Handbook .................................................................................................................................. 132 Harassment ............................................................................................................................... 132 Institute of Physics .................................................................................................................... 132 Laboratory Closure.................................................................................................................... 132 Late Submission of Work .......................................................................................................... 132 Lecture handouts ...................................................................................................................... 132 Lectures ..................................................................................................................................... 133 Libraries .................................................................................................................................... 133 MASt .......................................................................................................................................... 133 Managed Cluster Service (MCS – formally PWF) .................................................................... 133 Moore Library ........................................................................................................................... 133 Natural Sciences Tripos ............................................................................................................ 133 Part II and Part III Library ....................................................................................................... 134 Past Tripos papers ..................................................................................................................... 134 Personal Computers .................................................................................................................. 134 Philosophical Society ................................................................................................................ 134 Physics Course Handbook ........................................................................................................ 134 Photocopying ............................................................................................................................. 134 Physics Society (CUPS) ............................................................................................................. 134 Plagiarism .................................................................................................................................. 134 Practical Classes ........................................................................................................................ 134 Rayleigh Library ........................................................................................................................ 134 Raven ......................................................................................................................................... 135 Recording of Lectures ............................................................................................................... 135 Refreshments ............................................................................................................................ 135 Registration ............................................................................................................................... 135 Reporter .................................................................................................................................... 135 Research .................................................................................................................................... 135 Safety ......................................................................................................................................... 136 Scientific Periodicals Library .................................................................................................... 136 Smoking ..................................................................................................................................... 136 Staff-Student Consultative Committee ..................................................................................... 136 Supervisions .............................................................................................................................. 136

Synopses .................................................................................................................................... 136 Teaching Committee .................................................................................................................. 137 Teaching Information System ................................................................................................... 137 Teaching Office .......................................................................................................................... 137 Telephones ................................................................................................................................. 137 Transferable Skills ..................................................................................................................... 137 University Library ...................................................................................................................... 137 World-Wide Web ...................................................................................................................... 138

Web Site

This Physics Course Handbook and some of the references therein can be found on the Cavendish Laboratory World-Wide Web teaching pages at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/.

Teaching Office

The Cavendish Laboratory’s Teaching Office is situated in the Bragg Building, Room 212B. Opening times during full term will be posted outside the office. Enquiries can also be made via the e-mail address [email protected].

Undergraduate Courses in Physics

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The Department of Physics in Cambridge offers both three and four year courses in physics, which form the two basic routes to a first degree with specialisation in physics. The four-year course is designed for students who wish to pursue a pro-fessional career in physics, for example, in aca-demic or industrial research: it leads to an honours degree of Master of Natural Sciences, M.Sci., together with an honours degree Bachelor of Arts, B.A. The three year course is designed for students with a deep interest in the subject but who may not intend to become professional physicists: it leads to an honours degree of B.A.

Physics graduates from Cambridge go in a wide range of directions. Nearly half embark on re-search leading to a higher degree, and about a quarter go straight into full-time employment in a wide variety of fields, such as teaching, business and finance, and computing. The remainder are spread over other types of postgraduate activities. Our graduates have an excellent record of finding employment promptly after graduation.

As regards research towards a Ph.D., at present the policy announced by the UK Research Coun-cils is that an Upper Second or First Class in ei-ther the third or fourth years formally qualifies a student for a Ph.D. award. However, the policy of this Department and many others is that Part III is an essential preparation for a Ph.D.

In both the three and four year courses our aims are to provide a solid foundation in all aspects of physics and to show something of the very broad spectrum of modern physics. Vital basic areas such as Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics, Dynamics and Thermodynamics are covered in the first three years, where we also aim to develop experimental, computational and mathematical skills. Advanced work in the fourth year can in-clude fundamental subjects such as Advanced Quantum Theory, Particle Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Cosmology as well as applied topics such as Biological Physics and Geophysics. A substantial piece of independent project work is required in the fourth year, and there are also possibilities for experience of industrial research during the long vacations.

In the following sections, brief descriptions are given of the undergraduate courses currently of-fered by the department. The flow chart inside the front cover shows routes through the three- and

four-year courses. Synopses for all the courses to be delivered in the academic year 2013-14 are in-cluded in this booklet.

The aims and outcomes for the courses can be found through the course web site located at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching

1.2 PHYSICS COURSES IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2013-14

In this section we give a brief overview of the courses offered; fuller details are given in the in-troduction to each year below.

1.2.1 The First Year (Part IA)

Students in the first year of the Natural Sciences Tripos (NST) choose three experimental subjects with a free choice from Physics, Chemistry, Mate-rials Science, Earth Sciences, Biology of Cells, Evolution and Behaviour, and Physiology of Or-ganisms. In addition, all NST students reading Physics will take the NST Mathematics course. Paper 1 of Part IA of the Computer Science Tripos may be substituted for Biology of Cells.

The Physics course assumes either A2 level Phys-ics (or equivalent), or A2 level Further Maths (in-cluding the Mechanics modules). Ideally students would have done both Physics and Further Maths, but this is definitely not essential.

The first-year course, Part IA Physics, covers fun-damental principles in physics. The aim is to bridge the gap between school and university physics by providing a more complete and logical framework in key areas of classical physics, as well as introducing new areas such as relativity and quantum physics. The Part IA Physics course is given in three lectures per week plus a four-hour experiment once every two weeks. Subjects stud-ied include Mechanics, Relativity, Oscillations and Waves, Quantum Waves, and Fields.

The first-year physics course is also available in Part IA of the Computer Sciences Tripos, where it is combined with courses in Mathematics for Natural Sciences and Computer Science Courses. It is also possible to read Part IA Physics as part of the Mathematical Tripos in the first-year course ‘Mathematics with Physics’. Both of these routes provide for possible specialisation in physics in later years.

There is no limit on numbers and we usually have about four hundred students reading Part IA Physics.

Undergraduate Courses in Physics 2

1.2.2 The Second Year (Part IB)

There are two physics courses in Part IB: Physics A and Physics B. Physics A provides a grounding in quantum mechanics and solid-state physics, while Physics B covers the core of classical phys-ics, including electromagnetism, dynamics and thermodynamics.

The combination of IB Physics A and Physics B of-fers a firm grounding in key areas of physics - theoretical and experimental - and covers special-ised topics that lead naturally to Part II/III Phys-ics and other quantitative subjects. Students taking both courses combine them with one other IB subject. This third subject is often NST IB Mathematics, and this is useful for students wish-ing to pursue theoretical options in Part II. How-ever, choosing a different subject provides additional breadth and gives greater choice of Part II and Part III courses. Common choices for the third subject are Materials Science, Chemistry A, Geology A or History and Philosophy of Science. For students taking either Physics A or Physics B without NST IB Mathematics, additional lectures in Mathematical Methods are provided within the course.

There is no limit on the number of students taking IB Physics A and Physics B; usually about 170 stu-dents take both. Most proceed into Part II Phys-ics, but some go into other third-year science subjects or into other triposes.

Students come into the combination of IB Physics A and B mostly having taken both Physics and Mathematics in Part IA of the Natural Sciences or Computer Sciences Triposes. Of those who have taken the first-year Mathematics with Physics course in the Mathematics Tripos, a significant proportion subsequently take IB Physics A and B.

A smaller number of students, usually ten to twenty, take IB Physics A as their only physics course. IB Physics A provides a self-contained package of quantum, condensed matter and ex-perimental physics. It builds on IA Physics and of-fers a firm grounding in important areas of physics that is very useful for scientists with a wide range of career destinations. The students will normally take two other Part IB subjects, and then go into a wide range of third-year courses. Note that Part IB Physics A alone is not an ade-quate preparation for Part II Physics.

It is also possible for students to take IB Physics B as their only physics course, and this may suit students with a particular interest in the topics covered in that course. Note that Part IB Physics B alone is not an adequate preparation for Part II

Physics. Further, the practical work draws heavily on material presented in Physics A in the Michaelmas Term: students taking just Physics B are advised to attend the Experimental Methods lectures for Physics A for necessary background. We expect that the majority of students wishing to pursue a single physics course will find IB Physics A the more attractive option.

1.2.3 The Third Year (Part II) - Physics

The aim of the third-year Part II Physics course is to complete instruction in core physics and to be-gin to introduce more advanced topics required for a professional career in research. The available courses cover a broad range of experimental, theoretical and computational subjects, with an element of choice that allows students to explore topics they find particularly interesting and, if they wish, to concentrate on more experimental or theoretical work. Professional skills are developed through lectures, example classes, computing ex-ercises and extended experiments, depending on the courses taken.

In the Michaelmas term, there are core courses in Advanced Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Optics and Electrodynamics and Thermal and Statistical Physics.

In the Lent and Easter term, students have some choice amongst lecture courses including Astro-physical Fluid Dynamics, Particle and Nuclear Physics, Quantum Condensed Matter, and Soft Condensed Matter. Additionally there is a short course on Computational Physics, with associated (compulsory) exercises, and a short, more general course on Concepts in Physics.

Students are also required to submit three or more items of Further Work. You may choose an experimentally-biased course or one with a stronger emphasis on theory, or some intermedi-ate combination of experiment and theory. For example, there is the option of carrying out up to two experimental investigations, each lasting two weeks. For theorists, there are two courses in Theoretical Physics, consisting of lectures plus ex-amples classes, which run through the Michael-mas and Lent terms. Other possible units of Further Work include: the Computational Physics project, assessed Long Vacation work, the Physics Education course and a Research Review.

There is no limit on the number of students taking Part II Physics and we usually have about 120 students, the largest class in any Part II Natural Science subject.

Undergraduate Courses in Physics 3

An alternative for the third year is Half Subject Physics in Part II Physical Sciences of the Natural Sciences Tripos. This is offered to students who wish to retain an interest in physics but to keep other options open at the same time. They select about half the workload from the third-year phys-ics course, combined with a Part IB subject which they have not previously taken, such as History and Philosophy of Science plus a Dissertation. We expect that students offering Half Subject Physics will have read IB Physics A or Physics B in the second year. Advice on suitable combinations of Part II Physics courses can be obtained from your Director of Studies.

1.2.4 The Fourth Year (Part III) - Physics

The fourth-year course, Part III Physics, is de-signed to provide the necessary foundation for a professional career in academic or industrial re-search. The course spans the spectrum from strongly experimental to highly theoretical physics and offers the flexibility for students to select a wide range of different combinations of subjects, according to their career aspirations. Many of the courses reflect major research interests of staff of the Cavendish. There is a substantial amount of independent project work, which may be pro-posed by the students themselves, together with opportunities to include work in external labora-tories and industry through assessed vacation projects.

Our aim in the fourth year is to present physics as a connected subject of enormous flexibility and applicability. Revision classes in general physics are given in the Easter Term and all students un-dertake a substantial project which is worth one third of the years marks. Lecture courses in the first and second terms provide more advanced treatments of major areas of physics and are se-lected to reflect broad areas of current interest. Many of them have an interdisciplinary character. The overall course provides excellent preparation for a research career inside or outside physics in either the academic or industrial sectors.

1.2.5 Master of Advanced Studies (MASt) in Physics

This is a taught postgraduate course, which con-sists of the same content as Part III Physics. This course is designed for students who hold a 3-year undergraduate degree who wish to pursue a re-search degree. The entry requirement for the MASt is a qualification comparable to an upper second class or better UK Bachelor’s degree in Physics.

1.3 MATHEMATICS AND THE PHYSICS COURSES

The mathematical skills needed by students who follow the three or four-year physics course are quite varied. Students taking entirely experimen-tal options may need much less sophisticated mathematics than those taking the more advanced theoretical options. The level of mathematics preparation at school is also variable. Some stu-dents entering Part IA Physics have studied two A2-levels in Mathematics and others have studied only one A2-level.

The aim of the Physics Department is to challenge the most gifted and best-prepared students, while providing access to theoretical courses for those less well prepared. The Mathematics course for Natural Scientists In Part IA assumes only single Mathematics A2-level.

In the second year, both IB Physics courses as-sume only mathematical material from NST IA mathematics. Other necessary mathematical techniques are taught alongside the physics or in Part IB Mathematics: for those not taking Mathematics in Part IB, there is a non-examined (but supervised) course in Mathematical Methods given in the Michaelmas Term. This covers all the mathematical material needed for the Part II core and options courses.

The optional theoretical courses in Part II prepare students for the theoretical options in Part III. Students intending to take TP1 and/or TP2, and who have not taken Part IB NST Mathematics, will find it helpful to do some extra preparation in the long vacation at the end of Part IB.

Aims and Objectives 4

Aims and Objectives of the Physics Teaching Programme

2.1 THE UNIVERSITY’S AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The Quality Assurance Agency, through its institu-tional audit of the University, is concerned with the assurance of the quality of teaching and learn-ing within the University. The University in turn requires every Department to have clear aims and objectives and to monitor their teaching and learning activities and consider changes where necessary. Students should be aware of these Aims and Objectives, which have been the subject of considerable discussion within the Department, with the University and with the Physics Staff-Student Consultative Committee. If you have any comments on the Aims and Objectives of the Physics Teaching Programme, which are printed below, please contact Dr John Richer, Director of Undergraduate Teaching, Cavendish Laboratory.

The University’s stated aims are ‘to foster and de-velop academic excellence across a wide range of subjects and at all levels of study’. Furthermore, the University aims ‘to provide an education of the highest calibre at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level, and so produce graduates of the calibre sought by industry, the professions, and the public service, as well as providing aca-demic teachers and researchers for the future’. The broad aims of the Department of Physics are identical with these.

In the context of the Departmental teaching pro-grammes, the specific aims and objectives are given below.

2.2 COURSE AIMS

• To provide education in physics of the highest quality at both the undergraduate and gradu-ate levels and so produce graduates of the cali-bre sought by industry, the professions, and the public service, as well as providing the aca-demic teachers and researchers of the future;

• To encourage and pursue research of the high-est quality in physics, and maintain Cam-bridge’s position as one of the world’s leading centres in these fields;

• To continue to attract outstanding students from all backgrounds;

• To provide an intellectually stimulating envi-ronment in which students have the opportu-nity to develop their skills and enthusiasms to the best of their potential;

• To maintain the highest academic standards in undergraduate and graduate teaching and to develop new areas of teaching and research in response to the advance of scholarship and the needs of the community.

2.3 COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the first year (Part IA Physics), students, whether continuing with physics or not, should have:

• attained a common level in basic mathemati-cally-based physics, and so laid a secure foun-dation in physics for their future courses within the Natural Sciences or other Triposes;

• acquired a broad introduction to a range of sci-ences at University level, generally through having studied two other experimental sub-jects as well as mathematics;

• developed their experimental and data analysis skills through a wide range of experiments in the practical laboratories.

By the end of the second year, students tak-ing Part IB Physics A and Physics B should have:

• been introduced to powerful tools for tackling a wide range of topics, including formal meth-ods in classical and quantum physics;

• become familiar with additional relevant mathematical techniques;

• further developed their experimental skills through a series of whole-day experiments, some of which also illustrate major themes of the lecture courses, and developed their com-munication skills through group activities.

By the end of the second year, students tak-ing Part IB Physics A should have:

• covered a wide range of topics in quantum and condensed matter physics with emphasis upon their practical applications and utility;

• further developed their practical skills through a series of whole-day experiments, some of which illustrate major themes of the lecture courses.

Aims and Objectives 5

By the end of the second year, students tak-ing Part IB Physics B should have:

• covered a range of topics in classical physics, including electromagnetism, dynamics and thermodynamics;

• further developed their practical skills through a series of whole-day experiments, some of which illustrate major themes of the lecture courses.

• have been introduced to scientific computing using the C subset of the C++ language.

By the end of the third year (Part II Physics), students taking Part II PHYSICS should have:

• completed their study of core physics;

• substantially developed professional skills in experimental and/or theoretical and/or com-putational physics, or in Physics Education;

• had experience of independent work, including an introduction to aspects of research;

• had experience of the application of computers to physical problems;

• developed their communication skills

• had experience of independent work .

By the end of the third year, students taking Half Subject Physics in Part II Physical Sciences should have:

• enhanced their understanding of core physics, in the context of a broader exposure to science with the Natural Sciences Tripos;

• had some experience of independent work.

By the end of the fourth year (Part III Phys-ics), students completing the four-year option should have:

• had experience of a number of broad areas of physics from a choice of options, taken to an advanced level, at which current research can be appreciated in some depth;

• carried out a substantial independent research project amounting to the equivalent of about six weeks of full-time work;

• maintained their skills in core physics;

• enhanced their communications skills;

• become well prepared for a career in academic or industrial research.

Part IA Physics 6

Part IA Physics

Comments may be sent to [email protected] Enquiries/queries: [email protected]

3.1 AIMS OF THE COURSE

An important objective of the course is to develop an understanding of ‘core physics’ at successively deeper levels, each stage revealing new phenom-ena and greater insight into the behaviour of mat-ter and radiation.

The first year of the course has several distinct aims. First, it aims to bridge the gap between school- and university-level physics, and to bring students from different backgrounds to a common point. Second, it aims to consolidate school phys-ics by providing a much more logical and analyti-cal framework for classical physics, which will be essential for all years of the course. Third, it in-cludes new themes such as special relativity and quantum physics, which foreshadow key topics to be developed in the subsequent years of the course. Fourth, the individual lecture courses aim to broaden your perspective, so that you can begin to appreciate the great flexibility and generality of the laws of physics and their application.

There is an introductory talk at 11.00 am on the first Wednesday of Michaelmas full term (9th October 2013), at the Cavendish Labora-tory, in the Pippard Lecture Theatre.

3.2 THE LECTURE COURSES

Details of the lecture courses are given in the syn-opses which follow. All students attend the same lectures.

3.3 PRACTICALS

Students attend a physics practical for one after-noon once every two weeks. The primary aim of the class is the development of experimental skills, which are important to all professional physicists. A second aim of the practical session is to illustrate ideas and concepts in physics. Some of the experiments are concerned with illustrating topics covered in the Part IA Physics lecture course, but this is not their main purpose.

Registration and assignment of days for practicals are dealt with centrally, via your College. You are expected to do your practical on the same day of the week in each term. The practicals are continu-ously assessed. In addition, to prepare for each practical you are asked to carry out a brief exercise beforehand, which you will hand in to your dem-onstrator at the start of the practical class. To give

you practice in technical writing you are required to do two formal reports. The first, partial, report, to be written over the Christmas vacation, will be based on one of the experiments carried out over the Michaelmas term. The second, to be written over the Easter vacation, will be a full report on one of the Lent-term experiments. Full details are given in your practical class manual, and tips and further advice is given in the booklet entitled Keeping Laboratory Notes and Writing Formal Reports, which is handed out to students at the start of the year. The overall practical mark counts 25% towards the Part IA Physics examina-tion. Around a third of the practical mark comes from the Formal reports.

3.4 THE EXAMINATION

3.4.1 Examiners’ Notices

Specific information about the examination is given in notices put up in a special Examinations section of the notice board inside the Part IA Prac-tical class.

3.4.2 The Written Paper for Part IA

The Part IA Physics written examination consists of one three-hour paper. The exact content of the paper is a matter for the relevant examiners, but the expected pattern will consist of questions on general physics and the material covered in the lecture courses. Note that the Part IA syllabus was changed at the start of the academic year 2009-2010 and earlier examination papers will occasionally refer to topics which are no longer taught.

3.5 BOOKS

There are two books recommended for the IA Physics course – these will be available in College libraries. Lecturers will give references both to relevant sections of these books, and to worked examples in them, which help explain or expand on the material they present in their lectures. Similarly, the question sheets may sometimes re-fer to the examples in these books for students who wish to try additional problems. This is to en-courage you to develop your skills in utilising the more extensive resource material provided in text-books to deepen your understanding of physics.

Part IA Physics 7

[1] Understanding Physics (Second Edition), Mansfield M & O’Sullivan C (Wiley 2011) [2] Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Ex-tended Version), Tipler P A & Mosca G (6th Edi-tion, Freeman 2008)

Part IA Physics 8

3.6 SOME IMPORTANT DATES

Note: This list is not exhaustive, and may be superseded by announcements on the TIS Tuesday 8th October 2013 Start of Michaelmas full term Wednesday 9th October 2013 11.00 Introductory talk and registration and as-

signment of days for practicals, at the Caven-dish Laboratory (Pippard Lecture Theatre)

Thursday or Friday

5th & 6th December 2013

10.00-16.00 Pick up notebook and instructions for formal report from IA Practical Class

Friday 6th December 2013 End of Michaelmas full term Tuesday 14th January 2014 Start of Lent full term Tuesday or Wednesday

14th & 15th January 2014

10.00-16.00 Formal report must be handed in to the IA Practical Class

Thursday or Friday

13th & 14th March 2014

10.00-16.00 Pick up notebook and instructions for formal report from IA Practical Class

Friday 14th March 2014 End of Lent full term Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Start of Easter full term Tuesday or Wednesday

22nd & 23rd April 2014

10.00-16.00 Formal report must be handed in to the IA Practical Class

Friday 13th June 2014 End of Easter full term Late Submission of Work In accordance with the University’s regulations, work submitted after the advertised deadline will not count towards your final examination mark, unless the Department grants an extension of time on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. Any application for such an extension should be made by your college Tutor or Director of Studies to the Director of Undergraduate Teaching, c/o Teaching Office, Cavendish Laboratory, ([email protected]). In such circumstances, you should submit the work as soon as possible after the deadline.

Part IA Physics 9

3.7 LECTURE LIST

PART IA PHYSICS

Departmental Contact: Helen Marshall, email: [email protected]

Course Website: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/

All lectures are on M. W. F. at 9 All lectures take place in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre, Chemical Laboratory, Lensfield Road.

For the up-to-date lecture list please go to: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php Laboratory Work takes place at the Cavendish Laboratory (West Cambridge). The experimental labora-tories are open M. 2-5.45, Tu. 2-5.45, Th. 2-5.45 and F. 2-5.45. Students will be allocated a session within these times. All students must attend an introductory talk and register for Laboratory Work at 11.00 a.m. on W. 9 Oct. at the Cavendish Laboratory. The Laboratory may be approached by the Madingley Road, or via the Coton cycle and footpath. For cyclists and pedestrians the latter is strongly recommended. Laboratory work is continuously assessed.

Part IA Physics 10

PRINCIPLES OF CLASSICAL PHYSICS, QUANTUM PHYSICS & RELATIVITY

J M Riley, G A C Jones, A M Donald, S F Gull and M C Payne

This lecture course consists of five 12-lecture modules. It covers a number of fundamental topics in classical physics – mechanics, oscillations, waves and gravitational and electromagnetic fields – but also introduces some of the unusual non-classical ideas encapsulated in quantum physics and special relativity. In addition a number of concepts in the collection and analysis of experimental data – which form the basis for our understanding of the physical world – are also discussed. Key ideas on the setting up of mathematical models to describe physical systems are introduced using mathematical tools such as differentiation, integration, complex numbers and vectors. The lectures will also introduce you to a variety of techniques for tackling physics problems which will be developed through illustrative examples. Each module is accompanied by a set of examples, which tie in closely with the ideas and concepts introduced in the lectures; during the term you are expected to work through all these examples – averaging about six per week – with the help of your supervisor. 1 – DYNAMICS – J M Riley Introduction to university physics: role of experiment; mathematical models; dimensional analysis; tackling physics problems. Experimental physics: random and systematic errors; Gaussian probability distribution; mean, standard deviation, error in the mean; errors in functions of a single variable, combining errors in two variables; examples of techniques for dealing with systematic errors; graphs. Dynamics: Concept of a force: tendency to produce motion; forces as vectors; action and reac-tion; friction. Calculus in physics: use of integration. Work: potential energy; stable and unsta-ble equilibrium. Kinematics: displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration. Newton’s laws of motion: equations of motion. Kinetic energy: concept and definition; principle of the conservation of energy. Linear momentum: concept and definition; conservation of linear momentum; rockets; elastic and inelastic collisions; impulse of a force. Frames of reference: relative velocities, inertial frames of reference, zero-momentum frame, collisions.

Part IA Physics 11

2 – OSCILLATING SYSTEMS – G A C Jones Simple harmonic motion (SHM): equation of un-damped oscillation for a mass on a spring, its solution, relative phases of displacement, velocity and force. Approximations of oscillating sys-tems to SHM: simple pendulum. Energy in SHM: vibration of two masses joined by a spring, quantum well. Phasor diagrams: superposition of oscillations, beats, amplitude modulation. SHM using complex numbers: Curves of time-dependence for an oscillator, amplitude, fre-quency, angular frequency and phase. Damped oscillations: amplitude and energy decay, quality factor. Forced oscillations: qualitative frequency response and resonance. Revision of electrical circuits: voltage, current and charge in circuits, electrical resistance, Kirchhoff's laws, resistors in series and parallel. Inductors and capacitors. Circuits with exponen-tial decays: discharge of a capacitor through a resistor, decay of current through an inductor. Oscillations in electrical circuits and complex impedance: Oscillation in an LC circuit, relative phases of voltages, charge and currents. Complex current and voltage in resistors, capaci-tors and inductors. Complex impedance. Electrical resonance in an LCR circuit, simple filter, bandwidth, Q factor. Relationship of behaviours seen in electrical systems to those of mechanical systems. Mechanical impedance. 3 – WAVES AND QUANTUM WAVES – A M Donald Waves: The 1-D equation, application to waves on a string, sinusoidal solutions, amplitude, fre-quency wavelength, energy transport, transverse and longitudinal waves; boundary conditions at free or fixed end; superposition, interference; travelling and standing waves including complex form; plane waves in 2-D and 3-D, the wave vector and wave number. Optics: Huygens’ Principle, laws of reflection and refraction, lenses, lens formulae, real and vir-tual images, the simple telescope and microscope. Diffraction: diffraction using complex amplitudes, Young’s slits and the diffraction grating, fi-nite slit using complex amplitude and via integration. Quantum waves: reminder of wave-particle duality and de Broglie relation; introduction to the wavefunction and 1-D time independent Schrodinger equation; waves in wells and boxes and quantisation of wavelength; reflection at potential steps; penetration through a barrier and eva-nescent waves.

Part IA Physics 12

4 – ROTATIONAL MECHANICS AND SPECIAL RELATIVITY – S F Gull Rotational Mechanics: Turning moments: lever balance; turning moment as a vector; mo-ment of a couple; conditions for static equilibrium. Centre of mass: calculation for a solid body by integration. Circular motion: angle, angular speed, angular acceleration; as vectors; rotating frames; centripetal force. Angular momentum: concept and definition; angular impulse; conser-vation. Moment of inertia: calculation of moment of inertia; theorems of parallel and perpendicu-lar axes. Rotational kinetic energy: simple collisions involving angular rotation. Gyroscope: how it works; precession. Special Relativity: Historical development: problems with classical ideas; the Aether; Michel-son-Morley experiment. Inertial frames: Galilean transformation. Einstein’s postulates: state-ment; events, and intervals between them; consequences for time intervals and lengths; Lorentz transformation of intervals; simultaneity; proper time; twin paradox; causality; world lines and space–time diagrams. Velocities: addition; aberration of light; Doppler effect. Relativistic me-chanics: momentum and energy; definitions; what is conserved; energy–momentum invariant. Nuclear binding energies, fission and fusion. 5 – GRAVITATIONAL AND ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS – M C Payne Gravitation: Newton’s law, measurement of G. Action at a distance and concept of a local force field. Properties of conservative fields, including potential energy as a path integral. Superposition of fields. Gauss’ law for gravity with simple quantitative applications. Orbits: Kepler’s laws. Derivation of elliptical orbits for planetary motion from Newton’s law. Simple orbital calculations. Qualitative examples of gravity at work including tidal effects. Electrostatic Fields: Static electricity, Coulomb’s Law for point charges, the electric field E and the corresponding potential for point charges and electric dipoles. Gauss’ law for electrostatic fields. Properties of ideal conductors. Capacitance including calculation for simple geometries. Mention effects of dielectric materials on capacitance and dipole moment of water molecule. Magnetic Fields: Properties of bar magnets. Magnetic flux density B. Magnetic dipoles and cur-rents as sources of B. Lorentz force and motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields; J.J. Thomson’s experiment. Ampère and Biot-Savart laws, calculation of B field in simple cases. Faraday’s law of induction; self and mutual inductance, energy stored in B field. Maxwell’s Equations: Displacement current term. Integral and differential statements. Exam-ple of plane wave solutions.

BOOKS

There are two books recommended for the IA Physics course – these will be available in College libraries. Lecturers will give references both to relevant sections of these books, and to worked examples in them, which help explain or expand on the material they present in their lectures. Similarly, the question sheets may sometimes refer to the examples in these books for students who wish to try additional problems. This is to encourage you to develop your skills in utilising the more extensive resource material provided in text-books to deepen your understanding of physics. Understanding Physics (Second Edition), Mansfield M & O’Sullivan C (Wiley 2011) Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Extended Version), Tipler P A & Mosca G (6th Edition, Freeman 2008)

Part IA Physics 13

IA PRACTICAL CLASS

J M Riley and D A Green

The aim of the Part IA practical course is to teach basic experimental, data-analysis and record-keeping skills. The experiments have been chosen to develop particular skills, although the ex-periments in the Lent and Easter terms also reinforce material from the lectures. Students work in pairs throughout. Michaelmas Term Four experiments are carried out. These are primarily intended to teach experimental skills – in-cluding how to keep a good laboratory notebook – and to introduce experimental errors and their treatment. The required theory, as well as a general overview of experimental skills, will be in-cluded in the “Dynamics” lecture course.

Marks for the first practical (E1) do not count towards the final total.

E1. Attenuation of -ray photons. Through the statistics of radioactive decay, this aims to develop an understanding of random and systematic errors in count rates and to estimate the lin-ear attenuation coefficient for photons in lead. E2. Galileo’s rolling ball experiment. This aims to introduce the basic methods of ex-perimental measurement and errors through an investigation of the acceleration of a mass rolling down a ramp. E3. Thermal excitation in a semiconductor. This experiment measures the variation of the electrical resistance of a semiconductor with temperature, testing the behaviour predicted by quantum physics. E4. Measurement of g using a rigid pendulum. The aim of this experiment is to meas-ure the value of g with a precision of about one part in a thousand using the oscillations of a rigid pendulum. Lent Term Four experiments are carried out, all of which illustrate material from the lecture courses. E5, E6 and E7 use concepts introduced in the “Oscillating systems” course. E5 is an investigation of damped oscillations and resonance in a mechanical system. E6 is an introduction to measuring electrical signals with a picoscope; the picoscope is then used in E7 to investigate electrical reso-nance. E8 investigates the geometric optical properties of simple lenses and mirrors, illustrating material from the section on optics in the “Waves and quantum waves” course.

E5. Mechanical resonance*. This experiment studies the free and forced rotational oscilla-tions of a torsion pendulum, and investigates the phenomenon of resonance and the effect differ-ent levels of damping have on the motion. E6. Electrical measurement. This experiment introduces the picoscope as a measuring instrument, through experiments looking at the output of a signal generator. E7. Electrical resonance and signal filtering*. In this experiment the picoscope is used to study free and forced oscillations in LCR resonant circuits, and a practical application of an LCR network is investigated.

Part IA Physics 14

E8. Geometric optics using lenses and mirrors*. This practical involves a series of simple experiments demonstrating the properties of optical lenses and mirrors, and real and vir-tual images. Easter Term Two experiments are carried out, illustrating material from the lecture course “Waves and quan-tum waves”. E9 is an investigation into diffraction by slits and gratings. E10 looks at the photo-electric effect – one of the experiments fundamental to the development of quantum physics. Half the class will carry out Experiment E9 in the first session of the Easter term, followed by E10 in the second session; the other half of the class will do E10 in the first session and E9 in the second.

E9. Diffraction of laser light by slits and gratings. This is a quantitative investigation into the diffraction patterns produced by double and multiple slits when illuminated by a laser. E10. The photoelectric effect. This practical investigates the photoelectric effect; an esti-mate of Planck’s constant is obtained, using the dependence of stopping voltage on the frequency of the incident light. Formal Reports Students are required to produce two formal reports which are assessed by a Head of Class; the marks awarded count towards the end-of-year assessment. The first report, to be handed in at the start of the Lent term, will be based on one of the experiments carried out in the Michaelmas term. The second one, to be handed in at the start of the Easter term, will be a full report on one of the three starred* Lent-term experiments (i.e. E5, E7 or E8).

BOOKS

Practical Physics, Squires G L (4th edn CUP 2001). Experimental methods: An Introduction to the Analysis and Presentation of Data, Kirkup L (Wiley 1994). Experimental Physics: Modern Methods, Dunlap R A (OUP 1989) An Introduction to Experimental Physics, Cooke C (Routledge 1996) Measurements and their Uncertainties: A Practical Guide to Modern Error Analysis, Hughes I G & Hase T P A (Oxford 2010)

Part IB Physics A 15

Part IB Physics A


4.1 INTRODUCTION AND COURSE AIMS

The objective of the IB Physics A course is to pro-vide a self-contained package of quantum and condensed matter physics. The course builds on IA Physics and offers a firm grounding in impor-tant areas of physics that are very useful for scien-tists with a wide range of career destinations. It can be taken by those not taking Physics B; in this case IB Physics A might, for able students, lead to Half Subject Physics in Part II Physical Sciences but does not by itself lead to Part II Physics.

While it is also possible to take IB Physics B with-out IB Physics A, for the majority of students wishing to take a single physics option in Part IB, Physics A is likely to be the more attractive option.

Students will be contacted by e-mail and asked to register on-line at www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching before the start of Michaelmas Term. Those tak-ing only one of Physics A or Physics B must register for practical classes between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 8th October 2013 at the Cavendish Laboratory. Stu-dents taking both Physics A and Physics B should register at 2.00pm on Wednesday 9th October 2013 at the Cavendish Labora-tory.

4.2 THE CONTENT OF THE COURSE

The lecture course Oscillations, Waves and Optics covers central aspects of physical phenomena that underpin much of physics. The Quantum Physics course builds on this and treats quantum phe-nomena both from the wave equation and by means of operator methods. Condensed Matter Physics shows how ideas from waves and quan-tum mechanics can be applied to understand the properties of solids. The practical class and Ex-perimental Methods lectures are integrated to-gether to provide training on designing and doing experiments and on analysing the results.

Physics A and Physics B both require mathematics beyond that in the syllabus for IA Mathematics for Natural Sciences; students not taking the NST Part IB subject Mathematics should attend the lectures on Mathematical Methods given at the

same time on weekdays during Michaelmas Term. This course is supervised, and covers all the addi-tional mathematics required for both Part IB Physics courses, and for the Part II Physics core and options courses. It does not provide full cov-erage of the mathematics assumed for the Part II Theoretical Physics (TP) courses, but mathemati-cally-able students would need to do some extra work during the long vacation after Part IB in or-der to catch up.

4.3 THE EXAMINATION

The IB Physics A examination consists of two three-hour papers. Details of the material covered in each paper will be published in a Form and Conduct Notice during the course of the year. Note that the NST IB courses were changed considerably in 2007-08, with the previous ‘Physics’ and ‘Advanced Physics’ material re-arranged into ‘Physics A’ and ‘Physics B’.

Specific information about the examination is given in notices put up on the Part IB examination notice board outside the Part IB laboratory. The practicals are continuously assessed and overall count approximately 25% towards the IB Physics A examination, with about 40% of this coming from a formal report on one of the experiments (for those not doing Physics B) or from a group presentation of an extended investigation (for those doing both Physics A and Physics B); full de-tails are given in the class manual and additional help is given in the booklet Keeping Laboratory Notes and Writing Formal Reports.



Note: This list is not exhaustive, and may be superseded by announcements on the TIS Tuesday 8th October 2013 Start of Michaelmas full term. Tuesday 8th October 2013 14.00-16.00 Practical Registration for Students taking IB Phys-

ics A or B at the Cavendish Laboratory Wednesday 9th October 2013 14.00 Practical registration for Students taking IB Phys-

ics A and B at the Cavendish Laboratory Friday 6th December 2013 End of Michaelmas full term Monday 9th December 2013 16.00 Head-of-Class report must have been

handed in to the IB Practical Class if chosen for submission (see synopsis of Physics A practical class for details)

Tuesday 14th January 2014 Start of Lent full term Friday 14th March 2014 End of Lent full term Monday 17th March 2014 16.00 Head-of-Class report must have been

handed in to the IB Practical Class if chosen for submission (see synopsis of Physics A practical class for details)

Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Start of Easter full term Tuesday 22nd April 2014 16.00 Extended Investigation presentation slides

(only for students take Physics A and Phys-ics B) must have been submitted to relevant Head of Class

Friday 13th June 2014 End of Easter full term Late Submission of Work In accordance with the University’s regulations, work submitted after the advertised deadline will not count towards your final examination mark, unless the Department grants an extension of time on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. Any application for such an ex-tension should be made by your college Tutor or Director of Studies to the Director of Under-graduate Teaching, c/o Teaching Office, Cavendish Laboratory, ([email protected]). In such circumstances, you should submit the work as soon as possible after the deadline.


4.5 LECTURE LIST

NATURAL SCIENCES TRIPOS

PART IB PHYSICS A

Departmental Contact: Helen Marshall, email: [email protected] Course Website: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/

Lectures are given in the Cockcroft Lecture Theatre, New Museums Site, M. W. F. 12

unless otherwise stated. For the up- to-date lecture list please go to: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php Laboratory Work takes place at the Cavendish Laboratory (West Cambridge). The experi-mental laboratories are open M. 2-5.45, Tu. 10-5.45, Th. 10-5.45 and F. 2-5.45. Students will be allocated periods within these times. Students taking both Part IB Physics A and Part IB Physics B should register at 2.00 p.m. on W. 9 Oct. at the Cavendish Laboratory. Students taking Part IB Physics A or IB Physics B, must register between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. on Tu. 8 Oct., when they will be allocated practical sessions that fit with their other IB subjects. Laboratory work is continuously assessed.


EXPERIMENTAL METHODS

C G Smith

Physics is an empirical subject based on measuring physical phenomena. This course introduces techniques for putting together experiments and analysing the results. Many complex systems, ranging from telescopes to mobile phones, can often be understood in terms of a set of black boxes with simple interactions between them. This systems approach is particularly useful in ex-perimental physics where the signal chain from the physical phenomenon under investigation to a measurement can involve many sequential and complex components such as transducers, ampli-fiers, filters and detectors. The first part of this course explores this process – with reference to some of the experiments un-dertaken in the practical classes – while the second part introduces you to some of the essential material that a physicist needs to know so as to design experiments (including computational ones), to analyse data, and to evaluate other people’s results. This course requires the material covered in the IA Physics and Maths for Natural Scientists courses, and exploits the ideas of Fourier theory that are more fully developed in the Mathematics options that run in parallel with this course in the Michaelmas term. Ideas of Fourier decomposi-tion will be introduced, along with Fourier series, but they are covered more fully in the Mathe-matics option. Systems: Impedance and measurement. Operational amplifiers and filters. Positive and negative feedback with ideal and non-ideal amplifiers. Random errors: examples, propagation, reduction with repeated sampling. Systematic errors: examples, designs to reduce them (e.g. nulling), selection effects. Basic data handling: taking and recording data. The right plot; error bars. Sampling, aliasing, Nyquist’s criterion. Digitization errors. Exclusion of unwanted influences: filtering, phase-sensitive detection and lock-in amplifi-ers. Vibrational, thermal and electrical shielding. Probability distributions: binomial, Poisson and Gaussian; central limit theorem; shot noise and Johnson noise. Parameter estimation: likelihood, inference and Bayes’ theorem, chi-squared, least-squares, hypothesis testing, non-parametric tests. Getting the message across: writing a scientific report and presenting results.

BOOKS

There are no books which cover the complete course syllabus, and so each lecture handout will be augmented with a set of supplementary notes. Reading these prior to the lectures will be helpful. The following books may be useful to refer to on certain aspects of the course: The Art of Electronics, Horowitz P & Hill W (2nd edn CUP 1989) Analogue and Digital Electronics for Engineers, Ahmed H & Spreadbury P J (CUP 1984) An Introduction to Experimental Physics, Cooke C (CRC Press 1996) Practical Physics, Squires G L (4th edn CUP 2001) Experimental Physics: Modern Methods, Dunlap R A (OUP 1988) Copies of some of these will be available for consultation in the practical classes.


OSCILLATIONS, WAVES AND OPTICS

J S Richer

An understanding of waves is fundamental to many areas of physics. This course develops further the ideas presented in the Part IA courses on oscillations and waves, and introduces the theory of diffraction. First, the physics and mathematics of oscillations and waves are revised, and applied to a variety of physical systems. The use of the Fourier Transform as a powerful tool for under-standing the behaviour of general linear systems is then introduced, and used to relate the time-domain and frequency-domain behaviour of damped electrical and mechanical oscillators. Fi-nally, these ideas are further developed in the context of classical optics, with particular regard to diffraction and interference phenomena. Oscillations: Driven damped oscillations, frequency response, bandwidth, Q-factor. Impulse response and transient response. Waves: Revision of 1-d wave equation. Waves on a stretched string. Polarisation. Wave imped-ance. Reflection and transmission. Impedance matching. Compression waves in a fluid. Waves in 2 and 3 dimensions. Standing waves in a box. Wave groups, group velocity, dispersion. Waveguides: cut-off and dispersion. Fourier transforms in linear systems: Linear response and superposition in physics. Fou-rier series and Fourier transforms. Frequency response as Fourier transform of pulse response. Convolution. Applications to oscillating systems. Optics and diffraction: Huygen’s principle as a solution to the wave equation. Fraunhofer dif-fraction, Fraunhofer integral, relation to Fourier transform. Wide slit as example of extended source. The width of spectral lines. Gratings and spectroscopy. 2-d apertures, circular apertures, Babinet’s principle. Fresnel diffraction, Cornu spiral, zone plate. Interference: Thin film interference. Fabry-Perot etalon. Michelson interferometer, Fourier transform spectroscopy.

BOOKS

Vibrations and Waves in Physics, Main I G (3rd edn CUP 1993) The Physics of Vibrations and Waves, Pain H J (5th edn Wiley 1999) Vibrations and Waves, French A P (Chapman & Hall 1971) Optics, Hecht E (4th edn Addison-Wesley 2001)


QUANTUM PHYSICS

V Gibson

The Birth of Quantum Physics: Quantization of electromagnetic radiation: u-v catastrophe, photoelectric effect, Compton scattering. Wave properties of matter: de Broglie hypothesis, the Bohr model of the atom and atomic structure, electron and molecular diffraction. The central role of Planck’s constant.

Wave Particle Duality and the Uncertainty Principle: Young’s double-slit experiment. Free particle in one dimension: plane waves and wave-packets. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Prin-ciple. Time evolution of wave-packets: dispersion and propagation.

The Schrödinger Equation: Time-independent and time-dependent Schrödinger Equation.

Wave Mechanics of Unbound Particles: Particle flux. One dimensional potentials and boundary conditions. The potential step: reflection and transmission. The potential barrier: tun-nelling. Radioactivity : and decay.

Wave Mechanics of Bound Particles: The infinite square well potential and bound states. Normalization, parity and orthogonality. The Correspondence principle. The finite square well potential. The harmonic oscillator: vibrational specific heat. Wave mechanics in 3D: particle in a box, degeneracy and 3D harmonic oscillator.

Operator Methods: Operators, observables, linear hermitian operators and operator algebra. Dirac notation: eigenstates and eigenvalues. Orthogonality, degeneracy and completeness of ei-genstates. Compatible and incompatible observables: commuting operators and simultaneous ei-genstates, non-commuting operators, generalized uncertainty relations, minimum-uncertainty states. Ladder operators: the harmonic oscillator, equipartition.

Time-Dependent Quantum Mechanics: Time-dependence: expectation values, Ehrenfest’s theorem, stationary states, the time-evolution operator, time-energy uncertainty relation, con-served quantities.

Quantum Mechanics in Three Dimensions: General formulation. Orbital angular momen-tum: eigenfunctions and parity. The 3D harmonic oscillator. The rigid rotator: rotational specific heats of gases. Central potentials: conservation of angular momentum, quantum numbers, sepa-ration of variables. The hydrogen atom. Non-central potentials and hybridization.

Spin: The Stern-Gerlach experiment. Spin angular momentum, spin operators, spin eigenstates. Combining spin and orbital angular momentum, combining spins. Matrix methods. Pauli spin matrix and spinors.

Identical Particles: Identical particle symmetry: multiparticle states, fermions and bosons, ex-change operator, exclusion principle, symmetry and interacting particles, counting states. Two-electron system: helium ground and excited states. The Standard Model of Particle Physics.


BOOKS

Books to consider buying: Quantum Physics, Gasiorowicz S (Wiley 2003) A fine exposition of the subject, suitable for Part IB and Part II. Quantum Mechanics, McMurry S M (Addison-Wesley 1994). Quite well suited to the course and includes a disc with interactive illustrative programs. Quantum Mechanics, Rae A I M (Hilger 1992) A good alternative to Gasiorowicz or McMurry, much shorter and consequently less full in its treatment of difficult points. Quantum Mechanics Mandl F (Wiley 1992). A good book, suitable for Part IB and Part II. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, Bransden and Joachin (Longman, 1989). A thick book, with very full coverage but perhaps less elegance and clarity than Gasiorowicz.

Problems in Quantum Mechanics, Squires (CUP, 1995). Worked solutions and summaries, ex-tending beyond this course.

Books for College libraries: Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei and Particles, Eisberg R and Resnick R (Wiley 1985). Too elementary to recommend as a main textbook, but very good descriptive cover-age of a wide range of quantum phenomena.


CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

J Ellis

Periodic Systems: Overview of crystal structures, the reciprocal lattice. Phonons: Phonons as normal modes – classical and quantum picture. 1D monatomic chain, 1D diatomic chain, examples of phonons in 3D. Debye theory of heat capacity, thermal conductivity of insulators. Electrons in solids: Free electron model: Fermi-Dirac statistics, concept of Fermi level, electronic contribution to heat capacity. Bulk modulus of a nearly free electron metal. Electrical and thermal conductivity. Wiedemann-Franz law. Hall effect. Nearly free electron model: Derivation of band structure by considering effect of periodic lattice on 1-D free electron model. Bloch’s theorem. Concept of effective mass. The difference between conductors, semiconductors and insulators explained by considering the band gap in 2D. Hole and electron conduction. Doping of semiconductors, p and n types, pn junctions – diodes, LEDs and solar cells.

BOOKS

In general the course follows the treatment in Solid State Physics, J.R. Hook and H.E. Hall (2nd edition, Wiley, 1991). Introduction to Solid State Physics, Charles Kittel (8th edition, Wiley, 2005) is highly recom-mended. (need not be the latest edition) Other books, generally available in College libraries and may usefully be consulted: The Solid State, Rosenberg H M (3rd edn OUP 1988) Solid State Physics, Ashcroft N W and Mermin N D (Holt-Saunders 1976).


MATHEMATICAL METHODS

C A Haniff

This course is offered to students taking either or both of Physics A and Physics B, but who are not taking "Mathematics'' in NST IB. In conjunction with the material from "Mathematics'' in NST IA, this course provides the mathematics required for Physics A and Physics B in NST IB, and the core and option lecture courses in Part II Physics. This course requires the material covered in the NST IA Mathematics and Physics for Natural Sci-entists courses, and uses examples showing how the mathematical methods introduced can be utilised in a wide range of physical problems. Fluency with integration of the tools from NST IA Mathematics with the topics taught in NST IA Physics is required. Vector and Scalar fields in Cartesian coordinates: Basic definitions of scalar and vector fields. Line, surface, and volume integrals. Grad, Div and Curl. and Laplacian operators. Diver-gence Theorem, Stokes' Theorem, and Green's Theorem. Conservative fields. Maxwell's equations as example of vector differential operators. Cylindrical, Spherical, and Curvilinear coordinate systems: Basic definitions of cylin-drical and spherical coordinate systems. Application to scalar and vector fields. Curvilinear coor-dinate systems. Vector differential operators in cylindrical, spherical, and curvilinear coordinate systems. Variational Principles: Lagrange multipliers. Euler–Lagrange equation. Fourier Series: Fourier series of periodic functions using trigonometric functions. Discontinui-ties and Gibbs phenomenon. Even and odd functions. Fourier series in complex form. Solving one-dimensional differential equations using Fourier series. Notions of completeness and or-thogonality. Fourier Transforms: Definition. Symmetry considerations. Fourier transforms of differentials. The Dirac delta function. Convolution. Green's functions. Parseval's theorem. Differential Equations: Laplace’s equation, Poisson's equation, the diffusion equation, the wave equation, Helmholtz equation, Schrödinger's equation. Separation of variables in Cartesian, cylindrical polar, and spherical polar coordinate systems. Summary of common differential equa-tions and orthogonal functions. Examples, including Bessel, Legendre, Hermite functions etc. Analogy between function expansions and geometrical vector expansions: orthogonality and completeness. Convergence of power series. Power series expansions and solution of ordinary dif-ferential equations. Legendre polynomials, Bessel functions, Hermite polynomials and Spherical Harmonics illustrated by examples. Brief summary of Sturm–Liouville theory. Matrices and Tensors: Basic matrix algebra. Determinants. Special matrix types, including Hermitian matrices. Eigenvalues, eigenvectors and diagonalization. Basic concept of a tensor. Summation convention: Kronecker delta and Levi–Civita symbol.

BOOKS

Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, Boas M L (3rd edn, Wiley 2006) Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering, Riley K F, Hobson M P and Bence S J (3rd edn, CUP 2006)


GREAT EXPERIMENTS

A N Lasenby and others

This non-examinable course looks at a selection of great experiments, considering both the spe-cial techniques, and also the context in which they were conceived and their effect on our under-standing of physics. Each lecture will cover a different experiment and these are likely to include the following: Tests of classical gravity: Eotvos experiment, Precision measurements of G, search for higher dimensions at the mm-scale. Understanding neutrinos: Chemical methods (the Homestake mine experiment), the Solar neutrino problem, neutrino oscillations at SNO. The search for the Higgs boson. The Cosmic Microwave Background: Discovery (Penzias and Wilson), implications for Big Bang cosmology, fluctuations (COBE) and the Planck Satellite Experiment. The Structure of DNA: The story of Crick and Watson’s determination of the structure of DNA is well known; this account will include some of the Physics involved in both 1952 and the present day. Ultracold atoms: The need for a low-temperature gas, laser cooling, Bose-Einstein condensa-tion, atom scattering from “optical crystals”. Fundamental tests of Quantum Mechanics: “Spooky action at a distance”. Hidden vari-ables and Bell’s inequality, demonstrations of Quantum entanglement. The search for Extrasolar Planets.


IB PRACTICAL CLASS – PHYSICS A

W Allison and R T Phillips

The Practical Classes for the IB Physics options (i.e. both the A & B courses) are organized around a set of fourteen experiments, six in the Michaelmas term and eight in the Lent term. Students taking the A, B or both A+B courses undertake different numbers and combinations of these ex-periments during the year. Candidates taking only the Physics A course will usually undertake a total of 7 experiments during the year (3 in the Michaelmas term and 4 in the Lent term) attend-ing two 3¾ hour long afternoon sessions (over a fortnight) per experiment. Candidates taking both the Physics A and Physics B courses are expected to undertake 6 experiments in the Michaelmas term and 4 experiments in the Lent term, but will complete each of these over the course of a week (usually in one day). They also undertake a longer experimental investigation in groups of four, spread over the final two weeks of the Lent term. For full details of the classes, see p.38

Part IB Physics B 26

Part IB Physics B


5.1 INTRODUCTION AND COURSE AIMS

The IB Physics B covers a range of topics that are complementary to the IB Physics A course. Stu-dents wishing to proceed to part II Physics must take both Physics A and Physics B.

Students taking both courses combine them with one other IB subject. While NST IB Mathematics, is frequently taken, and is useful for those wishing to pursue Theoretical Physics options within the Part II Physics course, students should be advised that this is both a demanding and constraining choice. (For students taking subjects other than Mathematics, appropriate support is provided through the Michaelmas Term course in Mathe-matical Methods.) The selection of a different subject in place of NST IB Mathematics provides greater breadth and gives greater choice of Part II/III subjects within the Natural Sciences Tripos, should Part IB physics not prove to be rewarding.

It is possible to take IB Physics B without IB Phys-ics A, but this is not adequate preparation for Part II Physics. The practical work draws heavily on material from Physics A in the Michaelmas Term, and students taking just Physics B are advised to attend at least the Experimental Methods lectures from Phys-ics A for necessary background. For the ma-jority of students wishing to take a single physics option in Part IB, Physics A is likely to be the more attractive option.

Students will be e-mailed and asked to register via http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/ before the start of Michaelmas Term.

Students not taking both Physics A and Physics B must register between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm on Tuesday 8th October 2013.

Students taking both Part IB Physics A and Part IB Physics B should register at 2.00 pm on Wednesday 9th October 2013 at the Cavendish Laboratory.

5.2 COURSE CONTENT

The lectures on Electromagnetism cover key con-cepts in this important subject. Classical Dynam-ics provides more advanced approaches to classical problems than were given in Part IA, and

introduces key concepts in fluid mechanics. Thermodynamics provides an introduction to classical thermodynamics and kinetic theory. A non-examinable course “Great Experiments” pro-vides valuable insight into the importance of ex-periments in the progress of physics, and their historical context. The Computing course pro-vides an introduction to C++ programming tech-niques and their application in physics-based problems. The practical class extends the teach-ing of experimental physics and analysis offered in IB Physics A.

Physics A and Physics B both require mathemat-ics beyond that in the syllabus for IA Mathematics for Natural Sciences; students not taking the NST Part IB subject Mathematics should attend the lectures on Mathematical Methods given at the same time on weekdays during Michaelmas Term. This course is supervised, and covers all the addi-tional mathematics required for both Part IB Physics courses, and for the Part II Physics core and options courses. It does not provide full cov-erage of the mathematics assumed for the Part II Theoretical Physics (TP) courses, but mathemati-cally-able students would need to do some extra work during the long vacation after Part IB in or-der to catch up.

5.3 THE EXAMINATION

The IB Physics B examination consists of two three-hour papers. Specific information about the examination is given in notices put up on the Part IB examination notice board outside the Part IB laboratory. The practical elements of this course (i.e. the practicals and computing) are continu-ously assessed and overall count approximately 25% towards the IB Physics B marks. (Students should note that roughly 40% of the marks for the practicals will come from a Head of Class Re-port/Group Presentation). Full details are in the class manual and additional help is given in the booklet Keeping Laboratory Notes and Writing Formal Reports.



Note: This list is not exhaustive, and may be superseded by announcements on the TIS Tuesday 8th October 2013 Start of Michaelmas full term Tuesday 8th October 2013 14.00–16.00 Practical registration for Students taking IB Physics

A or B at the Cavendish Laboratory Wednesday 9th October 2013 14.00 Practical registration for Students taking IB Physics

A and Physics B at the Cavendish Laboratory Friday 6th December 2013 End of Michaelmas full term Monday 9th December 2013 16.00 Head-of-Class report must have been handed

in to the IB Practical Class if chosen for submission (see synopsis of Physics B practi-cal class for details)

Tuesday 14th January 2014 Start of Lent full term Friday 14th March 2014 End of Lent full term Monday 17thMarch 2014 16.00 Head-of-Class report must have been handed

in to the IB Practical Class if chosen for submission (see synopsis of Physics B practi-cal class for details)

Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Start of Easter full term Tuesday 22nd April 2014 16.00 Extended Investigation presentation slides

(only for students take Physics A and Physics B) must have been submitted to relevant Head of Class

Friday 6th June 2014 Deadline for obtaining approval for Part IB students to do Long-Vacation Work for sub-mission as part of Part II

Friday 13th June 2014 End of Easter full term

Late Submission of Work In accordance with the University’s regulations, work submitted after the advertised deadline will not count towards your final examination mark, unless the Department grants an extension of time on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. Any application for such an ex-tension should be made by your college Tutor or Director of Studies to the Director of Under-graduate Teaching, c/o Teaching Office, Cavendish Laboratory, ([email protected]). In such circumstances, you should submit the work as soon as possible after the deadline.


5.5 LECTURE LIST

NATURAL SCIENCES TRIPOS

PART IB PHYSICS B

Departmental Contact: Helen Marshall, email: [email protected] Course Website: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/

Lectures are given in the Cockcroft Lecture Theatre, New Museums Site, M.W.F. 9 unless other-

wise stated. For the up-to-date lecture list please go to: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php Laboratory Work takes place at the Cavendish Laboratory (West Cambridge). The experi-mental laboratories are open M. 2-5.45, Tu. 10-5.45, Th. 10-5.45 and F. 2-5.45. Students will be allocated periods within these times. Students taking both Part IB Physics A and Part IB Physics B should register at 2.00 p.m. on W. 9 Oct. at the Cavendish Laboratory. Students taking Part IB Physics B or IB Physics A, must register between 2.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. on Tu. 8 Oct., when they will be allocated practical sessions that fit with their other IB subjects. Laboratory work is continuously assessed.


ELECTROMAGNETISM

S Withington

The electromagnetism course further develops the idea of electric and magnetic fields introduced in Part IA, with electrostatics and magnetostatics being treated as special cases of Maxwell’s equa-tions. The course introduces dielectric and magnetic media, and examines wave propagation in free space, as well as in insulating and conducting media and on transmission lines and waveguides Introduction: Electromagnetism in physics, and the role of Maxwell’s equations. Electrostatic fields: Electrostatic force, electric field, potential, grad, curl, line integrals, Stokes’s theorem, conservative fields, electric monopoles, electric dipoles, field of a dipole, couple and force on a dipole, energy of a dipole, multipole expansions, electric flux, divergence, diver-gence theorem, Gauss’s law, solutions for simple geometries, Laplace’s and Poisson’s equations, boundary conditions and uniqueness, conducting sphere in uniform E field, method of images, point charge near conducting sphere, line charge near conducting cylinder, capacitance, capaci-tance of parallel cylinders, energy stored in electric field, force and virtual work, force on charged conductor. Electrostatic fields in dielectric materials: Isotropic dielectrics, polarisation, polarisation charge density, Gauss’s law for dielectric materials, permittivity and susceptibility, properties of D and E, boundary conditions at dielectric surfaces, field lines at boundaries, relationship be-tween E and P, thin slab in field, dielectric sphere in field, energy density in dielectrics, general properties of dielectrics. Magnetostatic fields: Force on and between current elements, magnetic flux, the ampère, .B=0, magnetic dipoles, force and couple on a dipole, energy, magnetic scalar potential, solid angle of a loop, Ampère’s law, magnetic vector potential. Magnetostatic fields in magnetic materials: magnetisation, existence of diamagnetism and paramagnetism, permeability and magnetic susceptibility, properties of B and H, boundary con-ditions at surfaces, methods for calculating B and H, magnetisable sphere in uniform field, elec-tromagnets. Time varying electromagnetic fields: Faraday’s law, emf, electromagnetic induction, Fara-day’s law for a circuit, interpretation of Faraday’s emf, self-inductance, inductance of long sole-noid, coaxial cylinders, parallel cylinders, mutual inductance, transformers, magnetic energy density. Electromagnetic waves: equation of continuity, displacement current, Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, velocity of light, plane waves in isotropic media, energy density, Poynting’s theorem, radiation pressure and momentum, insulating materials, plasmas and the plasma frequency, evanescent waves. characteristic impedance, reflection and transmission at an angle, total internal reflection, conducting media, skin effect, guided waves, transmission lines, characteristic impedance; coaxial, parallel-wire, strip transmission lines; power flow; terminated lines, matching, reflection and transmission coefficients, impedance of short circuited lines, im-pedance matching, introduction to waveguides, TE and TM modes, waveguide equation, cut-off frequency, characteristic impedance, cavity resonators, optical fibres. Summary of Maxwell’s equations: Restatement of equations, physical interpretation, classes of solutions, and applications.


BOOKS Electricity and Magnetism, Duffin W J (4th edn McGraw-Hill 1990). A general introductory text. Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics, Ramo S, Whinnery JR, and van Duzer T (2nd edn Wiley 1984). This text is aimed at engineers. It has an attractive style and achieves a good balance between mathematical rigour and physical insight. It provides an excellent introduction to the subject. Electromagnetism, Grant I S and Phillips W R (2nd edn Wiley 1990). This treatment is at about the right level for the course. It is easier to read than Bleaney & Bleaney, but does not go as far. Electricity and Magnetism, Bleaney B I and Bleaney B (3rd edn OUP 1989) (two volumes). A classic text that will see you through Part IB and Part II, but it is currently out of print.


CLASSICAL DYNAMICS

D A Green

This course builds on the ideas introduced in NST Part IA “Physics”, using the machinery of vec-tor calculus taught in NST Part IA “Mathematics”. The main areas covered are orbits, rigid body dynamics, normal modes and continuum mechanics (elasticity and fluids).

Newtonian mechanics, frames of reference: Review of Part IA mechanics: many-particle system, internal and external forces and energy. Central forces, motion in a plane. Non-inertial frames, rotating frames, centrifugal and Coriolis forces. Examples.

Orbits: Effective potential and radial motion, bound and unbound orbits. Inverse-square law or-bits, circular and elliptic, Kepler's laws. Escape velocity, transfer orbits, gravitational slingshot. Hyperbolic orbits, angle of scattering, repulsive force. Two-body problem, reduced mass. General features of three-body problem. Brief treatment of tidal effects in gravitational systems.

Rigid body dynamics: Instantaneous motion of a rigid body, angular velocity and angular momentum, moment of inertia tensor, principal axes and moments. Rotational energy, inertia el-lipsoid. Euler's equations, free precession of a symmetrical top, space and body frequencies. Forced precession, gyroscopes.

Introduction to Lagrangian mechanics: Generalised coordinates. Hamilton’s principle and Lagrange’s equations. Symmetries and conservation laws. Conservation of the Hamiltonian for time-independent systems.

Normal modes: Analysis of many-particle system in terms of normal modes. Degrees of free-dom, matrix notation, zero-frequency and degenerate modes. Continuum limit, wave equation. Standing waves, energy and normal modes. Motion in three dimensions, modes of molecules.

Elasticity: Hooke's law, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio. Bulk modulus, shear modulus, stress tensor, principal stresses. strain tensor. Elastic energy. Torsion of cylinder. Bending of beams, bending moment, boundary conditions. Euler strut. Brief treatment of elastic waves.

Fluid dynamics: Continuum fields, material derivatives, relation to particle paths and stream-lines. Mass conservation, incompressibility. Convective derivative and equation of motion. Ber-noulli's theorem, applications. Velocity potential, applications: sources and sinks; flow past a sphere and cylinder; vortices; Magnus effect. Viscosity, Couette and Poiseuille flow. Reynolds number, lamina and turbulent flow.

BOOKS

Classical Mechanics, Barger V D and Olsson M G (McGaw-Hill, 1995). Fluid Dynamics for Physicists, Faber T E (Cambridge, 1995). Lectures on Physics, Feynman R P, Leighton R B and Sands S L (Addison Wesley 1964). Principles of Dynamics, Greenwood D T (Prentice & Hall 1988). Classical Mechanics, Kibble T W B and Berkshire F H (Imperial College 2004).


THERMODYNAMICS

E Eiser

This is a general introduction to classical thermodynamics, followed by an introduction to the sta-tistical representation of gases and the kinetic gas theory. The final part of this course introduces basics of transport phenomena. Examples relevant to Astrophysics and Soft Matter Physics will be discussed. Fundamentals: Thermodynamic variables; functions of state; zeroth law; concept of tempera-ture; work and heat; 1st law of thermodynamics; heat capacities. 2nd Law and Entropy: Reversible and irreversible changes; Clausius and Kelvin formulations of 2nd law; Carnot cycle and Carnot's theorem; definition of thermodynamic temperature; heat en-gines, pumps and refrigerators; efficiency; Clausius’ theorem; entropy and its increase; entropy of ideal gas. Analytical Thermodynamics: Thermodynamic potentials and their uses. Chemical potential. Introduction to Maxwell relations and their applications. Phase Changes: Real gases and van der Waals’ equation; conditions for equilibrium. Latent heat. Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Gibbs-Duhem relation. Phase rules. Third Law: Entropy at low temperatures; adiabatic demagnetisation; unattainability of absolute zero. Kinetic Gas theory: Introduction of Boltzmann distribution; Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution (velocity distribution in gases); pressure and fluxes; barometric height distribution; equipartition theorem; degrees of freedom. Basic terms & equations in transport phenomena: Momentum - viscosity, energy - heat, mass - concentration gradients. Viscosity and flux in Astrophysics. Flow problems in Soft Matter Physics. Applications to Simple Physical Problems: Thermodynamics of Radiation. Heat capacity of a vacuum – black body radiation; pressure and energy density. Kirchhoff’s Law. Stefan-Boltzmann Law. Planck’s Law. BOOKS The course will mainly follow the book “Concepts in Thermal Physics” S.J. Blundell & K.M. Blun-dell (Oxford University Press). For further reading: “Equilibrium Thermodynamics” Adkins C J (3rd edn CUP 1983). “Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics” H. P. Callen (John Wiley & Sons 1985).


INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

C G Lester

This course in computer programming will take place in Michaelmas. The course will teach the ‘C’ subset of C++. The course strongly takes the view that best way to learn how to write com-puter programs is to sit in front of a computer and to "have a go". Programming is a skill that (like learning to play a musical instrument) is best learned through direct experience, through practice, by learning from one’s mistakes, by attempting to copy and understand examples etc. It is not a skill that can be absorbed simply by sitting in a lecture theatre and listening to a lecturer.

For this reason, the course will mostly be taught through self-guided study in practical classes in which students will work through examples in the course handout. The self-study part of the course will be preceded by two introductory lectures. The purpose of these lectures is to outline the basics tools required to follow the instructions in the course booklet, and to give a very brief introduction to the concept of computer programming. Students must understand that it is not the lecture course that will teach them how to program. Their most important resources for learning will be the handout, the student sitting next to them in the practical class, the practical class demonstrator, the other students on the course, and last but not least printed and on-line reference materials.

Anyone attempting to teach themselves to program will benefit strongly from having a C++ refer-ence book beside them at all times (see some suggestions below) and an open web-browser in which to look up examples of code, etc.

Students are actively encouraged to discuss what they are doing with others doing the course, to work in pairs or small groups, and to and ask questions of the demonstrators and the people sit-ting near them in the examples classes.

The general structure of the course will be:

• Two introductory lectures, followed by practical classes in the MCS (formally PWF) in which the students will work through the self-study guide. Each practical session will have a specific programming task. The aim of the first half of the course is for every student to become familiar with linux, gnuplot, a text editor, elementary C++ programming, and a C++ debugger. In the second half of the course, students will each complete two or three mini-projects. Each mini-project will consist of a core task which all students will have to complete and optional parts introducing more interesting computational/physics ideas.

Assessment

The assessment will be weekly. After each practical session, each student will be required to up-load work which shows how they solved the tasks described in the handout for that week. (Work may also be handed in early!) Each submission will lead to a simple pass/fail mark for that week. There are no bonus marks for fancy submissions -- the simpler the submission the better. For each project there will be two deadlines - (i) the recommended deadline, and (ii) the extended deadline. The latter will be one week after the former. All students should hand in work by dead-line (i) in order to keep pace with the course, but applications for extension to deadline (ii) will be automatically granted when requested to cover problems caused by illness etc. Any work submit-ted later than the (already extended!) deadline (ii) will not be accepted therefore under any cir-cumstances.


Week 1

Computing concepts What a C++ program looks like. Conditionals, loops. Monte Carlo meth-ods.

Computing skills Using linux, bash, text editor, C++ compiler, execution.

Week 2

Computing concepts Representation of numbers in a computer. .

Computing skills Boolean expressions. Relational operators. Simple control structures. C++ debugger.

Week 3

Computing concepts Functions. Debugger.

Computing skills Defining, declaring, and calling functions. Passing values to and returning values from functions. Using gnuplot.

Weeks 4-6

Computing concepts Pointers. Memory allocation. Arrays. Passing arrays to functions. Code-testing.

BOOKS

Any web-search or visit to a book-shop or library will rapidly show that there are hundreds of C and C++ books on the market. Any of them is better than nothing, as all contain important refer-ence material an example programs. Use whatever you have in your college library, or anything owned by "someone on your staircase", as any book is better than nothing. If you can really find no other sources, and want guidance, you could do worse than buy one of the following: Recommended by the 2007 and 2008 lecturer: C++: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition (Beginner's Guides (McGraw-Hill)) by Herbert Schildt The resource the current lecturer learned C++ from: C++ Primer by Stanley B. Lippman, Josée Lajoie, and Barbara E. Moo, The first and most influential (but not necessarily the best written) book about C++: The C++ Programming Language, Special Edition by Bjarne Stroustrup Everyone needs pocket reference, and it is only £4 on Amazon: C++ Pocket Reference (Pocket Referemce) by Kyle Loudon Likely to be useful: Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example (C++ in Depth Series) by Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo Sams Teach Yourself C++ in One Hour a Day by Jesse Liberty, Siddhartha Rao, and Bradley L. Jones Not about C++ per se, and far beyond what the course requires, but worth reading if the rest of the course is too easy and you want to do "real" object-oriented programming: Design patterns : elements of reusable object-oriented software by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides

Website:

The course website for the last academic year may be found at

http://www.hep.phy.cam.ac.uk/lester/c++2012/


MATHEMATICAL METHODS

C A Haniff

This course is offered to students taking either or both of Physics A and Physics B, but who are not taking "Mathematics'' in NST IB. In conjunction with the material from "Mathematics'' in NST IA, this course provides the mathematics required for Physics A and Physics B in NST IB, and the core and option lecture courses in Part II Physics. This course requires the material covered in the NST IA Mathematics and Physics for Natural Sci-entists courses, and uses examples showing how the mathematical methods introduced can be utilised in a wide range of physical problems. Fluency with integration of the tools from NST IA Mathematics with the topics taught in NST IA Physics is required The full synopsis is given on p.23 of this course guide.


GREAT EXPERIMENTS

A N Lasenby and others

This non-examinable course looks at a selection of great experiments, considering both the spe-cial techniques, and also the context in which they were conceived and their effect on our under-standing of physics. The course runs in the Lent Term, on Mondays at 10, which unfortunately conflicts with both Bio-chemisty & Molecular Biology, and Geology A: students not taking either of these subjects, and taking either or both of Physics A and Physics B, are warmly encouraged to attend. Full details are given on p.24.


IB PRACTICAL CLASS – PHYSICS B


The Practical Classes for the IB Physics options (i.e. both the A & B courses) are organized around a set of fourteen experiments, six in the Michaelmas term and eight in the Lent term. Students taking the A, B or both A+B courses undertake different numbers and combinations of these ex-periments during the year. Candidates taking only the Physics B course will usually undertake a total of 6 experiments during the year (3 in the Michaelmas term and 3 in the Lent term) attend-ing two 3¾ hour long afternoon sessions (over a fortnight) per experiment. Candidates taking both the Physics A and Physics B courses are expected to undertake 6 experiments in the Michaelmas term and 4 experiments in the Lent term, but will complete each of these over the course of a week (usually in one day). They also undertake a longer experimental investigation in groups of four, spread over the final two weeks of the Lent term. For full details of the classes, see p.38.

Part IB Practical Work (Physics A & B) 38

IB PRACTICAL CLASS – PHYSICS A and B


The Practical Classes for the IB Physics options (i.e. both the A & B courses) are organized around a set of fourteen experiments, six in the Michaelmas term and eight in the Lent term. Students taking the A, B or both A+B courses undertake different numbers and combinations of these ex-periments during the year. Candidates taking a single Physics course will usually undertake a total of either 6 or 7 1 experi-ments during the year (3 in the Michaelmas term and either 3 or 4 in the Lent term) attending two 3¾ hour long afternoon sessions (over a fortnight) per experiment. One experiment must be written up as a Head of Class report. Candidates offering both Physics courses are expected to undertake 6 experiments in the Michaelmas term and 4 experiments in the Lent term, but will complete each of these over the course of a week (usually in one day). They also undertake a longer experimental investigation in groups of four, spread over the final two weeks of the Lent term. One of the experiments under-taken in the Michaelmas term must be written up as a Head of Class report. The primary aim of the classes is to provide students with an opportunity to develop the key skills associated with the design and execution of experiments, and with analysing experimental data, hypothesis testing, presenting results and, importantly (especially for theoreticians), assess-ing others’ experimental results and analyses. Topics covered include a “systems approach” to ex-perimental design, managing noise, offsets and systematic errors, and using experiments to tie down physical phenomena whose theoretical basis is uncertain or unknown – this is the standard situation for a research physicist. For those taking both the A and B courses, presentational skills and team-working also feature in the extended investigation at the end of the Lent term. A secondary aim of the classes is to demonstrate aspects of, and reinforce the content of, some of the Michaelmas and Lent term lectures. The following sections outline the full set of 14 experiments available during the year, although students will only ever be expected to undertake a subset of these. Students must refer to the ta-ble at the end of this section to determine which experiments they will be required to undertake.

MICHAELMAS TERM: SYSTEMS AND MEASUREMENT

These experiments demonstrate key aspects of “real world” physics, i.e. as an experimentally-driven subject where measurements both validate theories and provide the stimulus for new theo-retical developments. Many of the experiments also demonstrate critical features of the physics introduced in the Physics A Experimental Methods, Oscillations, Waves and Optics, and Electro-magnetism lecture courses. Students will usually be expected to work in pairs, with the classes running from week 2 through week 7 of the term. There are six experiments in total, each lasting about six hours, as follows. [1] Basic skills: Using a PicoScope; measuring input and output impedances, frequency re-sponse and phase shift; ensuring the measuring device does not affect the measurement; using an operational amplifier.

1 Students taking only Physics A undertake 7 experiments, whereas students taking only Physics B undertake 6 experi-ments since they also take an assessed computing course.


[2] Linear systems and feedback: An operational amplifier is used to explore various linear systems, including voltage amplifiers and integrators. The system concepts of negative and posi-tive feedback are investigated. [3] Non-linear systems: An analogue multiplier will be used to explore the properties of non-linear systems. Frequency doubling, mixing and de-modulation will be investigated. [4] Hysteresis: Building a simple magnetometer and investigating hysteresis in three magnetic materials. [5] Signals and noise in an optical link: An optical communication link is constructed. Phase-sensitive detection is used to extract the signal in the presence a very high level of con-taminating noise. [6] Twangs and clicks (data sampling and Fourier methods): An investigation of sam-pling, aliasing and Nyquist’s theorem, followed by the design, construction and use of apparatus to test the validity of a model developed to explain the properties of a tuning fork. LENT TERM: WAVES AND OPTICS – First ¾ of term

The first part of the Lent term focuses on investigations that continue the development of the skills associated with the design, execution, and interpretation of experiments. Additionally, they provide further opportunities to demonstrate some of the relevant physical principles developed in the Physics A and B lecture courses. Students taking only one of Physics A or Physics B will be expected to work in pairs and attend for two afternoon session on the same day on two consecutive weeks per experiment. Pairs will be expected to start these “main” experiments in either week 2, week 4 or week 6 so that at most three from the list below can be undertaken. All single subject students will also be expected to undertake the short initial class “Key experimental techniques” in week 1 starting at 2pm. There will be no attendance for single subject students in week 8, and they will not undertake the extended investigation. Students taking Physics A with Physics B will be expected to work in pairs (or triples – this will depend on the class size) and will undertake each of their “main” experiments in a single weekly session. Students will be expected to sign up to undertake three main experiments from the list below over the course of weeks 2 through 5. This will allow one “week off”. All double subject students will also be expected to undertake the short initial class “Key experimental techniques” in week 1 starting at their usual 10am or 2pm time. There will be no attendance for double subject students in week 6, but they will un-dertake an extended investigation in weeks 7 and 8 (see below for details). In this first part of the term seven experiments will be run, the first taking roughly 3½ hours, and the remainder about seven hours, as follows. [7] Key experimental techniques: Developing observational skills: descriptive skill, using a PicoScope for data acquisition and laptop-based software for data analysis, observation as a tool for developing theories, review of random and statistical errors and their diagnosis, practice with Excel. [8] Fraunhofer diffraction of light: This is investigated experimentally using a laser and a variety of apertures. Quantitative analysis of the measurements is used as a sensitive test of this diffraction theory. The experiment also provides a visualisation of Fourier transforms and helps develop intuition for these and the concept of spatial filtering.


[9] Ultrasonic waves: This experiment is designed to investigate the propagation of ultrasonic waves in air and other fluids. Not only is it possible to examine the standard wave-like behaviour of ultrasound (reflection, diffraction, etc.), but also the experiment demonstrates how ultrasound can be used to probe the kinetic properties of materials. [10] Waves in liquids: A wave tank is used to study the propagation of waves at the interface layer between two liquids. The dispersive nature of the system makes it particularly interesting. The propagation and spectral structure of wavepackets is also studied. [11] Fresnel diffraction of light: This experiment demonstrates important features of Fresnel diffraction and allows a quantitative verification of Fresnel theory. It also allows the investigation of off-axis effects which are difficult to analyse theoretically. [12] Microwaves and waveguides: A solid-state device, a Gunn diode, is used to generate microwaves which are used to investigate a wide variety of electromagnetic phenomena. Propaga-tion in free space, in materials and along waveguides is studied. [13] Interferometers and spectroscopy: Interferometry is a very important tool for spec-troscopy and one aim of this experiment is to demonstrate the great accuracy that can be achieved. Two types of interferometer are used, a Michelson interferometer and a Fabry-Perot etalon. A variety of effects is demonstrated, and an introduction provided to the practical prob-lems of setting up and calibrating high precision instrumentation. LENT TERM: EXTENDED INVESTIGATION – Last ¼ of term

In weeks 7 and 8 of the Lent term students taking both Physics A and Physics B will be expected to undertake a more open-ended and less structured investigation of a single topic over two con-secutive weekly sessions. These will be executed in randomly-selected groups of four. The assess-ment of the investigation will primarily be via an hour long oral and slide-based presentation to a Head of Class in which all the members of the group will be expected to participate. This presen-tation will take place at the start of the Easter term. [14] Extended investigation: The topic of the investigation will change from year to year. CHOICE OF EXPERIMENTS in Lent Term

The selection of experiments available for students taking Physics A or B alone and students tak-ing both the Physics A and Physics B courses is summarized in the table below. Experiments marked with a tick () are compulsory. Where a box is greyed-out in a particular column, that ex-periment is not available for the particular combination of subjects. Experiments identified with a

report icon ( ) can be chosen from to write a Head of Class report.


Physics A only (7 experiments

in total)

Physics B only (6 experiments in total includ-ing either op-

tion 1 or option 2)

Physics A+B (11 experiments

in total including three from ex-

periments 9-13)

Michaelmas Term [1] Basic skills [2] Linear systems and feedback [3] Non-linear systems [4] Hysteresis [5] Signal and noise in an optical link [6] Twangs and clicks

Lent Term – first ¾ of term [7] Key experimental techniques [8] Fraunhofer diffraction of light

[9] Ultrasonic waves

[10] Waves in liquids Option 1 Do three out of

five [11] Fresnel diffraction light [12] Microwaves and waveguides Option 2 [13] Interferometry and spectroscopy Lent term – last ¼ of term [14] Extended investigation

In all cases, students must attend the first class of the Term on their pre-assigned day of the week at which time the detailed timetable and sequence of experiments will be determined. Students must do all the experiments checked in the relevant column of the table above. HEAD OF CLASS REPORTING

All students are required to write up one of the experiments they have performed in the form of a formal Head of Class write-up. Students taking only the Physics A or only the Physics B course may choose to submit a Head of Class write-up in either the Michaelmas or Lent Terms.

The report must be on one of the experiments marked with the report icon ( ) in the table above. Students taking both the Physics A and the Physics B course must submit their Head of Class write-up in the Michaelmas term, again on one of the experiments marked with the report icon in the right-hand column. Each write-up will be assessed by a Head of Class and the marks awarded will count towards the end of year assessment. Students who undertake the extended investigation in the Lent term must also present the results of their investigation in the form of an hour-long oral and slide-based presentation to a Head of Class at the beginning of the Easter Term. As for the Head of Class write-up, this presentation will be assessed by the Head of Class and the marks awarded will count towards the end of year assessment. Advisory note to candidates taking only the Physics B course: The practical work in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms draws heavily on lecture material pre-sented in the Physics A course in the Michaelmas Term: students are advised to attend at least the Experimental Methods lectures from the Physics A course for the necessary background to the practical classes.

Part II Physics 42

Part II Physics


6.1 THE THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR COURSES IN PHYSICS

It is assumed that all students taking Part II Phys-ics will have attended both Physics A and Physics B in Part IB (or equivalent courses in the Mathe-matics Tripos).

There are two paths to graduating in Physics, both leading to a wide range of career options. Both groups of students take the same course in the third year. The paths are:

3-year course leading to B.A. hon-ours degree: this path is designed for students with a deep interest in the sub-ject but who do not intend to become pro-fessional physicists. It is a challenging course and exposes students to core areas of physics at an advanced level. Students on this path will graduate at the end of the Part II course with a B.A.

4-year course leading to an M.Sci. honours degree (master of Natural Sciences), together with a B.A. hon-ours degree: students who wish to pur-sue a professional career in physics (for example in academic or industrial re-search) take the usual third year Part II but do not graduate at the end of the third year. Subject to requisite funding, college approval and achievement of a 2:1 result or better in Part II Physics students are admitted to take Part III Physics in their fourth year. Both B.A. and M.Sci. degrees are conferred at the end of this fourth year.

The Part II Physics course is very flexible, and can range from strongly experimental to highly theo-retical physics, with a range of specialist options. There are possibilities for substantial independent work and for experience of industrial research.

There is no limit on the number of students taking Part II Physics and we usually have about 150 stu-dents, the largest class in any Part II Natural Sci-ence subject.

6.2 OUTLINE OF THE COURSES

The detailed timetable is available online http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php The course begins with a meeting on the first

Wednesday of Full Term (9th October 2013) at 9.30 am in the Pippard Lecture Theatre at the Cavendish Laboratory. Part II Physics contains work of two types: Core lectures in the Michaelmas term and Options lec-tures in the Lent/Easter terms, which are exam-ined at the end of the year in the usual way, and units of ‘Further Work’, which are assessed during the year. Students take three or more of the Lent/Easter lecture courses together with at least three units of Further Work.

We do not expect any student to take more than the minimum number of units of work in any category. The great majority of students will find the workload demanding even at this level. We recognise, however, that some students may have good reasons for wishing to take additional courses for credit. Marks for all examination pa-pers sat will appear on the students’ University transcripts. Within any part of the examination (options courses, Further Work) the best results meeting the minimum requirement will count to-wards the class for the year.

The aim of the Michaelmas Term lecture courses is to complete basic instruction in physics. In this term, there are four core courses:

Advanced Quantum Physics;

Relativity;

Optics and Electrodynamics;

Thermal and Statistical Physics.

In the Lent and Easter terms, four option courses are offered, introducing broad areas of physics:

Astrophysical Fluids;

Particle and Nuclear Physics;

Quantum Condensed Matter;

Soft Condensed Matter.

All students are also expected to take the course on Computational Physics, which is assessed by a series of short exercises. In addition, an extended Computational Physics project is available as one of the optional units of Further Work.

The remainder of the Further Work offers a free choice. Students may select an experimentally-biased course by carrying out up to two experi-mental investigations (E1 and E2), each lasting

Part II Physics 43

two weeks. Alternatively, there are two possible courses in Theoretical Physics (TP1 and TP2), consisting of lectures plus examples classes, which run respectively in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. We expect that almost all students will of-fer at least one of E1 and TP1. Further optional elements of Further Work are a Computing Pro-ject, Research Review, Physics Education or a Long Vacation Project. All units of further work are outlined in Section 6.3 and a table setting out the range of options is given on p.45.

There are also two unexamined courses, on Topics in Astrophysics and Concepts in Physics.

6.3 FURTHER WORK

Of the optional Further Work, note that not more than two Experiments may be offered. Other rules for choosing Further Work are set out in Section 6.6 on Examinations and in the Table on page 44.

Students will be contacted by e-mail and should register on-line via the teaching web pages http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/ before the start of Michaelmas Term and to give an indica-tion of which units of Further Work they intend to complete. In particular, they will be asked to make a provisional choice of experiments for E1 and E2 if they intend to take those options. These arrangements may be modified at the registration meeting at the beginning of term. Students wish-ing to change their choice during the course of the year (for example those wishing to take E2 instead of TP2 in light of their TP1 results) should contact the Teaching Office.

The arrangements for submitting and assessing Further Work are described in 6.6.4 below and in the Course Synopses later in this handbook.

6.3.1 Computing

All students are expected to attend the Computa-tional Physics lectures in Lent term, which build on the Part IB C++ course. Associated with the lectures are Computing exercises which are equivalent to 0.2 units of work, and are compul-sory for all Part II Physics students. In addition, students may elect to offer an extended Comput-ing Project, which will involve analysing a physics problem, and writing a program to solve it. This project is optional, and counts as one unit of Fur-ther Work. Further details are given on p.62.

6.3.2 Experimental Investigations

Each experiment will involve 30 to 40 hours work and will be equivalent to one unit of Further Work. The E1 and E2 sessions are run in the Michaelmas and Lent terms respectively, with in-

dividual experiments starting on the first, third and fifth Mondays in Term. The details of these sessions will be announced during registration at the start of term. E1 is assessed during the Michaelmas Term so that any appropriate advice and constructive criticism can be given before a decision has to be taken on whether or not to offer E2. Students opting for E2 only after taking the TP1 examination (see Section 6.3.3) are likely to be allocated to E2b or E2c. No student is allowed to offer more than two units of experimental in-vestigation.

The experiments available in Part II are offered by the experimental research groups from within the Department. A list is given on p 66 below. The ex-periments give you the chance to develop profes-sional ability, both in performing a substantial experiment and in relating experiment to theory. Most students find these experiments more de-manding and more satisfying than the short ex-periments of the Part I classes. They are assessed by a Head of Class write up followed by an oral examination.

6.3.3 Courses in Theoretical Physics

The Theoretical Physics Courses are challenging courses aimed at students who find mathematics relatively easy and who have a strong interest in the mathematical description of physical systems. The majority of students taking these courses will have taken Part IB Mathematics for NST, but the Mathematical Methods course offered as part of Physics A and B in Part IB provides nearly all of the necessary background. Usually the mark dis-tributions for these courses have a tail of low marks obtained by students who would probably have scored higher marks if they had done ex-perimental work.

Theoretical Physics Course TP1 is taken in the Michaelmas Term and students take a written test paper at the start of the Lent Term. The results will be made available to guide your choice of fur-ther work for the Lent term. A second Theoretical Course, TP2, is taken in the Lent Term and tested at the start of the Easter Term. TP1 and TP2 each count for one unit of Further Work. As well as lectures, four examples classes are given in each of TP1 and TP2. Detailed synopses are given on p.63.

Part II Physics 44

Part II Physics Core and Options Schemes

Lectures Course Half Subject PHYSICS

Michaelmas Term Core courses

18 Thermal and Statistical Physics

24 Relativity choose

24 Advanced Quantum Physics 2

16 Optics and Electrodynamics

Lent/Easter Terms Option Courses

8 Computational Physics FW (0.2 units)

24 Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics

22 Particle and Nuclear Physics choose choose

22 Quantum Condensed Matter 1 3 or 4

22 Soft Condensed Matter

Further Work (FW), (1 unit ≈ 1.5hrs examination) FW units

Research Review 1 †

Physics Education (limited numbers) 1

Computational project 1 choose choose

Experiment E1 & E2 1 each 2 3 or more

Theory TP1 & TP2 1 each

Long Vacation project (approval required) 1

FW units 2 3+

Exam Units 3 7+

Notes: % FW 40% 30%

Papers: 2hrs for each course (≡ 4 Units FW) † Half Subject Physics students choose a Research Review as the topic for their dissertation in Part II Physical Sciences.

Part II Physics 45

6.3.4 Research Review

A Research Review is equivalent to one unit of Further Work, and consists of a review (of 3000 words max.) on some area of physics, approved in advance. Such a review must have a Supervisor. In about the sixth week of the Lent Term supervi-sors will organise a meeting at which students will have the chance to present their interim work to other students working on reviews in similar ar-eas and their supervisors. As well as providing a chance to obtain feedback this should ultimately raise the standard of the submitted work. You re-ceive 5% of the available marks for the Research Review for giving the presentation (irrespective of its quality). Research Reviews are assessed by two staff members with a short oral examination early in the Easter Term. This examination will usually begin with a short oral presentation.

Further details are given on p.69.

6.3.5 Long-Vacation Work

Scientific work during the Long Vacation prior to your third year can count as project work worth one unit of Further Work. The full details can be obtained from Dr Padman ([email protected], As-trophysics Group), but you must get your pro-posal approved in advance, before the end of the preceding Easter Term. Forms are available from the Teaching Office. You will be required to name in advance a suitably qualified on-site supervisor who is willing to write retrospectively to Dr Pad-man describing the work you have done and giv-ing an assessment of your effectiveness. Normally the programme must be of at least two months duration and must include a substantial element of independent or original work. It is important that the project includes a significant amount of physics and is not, for example, simply a series of routine measurements or entirely devoted to computer programming.

Vacation projects within the University may be of-fered through the Undergraduate Research Op-portunities Programme (UROP). See http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/UROPS/urop.php for details. Some of these projects may be suitable as assessed Long-Vacation Work. The teaching web pages http://www teach.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/vacWork.php might offer some useful suggestions.

6.3.6 Physics Education

The Physics Education course counts as one unit of further work. It offers the possibility of devel-oping and presenting teaching material in a sec-ondary school. It develops a wide range of transferable skills and provides a real opportunity to explore the possibility of a career in teaching.

Details of the nature and scope of this course are given at length in the course synopsis on page 71 below. Numbers are restricted and students wish-ing to take part must attend the introductory ses-sion between 2-5pm on Thursday 10th October 2013.

6.4 SUPERVISIONS AND EXAM-PLES CLASSES

Supervision for Part II is organised by the De-partment on behalf of the Colleges. During the Michaelmas term Physics students are supervised in all four core lecture courses, and Half Subject Physics students in two. Supervisions for these courses will be allocated automatically according to the option for which you are registered.

In the Lent term students choose their supervi-sions according to their choice of subjects for ex-amination. The sign-up procedure is web-based, and you will be notified by email in plenty of time. We ask you to sign up by 2.00 pm on the last Fri-day of Michaelmas Full Term, so that arrange-ments can be made during the Christmas vacation. Obviously this does not allow you to sample the courses: if you subsequently decide that you wish to change options, then please visit or email the Teaching Office to request a change of supervisor.

The number of supervisions for each course is summarised in the table overleaf.

Supervision will normally be in groups of three, although you may occasionally find yourself in a two or a four, to allow supervisors to accommo-date odd numbers or students who are wildly mismatched in their ability in a particular subject. You must be prepared to work much more independently than at Part I. Difficulties that arise in lectures are often more conveniently dis-cussed with the lecturers themselves at the end of lectures, or by arrangement at other times

You must take responsibility for ensuring that the supervisions go as far as possible in meeting your needs. Supervisors are usually willing within rea-sonable limits to be flexible about the detailed ar-rangements. You should expect to be asked to hand in work for each supervision, in time for your supervisor to look through the work and identify any potential problems. However, the quantity and complexity of the work at this level means that supervisors may be unable to provide the detailed personal marking that you experi-enced in Parts IA and IB

Supervisors may range from established lecturers with long teaching experience to relatively inexpe-rienced graduate students. New supervisors are expected to seek advice on supervising, to attend the courses provided by the University, and to

Part II Physics 46

commit to the necessary preparation for each su-pervision. However, experience is the only real teacher, and inevitably some supervisors will be more confident than others, particularly at an-swering subtle and unexpected questions.

SUPERVISIONS IN PART II (2013-14)

Half Subject

PHYSICS

MICHAELMAS Thermal and Statistical 4 Electrodynamics & Light Choose 2 4 Relativity 4 Adv. Quantum Physics 4 SUBTOTAL 8 16 LENT Astrophysics Particle & Nuclear Phys-ics

choose 1 4 in each of 3 chosen

Quantum Condensed Matter

subject subjects

Soft Condensed Matter SUBTOTAL 4 12 TOTAL 12 28

Without an influx of new supervisors the system will rapidly decay, so please be understanding. If you do have problems with your supervisor that cannot be solved by direct two-way discussion, please contact your Director of Studies in the first instance. If he or she feels that intervention is warranted, s/he should contact the Supervisions coordinator (currently Dr Rachael Padman).

6.5 NON-EXAMINED WORK

There is a non-examinable course of 24 lectures in the Michaelmas term on Topics in Astrophysics. These lectures should be interesting for all stu-dents and are intended to provide valuable back-ground for those who are interested in pursuing Astrophysical courses in Part III

There is a non-examinable course of 8 lectures in the Lent term on Concepts in Physics, intended to place in perspective some major themes of phys-ics, to sketch connections between them and to investigate unresolved questions. Attendance is strongly encouraged for all students.

Open Days (open to Part II and Part III students) will be held during the year and are intended to give an idea of the range of current research in the laboratory. Dates are given on-line and posted on the Part II and Part III notice boards.

Undergraduates are encouraged to attend the Cavendish Physical Society lectures, at 4.00 pm

on some Wednesdays. Part II students are also welcome at the many Research Seminars and other lectures in the Department, particularly those organised by the Cambridge Physics Centre. These are advertised on notice boards, and on the Cavendish groups’ web pages.

6.6 THE EXAMINATION


Specific information about the examination is given in notices put up on the Part II notice board outside the Pippard Lecture Theatre. You should make sure that you read these regularly.

6.6.2 The Written Papers for Part II

The exact content of each Paper is a matter for the relevant Examiners. Each of the core and op-tional lecture courses is examined in a separate two hour paper.

6.6.3 Requirements

The written examinations consist of the core lec-ture course papers, plus three or four of the op-tion lecture course papers. In addition to the computing exercises, three or more other units of Further Work must be offered and may be drawn from the various choices described in Section 6.3 (see the Table on p.44).

6.6.4 Examination Entries

You are required to make a preliminary indication of which papers you intend to offer when you fill in your exam entry on CamSIS at the start of Michaelmas term. You will then be required to specify which final combination of papers you in-tend to offer by modifying the exam entry during Lent term, in liaison with your College Tutorial Office. Any questions on completing the exam en-try should be discussed with your Director of Studies.

6.6.5 Submission of Further Work

When any piece of Further Work is submitted it should be in a complete and final form.

Students are permitted to submit more than the minimum number of units of Further Work. Once a piece of Further Work has been submitted, it will be marked: the best marks for the required minimum number of units will count towards the class, but all marks will appear in the markbook, and on the transcript.

TP1 and TP2 are assessed by written tests during the year. Once you have entered the room for the TP1 or TP2 test the unit of Further Work will count towards the final total.

Part II Physics 47

In accordance with the University’s regulations, work submitted after the advertised deadline will not count towards your final examination mark, unless the Department grants an extension of time on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. Any application for such an ex-tension should be made by your college Tutor or Director of Studies to the Director of Under-graduate Teaching, c/o Teaching Office, Caven-dish Laboratory, ([email protected]). In such circumstances, you should submit the work as soon as possible after the deadline.

The Regulations require that assessed Records of Further Work be submitted to the Examiners through the Head of the Department; this hap-pens automatically after assessment.

There is a list of important dates at the end of this section.

6.7 HALF SUBJECT PHYSICS

Half Subject Physics is part of Natural Sciences Part II Physical Sciences. It comprises about half of the work load of Part II Physics, and may be

combined with a subject from Part IB not previ-ously taken.

Candidates offer

i) Two of the core lecture course papers.

ii) One of the option lecture course papers.

iii) Computing exercises and two units of Further Work (not including a Research Review).

In addition, Physical Sciences students must offer a dissertation on a topic consistent with their Half Subject. For Half Subject Physics this dissertation will be on a topic from those offered for Research Reviews, but with a word limit of 5000 (rather than 3000 for a Research Review.

You will be required to specify which combination of papers you intend to offer by the third week of the Lent Term.

Vacation work may be arranged as described in Section 6.3.6, and, if approved as there detailed, may be counted as one unit of Further Work.

The arrangements for submitting Further Work are the same as those for Part II Physics candi-dates.

Part II Physics 48


Note: This list is not exhaustive, and may be superseded by announcements on the TIS. In par-ticular please note that those student wishing to progress to Part III will need to make their choice of Part III project in Lent term 2014. Further details will be an-nounced on the TIS. Tuesday 8th October 2013 Start of Michaelmas full term Wednesday 9th October 2013 9.30 General Registration (Pippard Lecture Theatre,

Cavendish Laboratory) Monday 14th October 2013 14.00 Briefing for E1a, in relevant laboratory Monday 14th October 2013 16.00 Vacation work report deadline Monday 14th October 2013 14.00 First TP1 lecture Wedn 16th October 2013 14.00 First TP1 examples class Friday 25th October 2013 17.00 E1a laboratories close Monday 28th October 2013 14.00 Briefing for E1b, in the relevant laboratory Wed 30th October 2013 16.00 E1a report deadline Friday 1st November 2013 Research review topics preliminary selection deadline Friday 8th November 2013 17.00 E1b laboratories close Monday 11th November 2013 14.00 Briefing for E1c, in the relevant laboratory Wed 13th November 2013 16.00 E1b report deadline Monday 18th November 2013 14.00 Last TP1 lecture Friday 22nd November 2013 17.00 E1c laboratories close Wed 27th November 2013 16.00 E1c report deadline Wed 27th November 2013 14.00 Last TP1 examples class Friday 6th December 2013 End of Michaelmas full term Tuesday 14th January 2014 Start of Lent full term Wed 15th January 2014 TP1 examination Thursday 16th January 2014 12.00 First TP2 lecture

Monday 20th January 2014 14.00 Briefing for E2a, in relevant laboratory Tuesday 28th January 2014 14.00 First TP2 examples class Friday 31st January 2014 17.00 E2a laboratories close Monday 3rd February 2014 14.00 Briefing for E2b, in the relevant laboratory Wed 5th February 2014 16.00 E2a report deadline Friday 14th February 2014 17.00 E2b laboratories close Monday 17th February 2014 14.00 Briefing for E2c, in the relevant laboratory Wed 19th February 2014 16.00 E2b report deadline Thursday- Wed

20th – 26th February 2014 Presentations of Research Reviews (will be organised by your supervisor)

Friday 28th February 2014 17.00 E2c laboratories close Wed 5th March 2014 16.00 E2c report deadline Tuesday 11th March 2014 14.00 Last TP2 examples class Friday 14th March 2014 End of Lent full term Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Start of Easter full term Wed 23rd April 2014 TP2 examination Monday 28th April 2014 16.00 Computing Report deadline Monday 28th April 2014 16.00 Research Review deadline Monday 28th April 2014 16.00 Physics Education deadline Tuesday- Monday

29th April - 12th May 2014

Oral examinations on Research Reviews (will be organised by your supervisor)

Friday 6th June 2014 Deadline for obtaining approval for Part II students to do Long-Vacation Work for sub-mission as part of Part III

Friday 13th June 2014 End of Easter full term

Part II Physics 49

6.9 LECTURE LIST

PART II PHYSICS

PHYSICAL SCIENCES: HALF SUBJECT PHYSICS

Departmental Contact: Helen Marshall: E-mail: [email protected]

Course Website: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/

Students taking Part II Physics must take all four Core courses in the Michaelmas Term, three or more of the Options courses in the Lent and Easter Terms, and Computational Physics. They must in addition take three or more courses from Physics Education, Theoretical Op-tions and Other Further Work. There is a test (under exam conditions) of the material of the Theoretical Options at the start of the term following that in which each block, TP1 and TP2, is given. All students are recommended to attend the Non-examinable courses Concepts in Physics and Current Research Work in the Cavendish Laboratory. Students taking Half Subject Physics as part of Part II Physical Sciences will take any two of the Core courses in the Michaelmas term and any one of the Options courses in the Lent and Easter terms. Candidates also take two units of further work selected from Theoretical Op-tions, Physics Education and Experiments or Long Vacation Project. A prior knowledge of Physics equivalent to the material covered in Part IB Physics A and Part IB Physics B will be as-sumed. The course will begin with a meeting on the first Wednesday of Full Term (9 Oct.) at 9.30 a.m. in the Pip-pard Lecture Theatre. For the up-to-date lecture list please go to: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php

Part II Physics 50

ADVANCED QUANTUM PHYSICS

N R Cooper

Review of Quantum Physics: Postulates of quantum mechanics, operator methods, time-dependence, symmetry. Solutions to the Schrödinger equation in one dimension. Angular mo-mentum and spin; matrix representations.

Motion of charged particle in electromagnetic field: normal Zeeman effect; diamagnetic hydrogen; gauge invariance; Aharonov-Bohm effect; Landau levels.

Approximate Methods: Time-independent perturbation theory, first and second order expan-sion; Degenerate perturbation theory; Stark effect; nearly free electron model. Variational method: ground state energy and eigenfunctions; excited states. The WKB method: bound states and barrier penetration.

Identical particles: Particle indistinguishability and quantum statistics; free particle sys-tems;effects of interactions.

Atomic and molecular structure: Revision of Hydrogen Atom. Fine structure: relativistic corrections; Spin-orbit coupling; hyperfine structure. Multi-electron atoms: LS coupling; Hund’s rules; Zeeman effect. Born-Oppenheimer approximation; H2+ ion; molecular orbitals; H2 mole-cule; ionic and covalent bonding.

Time-dependent perturbation theory: Two-level system, Rabi oscillations, Magnetic reso-nance. Perturbation series, Fermi’s Golden rule, scattering and the Born approximation. Radia-tive transitions, dipole approximation, spontaneous emission and absorption, stimulated emission, Einstein’s A and B coefficients, selection rules; Cavity rate equations and lasers.

Elements of quantum field theory: Quantization of the classical atomic chain; phonons; rules of field quantization and quantum electrodynamics; number states, coherent states, non-classical light.

BOOKS

Quantum Physics, Gasiorowicz S (2nd edition Wiley, 1996; 3rd edn Wiley, 2003) Quantum Mechanics, Non-relativistic theory vol. 3, Landau, L D and Lifshitz L M, (3rd edition Butterworth-Heineman, 1981) Quantum Mechanics, F. Schwabl (Springer, 4th edition, 2007) Quantum Mechanics, Bransden B H and Joachain C J (2nd edition Pearson, 2000) The Physics of Atoms and Quanta, Haken H and Wolf H C (6th edition Springer, 2000) The Principles of Quantum Mechanics Shankar R (2nd edition Springer, 1994) Problems in Quantum Mechanics, Squires G L (CUP 1995)

Part II Physics 51

OPTICS AND ELECTRODYNAMICS

H Sirringhaus

Note that the later parts of this course depends on material from the Part II “Relativity” course, which runs in parallel with this in the Michaelmas Term. Electromagnetic Waves and Optics: Revision of Maxwell’s equations. Light as an EM wave. Polarization and partial polarization. Light in media; anisotropic media; polarizers and wave-plates; optical activity; Faraday rotation. Jones matrices. Layered media; photonic structures. Temporal and spatial coherence. Electrodynamics: Vector potential A. Calculation of A in simple cases; Aharonov-Bohm ef-fect; Maxwell’s equations in terms of A and ; choice of gauge. Wave equations for A and ; and general solution; retarded potentials. Radiation: Time-varying fields and radiation. Hertzian dipole; power radiated including angu-lar distribution; magnetic dipoles. Properties of antennas: effective area; radiation resistance; power-pattern. Half-wave dipole. Antenna arrays. Scattering: cross-section; Thomson and Rayleigh scattering; denser media and the structure factor. Relativistic Electrodynamics: Charges and currents; 4-current; 4-potential; transformation of E and B; covariance of Maxwell’s equations; invariants of the EM field; energy and momentum of the EM field; magnetism as a relativistic effect. Radiation and relativistic electrodynamics: fields of a uniformly moving charge; Čerenkov radiation; accelerated charges; Larmor and Liénard formulæ; cyclotron and synchrotron radia-tion; Bremsstrahlung.

BOOKS

Optics, Hecht E (4th edn Addison Wesley 2002) Optical Physics, Lipson S G, Lipson H & Tannhauser D S (3rd edn CUP1995) Electromagnetic Fields and Waves, Lorrain P & Corson D R (3rd edn Freeman 1998) Classical Electrodynamics, Jackson J D (3rd edn Wiley 1998)

Part II Physics 52

RELATIVITY

M P Hobson

Foundations of special relativity: Inertial frames, spacetime geometry, Lorentz transfor-mations, spacetime diagrams, length contraction and time dilation, Minkowski line element, par-ticle worldlines and proper time, Doppler effect, addition of velocities, acceleration and event horizons in special relativity. Manifolds, coordinates and tensors: Concept of a manifold, curves and surfaces, coordinate transformations, Riemannian geometry, instrinsic and extrinsic geometry, the metric tensor, lengths areas and volumes, local Cartesian coordinates, tangent spaces, pseudo-Riemannian ge-ometry, scalar, vector and tensor fields, basis vectors, raised and lowered indices, tangent vectors, the affine connection, covariant differentiation, intrinsic derivative, parallel transport, geodesics. Minkowski spacetime and particle dynamics: Cartesian inertial coordinates, Lorentz trans-formations, 4-tensors and inertial bases, 4-vectors and the lightcone, 4-velocity, 4-acceleration, 4-momentum of massive and massless particles, relativistic mechanics, accelerating observers, arbitrary coordinate systems. Electromagnetism: the electromagnetic force, the 4-current density, the electromagnetic field equations, the electromagnetic field tensor, the Lorentz gauge, electric and magnetic fields, invar-iants, electromagnetism in arbitrary coordinates. The equivalence principle and spacetime curvature: Newtonian gravity, the equivalence principle, gravity as spacetime curvature, local inertial coordinates, observers in a curved spacetime, weak gravitational fields, intrinsic curvature, the curvature tensor, the Ricci tensor, parallel transport, geodesic deviation, tidal forces, minimal coupling procedure. Gravitational field equations: the energy-momentum tensor, perfect fluids, relativistic fluid dynamics, the Einstein equations, the weak field limit, the cosmological constant, particle motion from the field equations. Schwarzschild spacetime: static isotropic metrics, solution of empty-space field equations, Birkhoff’s theorem, gravitational redshift, trajectories of massive particles and photons. Singulari-ties, radially infalling particles, event horizons, Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates, gravitational collapse, tidal forces, Hawking radiation. Experimental tests of general relativity: precession of planetary orbits, the bending of light, radar echoes, accretion discs around compact objects, gyroscope precession. Friedmann-Robertson-Walker spacetime: the cosmological principle, comoving coordi-nates, the maximally-symmetric 3-space, the FRW metric, geodesics, cosmological redshift, the cosmological field equations. Kerr spacetime: the general stationary axisymmetric metric, the dragging of inertial frames, stationary limit surfaces, event horizons, the Kerr metric, structure of a rotating black hole, tra-jectories of massive particles and photons, Penrose process. Linearised gravity and gravitational waves: weak field metric, linearised field equa-tions, Lorenz gauge, wave solutions of linearised field equations. Topics in italics are non-examinable, and might be omitted.

Part II Physics 53

BOOKS

General relativity: an introduction for physicists, Hobson M P, Efstathiou G P & Lasenby A N (CUP 2005). This covers all parts of the course. Relativity: special, general and cosmological, Rindler W (OUP 2001). Good for the concepts and methods. Provides a lot of physical and geometrical insight. Introducing Einstein's Relativity, d'Inverno R (OUP 1992). Provides a clear description covering most of the gravitation course material. Gravity: an introduction to Einstein’s general relativity, Hartle J B (Addison Wesley 2003). A clear introduction that does not rely too much on tensor methods. Spacetime and geometry, Carroll S M (Addison Wesley 2004). A very thorough, yet highly read-able, introduction to general relativity and the associated mathematics General theory of relativity, Dirac P A M (yes, that Dirac…!) (Princeton University Press 1996). A short and well-argued account of the mathematical and physical basis of general relativity. Proba-bly only useful once you already understand the subject.

Part II Physics 54

THERMAL AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS

W A Allison

Introduction and revision of Thermodynamics: The ideal gas; the van der Waals gas; equations of state; phase diagrams. Thermodynamic vari-ables and potentials. Thermodynamic equilibrium in closed systems, maximum entropy; open systems and availability – relation to thermodynamic potentials and to the probability of a state Fundamentals of statistical mechanics: Principle of equal equilibrium probability; microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical ensem-bles; partition function and grand partition function – relation to thermodynamic potentials and variables; maximisation of partition function. Paramagnetic salt in an external field; ensemble of simple harmonic oscillators. Classical ideal gas: Counting of states in the phase space; equipartition theorem; indistinguishability; ideal gas in the canonical ensemble; additional degrees of freedom and external potentials; chemical reactions and chemical equilibrium. Grand partition function; density series expansion; p-T ensemble; -p-T ensemble; ideal gas in the grand canonical ensemble Quantum statistical mechanics: Quantum to classical crossover; Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics; quantum states of an ideal gas. The ideal Fermi gas; low-temperature limit; entropy and heat capacity of fermions of at low temperatures. The ideal Bose gas; Bose-Einstein condensation. Black-body radiation, pho-nons and spin waves Classical interacting systems: Liquids; radial distribution function; internal energy and equation of state; pair interaction and virial expansion; van der Waals equation of state revisited. Mixtures and mixing entropy; phase separation; phase diagrams and critical points. Phase transformations; symmetry breaking and order parameters; the Ising model; the Landau theory of phase transitions; 1st and 2nd order transitions, critical points and triple points; transitions in external fields; critical behaviour and universality Fluctuations and stochastic processes: Fluctuations in thermodynamic variables; probability distribution of fluctuations; fluctuations at critical points. Thermal noise; Brownian motion; stochastic variables and Langevin equation; fluc-tuation-dissipation theorem. Probability distribution and simple diffusion; diffusion in external potentials; the Kramers problem; generalised diffusion equations

BOOKS

Equilibrium Thermodynamics, Adkins (3rd edn CUP 1983). Concepts in Thermal Physics, Blundell and Blundell (Oxford 2006) Introductory Statistical Mechanics, Bowley & Sanchez (Oxford 1996). Statistical Physics (Course of Theoretical Physics, v.5), Landau & Lifshitz (Pergamon 1980) Brownian Motion, Mazo (Oxford 2002)

Part II Physics – Options Courses 55

ASTROPHYSICAL FLUID DYNAMICS

D Sijacki

Fluids are ubiquitous in the Universe on all scales. As well as obvious fluids (e.g. the gas that is in stars or clouds in the interstellar medium) a variety of other systems are amenable to a fluid dy-namical description - including the dust that makes up the rings of Saturn and even the orbits of stars in the galactic potential. Although some of the techniques of conventional (terrestrial) fluid dynamics are relevant to astrophysical fluids, there are some important differences: astronomical objects are often self-gravitating or else may be accelerated by powerful gravitational fields to highly supersonic velocities. In the latter case, the flows are highly compressible and strong shock fronts are often observed (for example, the spiral shocks that are so prominent in the gas of galax-ies like the Milky Way). In this course, we consider a wide range of topical issues in astronomy, such as the propagation of supernova shock waves through the interstellar medium, the internal structure of stars and the variety of instabilities that affect interstellar/intergalactic gas. These include, perhaps most im-portantly, the Jeans instability whose action is responsible for the formation of every star and gal-axy in the Universe. We also deal with exotic astronomical environments, such as white dwarfs and neutron stars (supported by electron and neutron degeneracy pressure respectively) as well as the orbiting discs of gas and dust which feed black holes. On completion of the module students should:

understand and learn to manipulate fluid dynamical equations in both Eulerian and Lagrangian form;

be able to set up and solve simple hydrostatic equilibrium situations in spherical and disc geometries;

be able to perform simple linear stability analyses and apply to wave propagation in hydrodynamical and magnetohydrodynamical systems;

apply Bernoulli's theorem to astrophysical applications; understand the concept of shocks and their application to astrophysical blast waves; understand the role of viscosity in accretion discs.

Introduction. The concept of a fluid, density and velocity. Kinematics: steady and unsteady flows, streamlines and particle paths; conservation of mass. Derivative following the fluid motion.

Dynamics. Pressure. (Inviscid) momentum equation for a fluid under gravity, application to force of jet on a wall, momentum equation in conservative form, role of ρuiuk, Poisson's equation for the gravitational potential and its derivation. The Virial Theorem.

Simple steady states. Simple (barotropic) relation between pressure and density, physical ex-amples. Hydrostatic atmosphere under uniform gravity; self-gravitating isothermal slab and its relevance to galactic discs; self-gravitating polytropes as simple models of stars, mass-radius rela-tion.

Energy. (entropy) equation with simple cooling law.

Sound waves. Sound speed (adiabatic and isothermal). Description of why shocks occur. Rankine-Hugoniot conditions. 1-D shock tube, application to blast waves and supernova rem-nants.

Bernoulli's equation and its applicability. De Laval nozzle and its relevance to astrophysical jets, Bondi accretion, stellar winds and mass loss.


Fluid instabilities. Rayleigh-Taylor instability, Schwarzschild criterion; Thermal instability, Field criterion; statement of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, Jeans instability.

Viscous flows. Linear and circular shear flows. Accretion discs.

Magnetohydrodynamics. The ideal MHD equations ( E +v^B = 0). Alfven waves.

BOOKS

Elementary Fluid Dynamics, Acheson, D (Oxford University Press 1994) An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics, Batchelor, G K (CUP 1991) Principles of Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, Clarke, C J & Carswell, R F (CUP 2007) Hydrodynamics, Lamb, H (CUP 6th edn 1932, reprinted 1993) Fluid Mechanics, Landau & Lifshitz, (Pergamon Press 1987) An informal introduction to theoretical Fluid Mechanics Lighthill, M J (Oxford University Press 1993)


PARTICLE AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS

D R Ward

This course assumes familiarity with many of the topics in the "Advanced Quantum Physics" course. At the end of the course, the students should be familiar with the following features of Nuclear Physics:

the structure of nuclei, and simple nuclear models such as the liquid drop model and the shell model;

techniques in scattering theory which are relevant in nuclear physics -- partial waves, Born approximation and compound nucleus formation;

the main types of nuclear decays, and with models for calculating these and the associated selection rules;

the key features of nuclear fission and fusion and their applications; and with the following aspects of Particle Physics:

how forces arise from virtual particle exchange (in outline only); the particle content and interactions of The Standard Model, together with an under-

standing of how to apply (spinless) Feynman Diagrams to make order-of-magnitude esti-mates for rates and signatures of allowed/disallowed Standard Model processes;

the types of evidence upon which the three key parts of The Standard Model (i.e. electro-magnetic, strong and weak), are founded;

how to determine which hadron decays would or would not be consistent with the quark content of the Standard Model, with parity violation/conservation, with energy-momentum conservation, etc.

INTRODUCTION

Matter and Forces: Matter and generations. Leptons, quarks, hadrons and nuclei. Forces and gauge bosons. NUCLEAR PHYSICS

Basic Nuclear Properties: Natural units. Stable nuclei. Binding energy. Nuclear mass (Semi-Empirical Mass Formula). Spin and parity. Reactions and cross-sections. Scattering in Quantum Mechanics. Form factors and nuclear size. Nuclear moments. Scattering and the Nuclear Force: General features. The deuteron. Nucleon-nucleon scatter-ing. Partial waves. Scattering Length. Resonances. Partial decay widths. Breit-Wigner cross-section. Nuclear Structure: Magic numbers, the Nuclear Shell Model and its predictions, excited states of nuclei (vibrations and rotations). Nuclear Decay: Particle decays. Radioactivity and dating. decay. decay, Fermi theory of decay. decay. Nuclear Fission and Fusion: Nuclear fission. Reactors. Nuclear fusion. Nucleosynthesis. So-lar Neutrinos.


PARTICLE PHYSICS

The Standard Model: Relativistic Kinematics (Four-vectors, invariant mass, colliders and s). Summary of the Standard Model of particle physics. Theoretical framework. Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations. Antimatter. Interaction via particle exchange. Yukawa potential. Virtual parti-cles. Feynman diagrams. Electromagnetic Interaction: QED. Gauge invariance. Electromagnetic interaction vertices. Scattering in QED. Discovery of quarks. Drell-Yan process. Experimental tests of QED. Higher or-ders and running of .

Strong interaction: QCD. Strong interaction vertices. Gluons, colour and self-interactions, col-our factors. QCD potential, confinement and jets. Jets. Running of the strong coupling. Scattering in QCD. Experimental evidence for gluons, colour, self-interactions and the running of s.

Quark Model of Hadrons: Hadron wavefunctions and parity. Light quark mesons and masses. Baryons, baryon masses and magnetic moments. Hadron decays. Discovery of the J/. Charmo-nium. Charmed Hadrons. Discovery of the . Bottomonium and bottom hadrons.

Weak Interaction: Bosons and self-interactions. Weak charged current (W boson). Parity vio-lation. Weak charged current lepton vertices. and decay. Lepton universality. Weak charged current interactions of quarks. Cabibbo suppression and the CKM matrix. Weak charged current quark vertices Electroweak Unification: Neutral currents (Z0 boson). Electroweak Unification and the Glashow-Weinberg-Salam Model. Weak neutral current vertices and couplings. Summary of Standard Model vertices and drawing Feynman diagrams. Precision tests of the Standard Model at the Large Electron Positron collider (LEP). The top quark. The Higgs mechanism and the Higgs boson. The Standard Model and Beyond: Incompleteness of the Standard Model. Neutrino oscilla-tions. Beyond the Standard Model - supersymmetry.

BOOKS

Particle physics books (Perkins is closest to the course; Thomson or Griffiths are good if you want to go beyond): Introduction to High Energy Physics, Perkins D H (4th edn CUP 2000). Particle Physics, Martin B R & Shaw G (3rd edn Wiley 2008). Introduction to Elementary Particles, Griffiths D J (2nd edn Wiley 2009). Modern Particle Physics, Thomson, M A (CUP 2013) Nuclear physics books (Krane is closest to the course): Introductory Nuclear Physics, Krane K S (Wiley 1988). Basic Ideas and Concepts in Nuclear Physics, Heyde K (3rd edn CRC Press 2004). Fundamentals of Nuclear Physics, Jelley N (CUP 1990). Introductory books that cover the whole course, (at a lower level generally): Nuclear and Particle Physics, Martin B R (2nd edn Wiley 2009). The Physics of Nuclei and Particles, Dunlap P A (Thomson Brooks/Cole 2003).


QUANTUM CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

F M Grosche

This course will focus on collective quantum phenomena in solids, namely how physical phenom-ena emerge from the interaction of large numbers of atoms. Electrons and phonons: The free Fermi gas. Elementary excitations. Heat capacity of insula-tors and metals. Semiclassical approach to electron transport in electric and magnetic fields. Screening and Thomas-Fermi theory. Plasma oscillations. Optical conductivity of metals. Structure and bonding in solids: The variety of condensed matter: ordered, partially ordered and disordered. Types of bonding. Description of periodic solids. Bonding and structure. X-ray diffraction and reciprocal space. Electrons in periodic solids: Bloch’s theorem, Brillouin zones, band structure. Crystal mo-mentum. Nearly localised electrons: tight binding method, 1D chain, polymers. Nearly free elec-trons: plane waves and band gaps. High magnetic field: quantum oscillations and quantum Hall effect. Band structures of real materials: insulators and metals, optical transitions, de Haas-van Alphen, photoemission, tunnelling spectroscopies. Semiconductors and semiconductor devices: Crystal structure and bandstructure. Effec-tive mass. Thermal equilibrium of quasiparticles in an intrinsic semiconductor. Doped semicon-ductors. pn junctions. Heterostructures and quantum wells. Devices: LED, solar cell, semiconductor lasers, field effect transistor. Instabilities: Charge density waves. Interactions in the electron gas. Condensates. The ‘standard model’ of condensed matter physics and how it may fail.

BOOKS

Band Theory and Electronic Properties of Solids, J. Singleton (OUP 2008) Solid State Physics, Ashcroft N W and Mermin N D, (Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1976) Introduction to Solid State Physics, Kittel C (7th edn Wiley 1996) Principles of the Theory of Solids, Ziman J M (CUP 1972)


SOFT CONDENSED MATTER

E M Terentjev

Introduction: What is soft matter? Forces, energies and timescales. Elements of fluid dynamics: Navier-Stokes equation; Reynolds number; Laminar and bound-ary layer flows; Stokes Law and drag; Hydrodynamic interaction between colloidal particles; Im-plications for living systems; How bacteria swim; Viscosity of a hard sphere suspension; Non-Newtonian behaviour; Idea of complex viscosity; Linear viscoelasticity; Simple phenomenological models. Surface energy and interactions: Surface energy and tension; Cahn-Hilliard model of a liquid interface; Wetting: Young’s equation and contact angles; hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity; Elec-trolyte solutions: Debye-Huckel theory; Interactions between colloidal particles, DLVO potential. Self assembly: Chemical potential of systems that aggregate; Aggregation equilibria; Aggrega-tion of amphiphilic molecules; Critical micelle concentration; Shape of micelles; Lipid bilayers; Nature of the cell membrane; Curvature elasticity; Fluctuations of membranes; Examples of self assembly: viruses and nanotechnology. Polymers and biological macromolecules: Examples of polymers; Single-chain statistics, self-avoiding walks; Entropic forces and excluded volume; Wormlike chain and persistence length, DNA; Phase transitions: Flory Huggins free energy for solutions; Good, theta and poor solvent conditions; Osmotic pressure in dilute conditions; Scaling in semi-dilute solutions; Chain dynamics in the Rouse model; Rubber elasticity.

BOOKS

Fluid Dynamics for Physicists, Faber T.E (CUP 1995) Soft Condensed Matter, Jones R.A.L. (OUP 2002) Biological Physics, Nelson P. (Freeman 2003) Molecular Driving Forces, Dill K.A. and Bromberg S., (Garland 2003)

ADVANCED TEXTS

Statistical Thermodynamics of Surfaces, Interfaces and Membranes, Safran S.A. (Addison Wesley 1994) Applied Biophysics, Waigh, T.A. (Wiley 2007) Physical Biology of the Cell, Phillips, R. Et al, (Garland 2009) Molecular Biophysics, Daune M. (OUP 1999)

Part II Physics – Computing Exercises 61

COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS

J S Richer and D F Buscher

Summary This compulsory course builds on the IB course ‘Introduction to Computing’, and aims to develop further the computational physics skills acquired in that course. It consists of eight lectures in the first four weeks of Lent term, and four 3-hour practical classes in the MCS (formally PWF) during weeks 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Lent term. In the lectures, various computational tech-niques used in physics will be presented, as well as general advice on programming and creating good quality software. In the practical classes, students will solve a series of computational phys-ics problems. As in the IB course, programs will be written in C++ running under a LINUX envi-ronment. More sophisticated techniques and problems will be addressed, using external numerical libraries to handle some of the detailed computations. The focus is on self-learning, and learning by doing: the lectures are important, but it is only in the practical classes that real skills are developed. Demonstrators will be on hand in the MCS (formally PWF) to assist with prob-lems. This course also covers the material required for students planning to offer an (optional) Comput-ing Project (see separate page for full description). Assessment The credit for this course is approximately equal to one fifth of a unit of further work. During each of the practical sessions, a computational physics problem is to be solved by writing, running and testing a piece of software. When complete and tested, students will upload their solutions for checking to a dedicated file space for marking. The expectation is that students will gain high marks if they complete the exercises satisfactorily. Syllabus The computational physics topics covered will include Representation of numbers; roundoff error. Solution of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs): Euler and Runge-Kutta schemes; accuracy and stability. Dealing with data: interpolation, extrapolation; Fourier Transform techniques, including the FFT; fitting models to data. Pseudo Random Numbers; Monte-Carlo techniques; Ising model. Linear algebra

Part II Physics – Further Work 62

COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS PROJECT

J S Richer and D F Buscher

A Computational Physics Project constitutes one unit of further work and may be offered, option-ally, by all Part II Physics students. There are no lectures or practical classes, but the compulsory course in Computational Physics provides the essential background for this work. Students chose one of a range of problems to investigate independently, using MCS (formally PWF) facilities or other equivalent facilities if they prefer. They will analyse the problem, write and test computer program to investigate and solve it, then write up their work in a report. It is required that the programs will be written in C++ running under LINUX, as in the IB course. However, if a student wishes to use other supporting languages (e.g. Java, or a scripting language like Python), this may be acceptable given prior consent from the Head of Class. Students may start their project work at any time in the Lent term. The deadline for submission of the project report is 4:00pm on the first Monday of Easter term (28th April 2014). One copy of the report should be handed in to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Build-ing) in person before the submission deadline. In order to preserve anonymity when your report is looked at by the Part II examiners, your name must not appear on the report itself, but only on the cover sheet which you will be given when you hand it in. You should ensure that your candidate number appears on the first page of the report, together with the title of the report. In addition, you should also upload, by the same deadline, your report in PDF format to the electronic course pigeon holes on the Physics PWF, along with the source code, program ex-ecutable, and possibly other relevant files you have created for the project (e.g. Makefiles, large graphic files, videos, etc). The form of solution expected, and of the write up, will be described in more detail in the handout which contains the suggested projects. It will be marked by one of the Heads of Class, acting as Assessor for the Examiners. After the examination, you will receive a copy of the mark sheet, which will provide feedback on your performance. The marks allocated by the Head of Class are subject to moderation and scaling by the examiners, so the mark you receive may not match the final mark for this piece of work in the College Markbook. Candidates may be selected for viva voce examination after submission, as a matter of routine, and therefore a summons to a viva should not be taken to indicate that there is anything amiss. You will be asked some straightforward questions on your project work, and may be asked to elaborate on the extent of discussions you may have had with other students. So long as you can demonstrate that your write-ups are indeed your own, your answers will not alter your project grades.


THEORETICAL PHYSICS 1 - CLASSICAL FIELD THEORY (TP1)

C Castelnovo and M P Hobson

The course covers theoretical aspects of the classical dynamics of particles and fields, with empha-sis on topics relevant to the transition to quantum theory. This course is recommended only for students who have achieved a strong performance in Mathematics as well as Physics in Part IB, or an equivalent qualification. In particular, familiarity with variational principles, Euler-Lagrange equations, complex contour integration, Cauchy’s Theorem and transform methods will be as-sumed. Students who have not taken the Part IB Physics B course ‘Classical Dynamics’ should familiarise themselves with the ‘Introduction to Lagrangian Mechanics’ material. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics: Generalised coordinates and constraints; the La-grangian and Lagrange's equations of motion; symmetry and conservation laws, canonical mo-menta, the Hamiltonian; principle of least action; velocity-dependent potential for electromagnetic forces, gauge invariance; Hamiltonian mechanics and Hamilton's equations; Liouville's theorem; Poisson brackets and the transition to quantum mechanics; relativistic dy-namics of a charged particle. Classical fields: Waves in one dimension, Lagrangian density, canonical momentum and Ham-iltonian density; multidimensional space, relativistic scalar field, Klein-Gordon equation; natural units; relativistic phase space, Fourier analysis of fields; complex scalar field, multicomponent fields; the electromagnetic field, field-strength tensor, electromagnetic Lagrangian and Hamilto-nian density, Maxwell's equations. Symmetries and conservation laws: Noether's theorem, symmetries and conserved currents; global phase symmetry, conserved charge; gauge symmetry of electromagnetism; local phase and gauge symmetry; stress-energy tensor, angular momentum tensor; transition to quantum fields. Broken symmetry: Self-interacting scalar field; spontaneously broken global phase symmetry, Goldstone's theorem; spontaneously broken local phase and gauge symmetry, Higgs mechanism. Phase transitions and critical phenomena: Landau theory, first order vs. continuous phase transitions, correlation functions, scaling laws and universality in simple continuous field theo-ries. Propagators and causality: Schrödinger propagator, Fourier representation, causality; Kram-ers-Kronig relations for propagators and linear response functions; propagator for the Klein-Gordon equation, antiparticle interpretation.

BOOKS

The Feynman Lectures, Feynman R P et al. (Addison-Wesley 1963) Vol. 2. Perhaps read some at the start of TP1 and re-read at the end. Classical Mechanics, Kibble T W B and Berkshire F H (4th edn Longman 1996): A clear basic text with many examples and electromagnetism in SI units. Classical Mechanics, Goldstein H (2nd edn Addison-Wesley 1980): A classic text that does far more than is required for this course, but is clearly written and good for the parts that you need. Classical Theory of Gauge Fields, Rubakov V (Princeton 2002): The earlier parts are closest to this course, with much interesting more advanced material in later chapters. Course of Theoretical Physics, Landau L D & Lifshitz E M: Vol.1 Mechanics (3rd edn Oxford 1976-94) is all classical Lagrangian dynamics, in a structured, consistent and very brief form; Vol.2 Classical Theory of Fields (4th edn Oxford 1975) contains electromagnetic and gravitational theory, and relativity. Many interesting worked examples.


Quantum and Statistical Field Theory, Le Bellac M, (Clarendon Press 1992): An excellent book on quantum and statistical field theory, especially applications of QFT to phase transitions and criti-cal phenomena. The first few chapters are particularly relevant to this course.


THEORETICAL PHYSICS 2 - TOPICS IN QUANTUM THEORY (TP2)

A Lamacraft and M C Payne

The development of quantum theory during the 20th century leads to the introduction of com-pletely new concepts to physics. At the same time, physicists were forced - sometimes unwillingly - to adopt myriad new techniques and mathematical ideas. In this course, we'll survey some of these more advanced topics. This course is recommended only for students who have achieved a strong performance in Mathematics as well as Physics in Part IB, or an equivalent qualification. You should be VERY comfortable with the material from the Advanced Quantum Physics course. Some familiarity with Lagrangian mechanics (as discussed in TP1) is also useful but not essential. The adiabatic approximation and Berry’s phase: A spin in a field. The adiabatic approxi-mation. Berry’s phase. Introduction to path integrals: The propagator. How does the Lagrangian appear in quan-tum mechanics? The method of stationary phase and the semiclassical limit. Scattering Theory: Scattering in one dimension. Scattering amplitude and cross section. Opti-cal theorem. Green's function and relation to propagator. Born series and Born approximation. Partial wave analysis. Bound states. Density Operators: Two kinds of probability. The density matrix and its properties. Time de-pendence of the density operator. Applications in statistical mechanics. Identical Particles in Quantum Mechanics: Second quantisation for bosons and fermions. Density matrices for identical particles. Interference of condensates. Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect. Lie Groups: Rotation group, SO(3) and SU(2). How Pauli solved the Hydrogen atom without the Schrödinger equation. Relativistic Quantum Physics: Klein-Gordon equation. Lorentz group. Spinors and the Dirac equation.

BOOKS

Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Shanker R (2nd edn Springer 1994) Modern Quantum Mechanics, Sakurai J J (2nd edn Addison-Wesley 1994) Lectures on Quantum Mechanics, Baym G (Benjamin WA 1969) For mathematical background we’d heartily recommend Mike Stone and Paul Goldbart’s Mathe-matics for Physicists: A guided tour for graduate students (SUP, 2009). This contains a lot of advanced material as well as much of what you covered in IB Mathematics. A great resource for just about anything you may need to know about any of the functions we meet is the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions at http://dlmf.nist.gov.


PART II EXPERIMENTS

D A Ritchie

There are 12 separate experiments, with varying numbers of places. Not all experiments will run in all six sessions – availability will depend in part on demand, and partly on the effort required to run them. The experiments are listed below. ([..] = maximum numbers of places available) Waveguide [5] Dr Richard Saunders Part II Laboratory, Room 170 AP Waveguide propagation of a cm wavelength radio wave is investigated. Phase-Locked Loops [6] Dr Andrew Irvine Part II Laboratory, Room 173 ME Operation and optimisation of phase-locked loops is investigated, for frequency locking and for recovery of signals buried in noise. Optical Pumping of Rb [3] Dr Mete Atatüre Part II Laboratory, Room 168 AMOP The Zeeman effect in the ground state of the rubidium atom is studied, nuclear spins of 85Rb and 87Rb are obtained and multi-photon absorption and power broadening are investigated. Semiconductor Quantum Devices [6] Prof. David Ritchie Part II Laboratory, Room 167 SP The resonant tunnelling of electrons in semiconductors is investigated at both room temperature and 77K. Mobility [6] Prof. Henning Sirringhaus Part II Laboratory, Room 173 OE Propagation of carriers through a semiconductor is measured by a direct method. Ferro-fluids [6] T.B.A. Part II Laboratory, Room 173 BSS An investigation is made of instabilities and pattern formations at Ferro-fluid interfaces. Illuminance Fluctuation Spectroscopy [5] Dr Chris Edgcombe Part II Laboratory, Room 169 SMF The Boltzmann constant is obtained by studying the correlated fluctuations in scattering of laser light from polystyrene spheres dispersed in water. Josephson [5] Dr Mike Sutherland Part II Laboratory, Room 186 QM The ratio of e/h is measured by studying the I-V characteristic of a Josephson junction immersed in liquid helium. Particle Tracks [5] Dr Susan Haines Bragg, Room 178 HEP Properties of short-lived hyperons are measured by analysing photographs from a liquid hydrogen bubble chamber. Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy [4] Dr Andrew Jardine Part IB Laboratory, Room 152 SMF The growth kinetics of graphite oxidation pits are investigated on atomic length scales.


Pulsed NMR at 15 MHz [10] Dr Sarah Bohndiek Part II Laboratory Room 170 BSS This experiment investigates and demonstrates the principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Spin-echo methods are employed to study the characteristic NMR properties of a number of samples.

Submission of your report One copy of your report should be handed in to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Build-ing) in person before the submission deadline. In order to preserve anonymity when your report is looked at by the Part II examiners, your name must not appear on the report itself, but only on the cover sheet which you will be given when you hand it in. You should ensure that your candidate number, if known, appears on the first page of the report, together with the name of the experiment and the name of your Head of Class. Before the end of the relevant term, the report will be assessed by the Head of Class, who will then conduct a viva voce examination (typically 30 minutes long). The student will be asked to give a short verbal summary (typically 10 minutes), normally uninterrupted, of the report during the ex-amination. Students should expect to be contacted by the Head of Class shortly after the submis-sion of their report, to arrange the examination. These Head of Class will write a report to the Part II Examiners and will recommend a mark. These marks are not necessarily final and may be amended by the examiners, who will also look at the report and the Head of Class’s written assessments. After the viva, you will receive a copy of the mark sheet, which will provide feedback on your performance. The marks allocated by the Head of Class are subject to moderation and scaling by the examiners, so the mark you receive may not match the final mark for this piece of work in the College Mark-book. The following guidelines for allocation of marks to Part II experimental reports will be given to the Head of Class.

Understanding: (30%): of the physical system being measured, and of the experimental design.

The experiment (40%): how well the work was done, quality of results, discussion of er-rors.

Communications skills 1 - Report (20%): Was the report well written and clearly organ-ised, with clear and well balanced arguments, appropriate use of figures, tables and refer-ences.

Communications skills 2 - Viva (10%): Was the student able to summarise the work and respond coherently to questions?

After the viva, the Head of Class will send the report and recommended mark to the Teaching Of-fice. After publication of the Part II Class List, students may, if they wish, retrieve their report from the Teaching Office. If there are any queries concerning these arrangements, contact, Helen Marshall in the Teaching Office ([email protected]).


Contact details Staff member Telephone

(secretary) Room Group E-mail

Atatüre, Dr M 66465(66298) 982 AMOP [email protected] Bohndiek, Dr S T.B.A. T.B.A. BSS [email protected] Edgcombe, Dr C 37335 443 PCS [email protected] Haines, Dr S C 37231 959 HEP [email protected] Irvine, Dr A C 37555 M232 ME [email protected] Jardine, Dr A P 37279(37336) 417 PCS [email protected] Ritchie, Prof. D A 37331/37255 361 SP [email protected] Saunders, Dr R D E 37301 F09 AP [email protected] Sirringhaus, Prof. H 37557 M208 OE/ME [email protected] Sutherland, Dr M 37389 463 QM [email protected]


RESEARCH REVIEWS

F M Grosche

A research review is aimed at producing a descriptive and critical review of an area of physics of particular interest to the student. Its precise form may vary, and is to be agreed with the supervi-sor. The topic could range from a review of the very latest research in a particular area to, for ex-ample, a classic discovery of the twentieth century. In some cases the supervisor may indicate one or two articles which serve as an introduction; in other cases the student may need to search in computerised databases or citation indices to find relevant papers. The research review abstracts are available on the web: see (www.teach.phy.cam.ac.uk/pt2reviews/) for a direct link to the research review page). Stu-dents may also suggest reviews of their own, but they must have a supervisor (who may be exter-nal) and the review must be approved in advance. Students interested in a particular review should discuss it as soon as possible with the relevant supervisor. The list of reviews on the web will be continuously updated as new ones are added. By Friday 25th October 2013, students should select (via a form on the Web) the review topics they would like to do, in order of preference. A ballot will then be held in order to assign titles to students in a fair way, and students and supervisors informed of the outcome. Reviews can be started during the Michaelmas term or they may be deferred until the Lent term. It might be a good idea to start some reading over the Christmas vacation. It is important to re-member that the review counts for only about half a Tripos paper, so students should bear this in mind when deciding how much time to devote to it. During the preparation for the writing of the report, students will be asked to give a short talk presenting their preliminary work to a group of students writing research reviews in similar areas. It is expected that supervisors will organise these group sessions, which will consist of, say, four to eight students, in the last two or three weeks of the Lent term. Students will receive feedback on the content and presentation of their re-views from the supervisors present and from their fellow students. This form of presentation is aimed at developing communication and presentational skills. You will be awarded 5% of the available marks for the Research Review upon giving the presentation (irrespective of its quality). The Web of Science database (http://wos.mimas.ac.uk) may be used to find relevant papers. Stu-dents must first sign a form (available from the Rayleigh Library) unless they signed one last year. The write-up of the review will typically be in the style of a paper published in a scientific journal. The style of the review should be agreed with the supervisor. The review should describe and ex-plain the main features of the subject, suggesting in which direction the field is moving, and draw-ing some conclusions. The main text should be concise (3000 words maximum, including any appendices). In addition, there must be an abstract of not more than 250 words. The student and supervisor should discuss the general structure of the review before writing is started, but the su-pervisor should not read a full version of the text until it is submitted. A set of handy tips and in-formation is given in the booklet entitled Keeping Laboratory Notes and Writing Formal Reports, which is handed out to students at the start of the year - make sure you get one. The deadline for submission of the research review is 4:00 pm on the first Monday of Easter Full Term (28th April 2014). Two copies of the review should be handed in to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Building) in person before the submission deadline. In order to pre-serve anonymity when your review is looked at by the Part II examiners, your name must not appear on the review itself, but only on the cover sheet which you will be given when you hand it in. You should ensure that your candidate number appears on the first page of the research review, together with the title of the review and your supervisor’s name.


As soon as possible after submission, the review will be assessed by two people, normally the su-pervisor and another staff member, who will conduct an informal oral examination (typically 30 minutes long) of the student on the work. The student will be asked to give a short verbal sum-mary, normally uninterrupted, of the review during the interview. The assessor, who will be ap-pointed by the Teaching Committee, will generally not be a specialist in the field. Students should expect to be contacted by their supervisor shortly after handing their review in, to arrange the oral examination. These assessors will write a report to the Part II Examiners and will recommend a mark. These marks are not necessarily final and may be amended by the examiners, who also look at the re-views. After the viva, you will receive a copy of the mark sheet, which will provide feedback on your performance. The marks allocated by the assessors are subject to moderation and scaling by the examiners, so the mark you receive may not match the final mark for this piece of work in the College Markbook. The following guidelines for allocation of marks to Part II Research Reviews will be given to asses-sors. Each heading carries equal weight.

Scientific content: How much appropriate understanding of science (particularly phys-ics) was shown?

Quality of work: How carefully/accurately/successfully was the work planned and per-formed? Was an appropriate amount of relevant material included?

Communication skills: Report: was the report well written and clearly organised, with clear and well-balanced arguments, appropriate use of figures and tables, etc? Viva: was the student able to summarise the work and to respond coherently to questions?

After the oral examination, the assessors will send the report and recommended mark to Dr Malte Grosche, (Room 501, Mott Building) and will return the review to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Building). After publication of the Part II Class List, students may, if they wish, re-trieve one copy of their review from the Teaching Office. If there are any queries concerning these arrangements, contact Dr Malte Grosche, (Room 501, Mott Building, telephone 37392, e-mail: [email protected]).


PHYSICS EDUCATION

L Jardine-Wright

Physics Education represents one unit of Further Work. It is aimed at those students considering a career in Physics Education, and offers experience of developing and presenting teaching mate-rial at the secondary-school level. This course aims to provide practical experience for the devel-opment of a wide range of transferable skills including: planning and organisation; time-management; communication and negotiation. The course will typically be based on planning and preparing for, and successfully completing, a ½ day per week placement at a local school during the Lent Term, including developing and de-livering a Special Project, under the supervision of a teacher. The student and their Supervising Teacher will collaborate to identify the basis of the Special Project. The Special Project must sup-port physics education in the placement school and be approved by the Supervising Teacher. All those interested in undertaking this course must attend a Preliminary Meeting, which will be held at the Cavendish Laboratory between 2-5pm on Wednesday 9th October 2013, in the Bragg Committee Room (room 213) and pass a background check conducted by the Criminal Records Bureau. Access to places on this course is limited and candidates will be selected by inter-view and reference from their Director of Studies. Interviews will take place on Friday 11th Oc-tober 2013 in the Department Administrator’s office (room 207) and students will be asked to sign up for times at the preliminary meeting on the 9th. Interviews will be 15 minutes long and may require a short period to be missed from lectures on that day. Placements will be identified for each student by the end of November 2012. It will be the respon-sibility of the student to contact their Supervising Teacher to arrange an appropriate date and time to begin their placement, and to make appropriate arrangements to complete a placement to-talling 30 hours contact time. All placements must begin before the end of the first week of the Lent Term, and be completed before the end of Lent Term. Students must write a written report about their work. The written report should be concise (2000 words maximum, excluding any appendices) on some area of Physics Education, ap-proved in advance by the Head of Class. The student should discuss the general structure of the report with their Supervising Teacher, and the Head of Class, before writing is started, but the Head of Class should not read a full version of the text until it is submitted. During the prepara-tion for the writing of the report, students will be asked to give a short talk presenting their pre-liminary work to the Head of Class and a group of students writing similar reports. It is expected that the Head of Class will organise the group session in the last two or three weeks of the Lent term. Students will receive feedback on the content and presentation of their reports from those present. This form of presentation is aimed at developing communication and presentational skills. You will be awarded 5% of the available marks for the written report upon giving the pres-entation (irrespective of its quality). Assessment will be based on:

The candidate’s class presentation (5 %); A written assessment of performance from the Supervisory Teacher (5%) The candidate’s project delivery, written report and viva-voce examination with the Head

of Class and an Assessor (90 %). The written assessment of performance by the Supervisory Teacher is considered confidential to the Head of Class, and will therefore be sent directly to the Head of Class by the Supervising Teacher: it will not be seen by the student. The deadline for submission of the written report is 4:00pm on the first Monday of Easter Full Term (28th April 2014).


Two copies of the report should be handed in to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Building) in person before the submission deadline. In order to preserve anonymity when your report is looked at by the Part II examiners, your name must not appear on the report it-self, but only on the cover sheet which you will be given when you hand it in. You should ensure that your candidate number appears on the first page of the report, together with the title of the report, the name of the Head of Class, and the name of your Supervis-ing Teacher. As soon as possible after submission, the report will be assessed by two people, normally the Head of Class and another staff member, who will then conduct the viva voce examination (typically 30 minutes long) to be given by the student. The student will be asked to give a short verbal summary (typically 10 minutes), normally uninterrupted, of the report during the examination. The asses-sor, who will be appointed by the Teaching Committee, will generally not be a specialist in the field. Students should expect to be contacted by the Head of Class shortly after the submission of their report, to arrange the examination. These assessors will also be given a copy of the Supervis-ing Teacher’s written assessment. These assessors will write a report to the Part II Examiners and will recommend a mark. These marks are not necessarily final and may be amended by the examiners, who will also look at the reports and the Supervising Teachers’ written assessments. After the viva, you will receive a copy of the mark sheet, which will provide feedback on your performance. The marks allocated by the assessors are subject to moderation and scaling by the examiners, so the mark you receive may not match the final mark for this piece of work in the College Mark-book.

The following guidelines for allocation of marks to Part II Physics Education reports will be given to assessors.

Quality of work (60%): How carefully and accurately was the work planned and per-formed? Was an appropriate amount of relevant material included?

Communications skills 1 - Report (20%): Was the report well written and clearly organ-ised, with clear and well balanced arguments, appropriate use of figures, tables and refer-ences.

Communications skills 2 - Viva (10%): Was the student able to summarise the work and respond coherently to questions?

After the formal presentation, the assessors will send their report and recommended mark to the Head of Class and will return the student’s report to the Teaching Office. After publication of the Part II Class List, students may, if they wish, retrieve one copy of their report from the Teaching Office. If there are any queries concerning these arrangements, contact, Dr L Jardine-Wright (Room 212A, Bragg Building, telephone 33318, email [email protected]).

Part II Physics – Non-examinable courses 73

CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS

R Needs

This course is not examinable, but the material covered overlaps with and illustrates many aspects of the Part II syllabus. It aims to consolidate core physics and provide revision of a number of key topics from a somewhat different perspective to that presented in the core course. The aim is to provide additional background to a number of major themes of physics, to sketch the connections between them and to investigate unresolved questions. Attendance is strongly advised for all Part II students. The lectures are likely to cover at least some of the following: Scaling Laws in Physics and Elsewhere: Dimensional analysis and the Buckingham theo-rem, general pendulum, explosions, drag in fluids, flow past a sphere, Kolmogorov spectrum of turbulence, law of corresponding states. Chaos: Discovery of chaotic behaviour. Necessary conditions for chaos. Damped driven non-linear pendulum, phase space diagrams, Poincare sections, bifurcation diagrams, Lorenz attrac-tor. Logistic map, limit cycles, period doubling, Hyperion. More on non-linear behaviour: Self-organised criticality, examples of scaling laws, fractals, sand piles. Order, broken symmetry and phase transitions: the development of long-range order as a broken symmetry; why phase transitions are abrupt; scaling laws and critical phenomena. The Galileo Case: Ptolemy, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler and the Galilean revolution. The origins of experimental science, Galileo’s physics, what Galileo got right and what he got wrong. The trial of Galileo. Physics as a hypothetical-deductive system. Galilean relativity, the Newtonian revolution. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics: The nature of heat, caloric theories, real steam engines and the genius of Carnot, caloric as entropy, the statistical nature of the Second Law, the origin of irreversibility. Atoms get real - the kinetic theory: Tracing the history of atoms from Boyle to the 19th century. The Origin of Quantum Mechanics: The discovery of quanta. Classical derivation of the Stefan-Boltzmann law. Planck's (non)-statistical mechanics, how Einstein discovered photons. The Origin of Maxwell’s Equations: Origins of electromagnetism, Maxwell and analogy in physics, vortices and magnetic fields, a physical model for the aether, the origin of the displace-ment current, a paper which is ‘great guns’ - light as electromagnetic waves. Hertz and the proper-ties of electromagnetic waves. The discovery of the photoelectric effect. Relativity: The real story of the discovery of the Special Theory of Relativity, the difficult route to the General Theory, Mach’s principle, tests of General Relativity, unresolved issues Physics of the Cosmos: The technology of cosmology. Application of laboratory physics to the Universe on the largest scales: its successes, the origin of the Cosmic Microwave Background Ra-diation.

Part II Physics – Non-examinable courses 74

BOOKS The following books may be useful as background reading to help your understanding:

Theoretical Concepts in Physics, Longair M S (2nd edn 2003) The New Physics, Davies P C W (CUP 1989) The Galileo Affair, Finocchiaro M A (U Calif Press 1989) Inward Bound: Of Matter and Forces in the Physical World, Pais A (OUP 1986) Subtle is the Lord. The Science and Life of Albert Einstein, Pais A (OUP 1982) Scaling, Self-similarity, and Intermediate Asymptotics, Barenblatt G I (CUP 1996)

Does God Play Dice? Stewart I (2nd edn Penguin 1997) Chaos: Making a New Science, Gleick J (Viking NY 1987) Chaotic Dynamics - an Introduction, Baker G L and Gollub J P (CUP 1990)

Part III Physics 75

Part III Physics


7.1 INTRODUCTION

The four-year course, of which Part III is the final component, is designed for students who wish to pursue a professional career in physics, in aca-demic or industrial research. It leads to an hon-ours degree of Master of Natural Sciences, M.Sci., together with a B.A., though the latter cannot be conferred until the end of the fourth year.

Part III Physics is a demanding course, and courses assume an upper second class level of un-derstanding of the core and relevant optional ma-terial in Part II Physics. Candidates for the four-year course must achieve at least a 2:1 in Part II Physics, (or have received from the Faculty Board a dispensation from this condition). Admission to Part III Physics is also available to those who have obtained a First Class in Half Sub-ject Physics in Part II Physical Sciences.

The qualification requirement for students who have studied other Part II tripos e.g. Part II As-trophysics or Part II Mathematics will be pub-lished in the Reporter.

You must have made financial provision by se-curing a four-year grant from your LEA or equivalent funding body during your second year. If you have any doubt about this, you should see your college Tutor or Director of Studies without delay.

7.2 MASTER OF ADVANCED STUD-IES (MASt) IN PHYSICS

This is a taught postgraduate course, which con-sists of the same content as Part III Physics. The course is designed for students who hold a 3-year undergraduate degree who wish to pursue a re-search degree. The entry requirement for the MASt is a qualification comparable to an upper second class or better Bachelor’s degree in Phys-ics.

7.3 OUTLINE OF THE COURSE

The course aims to bring you close to the bounda-ries of current research, and is therefore some-what linked to the expertise from within the specific research groups. You make a series of

choices as the year proceeds which allow you, for instance, to select a bias towards particular broad areas of physics such as condensed matter phys-ics, particle physics, astrophysics, or semiconduc-tor physics. You can also range over the spectrum from strongly experimental to highly theoretical physics, and choose from a range of specialist op-tions.

All students undertake a substantial research pro-ject, the equivalent of about six weeks of full-time work.

The Michaelmas Term lectures are the Major Top-ics, which cover substantial areas of physics. You are examined in three or more of them at the start of the Lent Term.

The Lent Term lectures are the Minor Topics, which cover more specialised areas, mostly of ac-tive research interest in Cambridge. You are ex-amined in three or more of them at the start of the Easter Term.

We do not expect any student to take more than the minimum number of units of work in any category. The great majority of students will find the workload demanding even at this level. We recognise, however, that students may have good reasons for wishing to take additional courses for credit. Marks for all examination papers en-tered will appear on the students’ Univer-sity transcripts. Within any part of the examination (Major Topics, Minor Topics) the best results meeting the minimum re-quirement will count towards the class for the year. You are of course free to attend as many lecture courses as you wish, without neces-sarily offering them for examination.

Some of the Major and Minor Topics are given by staff from other Departments such as the Institute of Astronomy and the Department of Earth Sci-ences. You can also take as Major or Minor Topics certain courses given in Part III of the Mathemati-cal Tripos but you should note that the style of the Part III Mathematical Tripos Options and Exami-nation is different from that experienced in the Part III Physics Options, reflecting the difference in approaches of the two Departments.

The possibility exists of undertaking a vacation project during the previous Long Vacation or the

Part III Physics 76

optional course on Entrepreneurship during the Lent Term, for credit in the Tripos by replacing a Minor Topic in each case.

Ability in general physics is fostered by examples classes in the Easter Term and examined by a general paper at the end of the Easter Term.

7.4 DETAILS OF THE COURSES

Students will be e-mailed to register via http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/ before the start of Michaelmas Term. The course will begin with a meeting on the first Wednesday of Full Term (9th October 2013) at 12.30pm in the Small Lecture Theatre at the Cavendish Laboratory.

7.4.1 Project work

Please note that from 2014-15 the project allocation procedure with be changing. All students must undertake a project which is worth a third of the years’ marks. A list of projects will be provided by the beginning of the Michael-mas Term. Many of these will be supervised by members of the Physics Department, but mem-bers of other Departments will also be involved. The projects can be experimental, theoretical, computational, observational, or some suitable combination of these. There will be scope for ini-tiative and originality in carrying out a project, and it should form a valuable preparation for a re-search career.

Project work will take place mainly in the Lent Term. Weeks are set aside for finishing up pro-jects at the beginning of the Easter Term.

Communication skills are essential if you are to have a successful career in science. Toward the end of Lent term a meeting will be arranged in which you will have the chance to give a fifteen minute oral presentation on your project to other students working in similar areas and their super-visors. This presentation counts for 5% of the available marks for the project (irrespective of the quality of your presentation). You should note that about one-third of the total marks for the project will be based on an assessment of the quality of your written report and your ability to explain and defend your work in the viva.

Bench work on experimental projects should be substantially complete by the end of the Lent Term. You must submit your project report by the third Monday of the Easter Term, and it will be

assessed by two staff members after an oral ex-amination.

7.4.2 Major Topics

The seven options given during the Michaelmas Term cover major areas, and in each, physics is presented as a connected discipline drawing upon the material of the first three years to take the topic close to the frontiers of current research. Candidates choose three or more Major Topics for examination. The courses (of 24 lectures) are:

Advanced Quantum Condensed Matter Physics Soft Matter and Biological Physics Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology Particle Physics Physics of the Earth as a Planet Quantum Condensed Matter Field Theory Atomic and Optical Physics

All of the courses above are examined at the start of the Lent Term.

Students who are especially strong in Mathematics may wish to replace one of the Topics above with an approved course, also of 24 lectures, taken from Part III of the Mathematics Tripos. The course available in Part III Mathemat-ics in the coming year is:

Quantum Field Theory Students taking this course take the same paper as the Part III Mathematics students, in June.

7.4.3 Minor Topics

You choose for examination three or more of the Lent Term Minor Option courses from about twelve (although you may substitute other courses for these: see below). They are more specialised than the Major Topics and most build upon the material presented in the Michaelmas Term. Some of them assume specific knowledge of par-ticular Major Topics – the syllabuses make clear which. The Minor Topics are:

(i) Theoretically biased:

Gauge Field Theory Quantum Information

(ii) Condensed-Matter Physics:

Superconductivity and Quantum Coherence

(iii) Astrophysics and Particle Physics

Part III Physics 77

The Frontiers of Observational Astrophysics Particle Astrophysics The Formation of Structure in the Universe

(iv) Other:

Atmospheric Physics Medical Physics Biological Physics Non-linear Optics and Quantum States of Light

7.4.4 Other Lent Term courses

You may also take any of the courses below: each may be substituted for one Minor Topic.

(i) Interdisciplinary Courses:

Materials, Electronics and Renewable Energy (taught by Physics)

Climate Change (Department of Earth Sciences) Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change

(Department of Chemistry) (ii) Shared Course with Engineering Nuclear Power Engineering All of these courses except for "Materials, Elec-tronics and Renewable Energy" are taught by de-partments other then Physics. They are examined in separate papers – the Interdisciplinary Courses at the end of the Easter Term and Nuclear Power Engineering with the Part IIB Engineers at the start of Easter Term.

(iii) The 24 lecture Part III Mathematics course

Advanced Quantum Field Theory

may be substituted for one of the Minor Topics. This course is only suitable for students whose mathematics is particularly strong and will also be examined towards the end of the Easter Term.

7.4.5 Further Work

One or two units of Further Work may be substi-tuted for Minor Topics. The two types of Further Work available in 2013-14 are:

(i) A Long Vacation Project

(ii) A course in Entrepreneurship

These are described in the following sections.

7.4.6 Long-Vacation Projects

Scientific work during the Long Vacation prior to your fourth year can count as project work which may replace a Minor Option. The full details can be obtained from Dr Padman ([email protected], Astrophysics Group), but you must get your pro-posal approved in advance, before the end of the preceding Easter Term. Forms are available from the Teaching Office. You will be required to name in advance a suitably qualified on-site supervisor who is willing to write retrospectively to Dr Pad-man describing the work you have done and giv-ing an assessment of your effectiveness. Normally the programme must be of at least two months duration and must include a substantial element of independent or original work. It is important that the project includes a significant amount of physics and is not, for example, simply a series of routine measurements or entirely devoted to computer programming.

Vacation projects within the University may be of-fered through the Undergraduate Research Op-portunities Programme (UROP). See http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/UROPS/urop.php for details. Some of these projects may be suitable as assessed Long-Vacation Work. The teaching web pages http://www-teach.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/vacWork.php might offer some useful suggestions.

7.4.7 Entrepreneurship

The synopsis for the Entrepreneurship course is given later. The course will be lectured together with the Minor Topics, but will be assessed by the completion of assignments as described in the synopsis.

7.4.8 Examples Class in General Phys-ics

The Part III course is designed to build upon the physics covered in the first three years and will take many subjects to the frontiers of current un-derstanding. However, it is important that core physics is reinforced at the same time, and the ex-amples classes, which run during the Easter Term are designed to help with this. They will focus on the key topics covered in the core Physics courses and may include introductory summary talks and examples sheets modelled upon short questions and more general problems. The June 2003 - 2013 General Papers indicate the type of question which will be set. They will be designed to empha-

Part III Physics 78

sise the straightforward application of core phys-ics to reasonable problems, and be an appropriate preparation for the three-hour examination in general physics which forms part of the final as-sessment.

7.5 RESTRICTIONS ON COMBINA-TION OF COURSES

While every effort is made to arrange the timeta-ble, it is inevitable that some combinations of courses will be ruled out by their schedule.

7.6 SUPERVISIONS

We do not offer formal supervisions in Part III. Lecturers are expected to provide some form of learning support, but the form it takes is up to the individual lecturer. It is likely to take the form ei-ther of examples classes, with or without demon-strators (depending on the number of students) or of large-group supervisions or seminars.

A consequence of this is that, neither students nor lecturers need wait before arranging sessions. The lecturer may choose to announce arrangements during the first lecture, or may announce them through the class email list.

The class email list depends on each student sign-ing up for the particular course. You will be re-minded about the sign-up before the start of each of Michaelmas and Lent Terms. If you decide to change options during the Term, you should make the necessary change on the teaching website, and also notify the relevant lecturers directly.

7.7 NON-EXAMINED WORK

In the Lent Term there are two non-examinable courses, one on Philosophy of Physics and one on Ethics of Physics.

To advertise research opportunities at the Caven-dish various open days will be held which cover the activities of the major groups in the labora-tory. Dates are will be posted on the Part II and Part III notice boards.

Part III students are also welcome at the large number of Research Seminars and other lectures in the Department, particularly those organised by the Cavendish Physical Society lectures at 4.00pm on some Wednesdays. These are adver-tised on notice boards, and summarised on the Cavendish web page.

7.8 THE EXAMINATION

The Major Topics and the Project each contribute approximately one-third of the total marks. The Minor Topics and General Physics Paper each contribute approximately one-sixth of the total marks.

The marks all courses will appear on the Univer-sity transcript, with the best marks for the mini-mum requirement being used to establish the final class for the Examination.


Specific information about the examination is given in notices put up on the Part III notice board outside the Pippard Lecture Theatre. You should make sure that you read these regularly.

7.8.2 Examination Entries

Examination entries are made through the Cam-SIS on-line system, and should be completed in consultation with your Director of Studies. The deadline is usually about the middle of November. You will have a further chance during Lent Term to modify your entry for the Minor Topics papers. These procedures are largely outside of the De-partment’s control, and are continually evolving. We will provide further information about proce-dures for examination entries as it becomes avail-able.

7.8.3 The Written Papers for Part III

Major Topic Papers:

These are taken at the beginning of the Lent Term (2 hours each).

Minor Topic Papers:

These are taken at the beginning of the Easter Term (1.5 hours each).

General Physics Paper:

This is taken towards the end of the Easter Term (3 hours).

QFT/AQFT:

Those students who have substituted these Part III Mathematics courses for Major or Minor Topics will take the same examination as the Mathematics students, towards the end of the Easter Term.

Interdisciplinary courses:

Part III Physics 79

Each of the interdisciplinary courses is treated as a Minor Topic. The three interdis-ciplinary courses will all be examined in sepa-rate papers during the main Examinations Period at the end of Easter Term.

Nuclear Power Engineering:

Students taking these Topics will be examined with the Part IIB Engineers in one and a half-hour paper at the start of the Easter Term.

A summary of the choices available is given below.

Part III Physics 80

Lectures Course Exams

Michaelmas Term

Major Topics

Choose 3

24 Advanced Quantum Condensed Matter Physics

2h paper for each option, Start of

Lent

24 Atomic and Optical Physics 24 Particle Physics 24 Physics of the Earth as a Planet 24 Quantum Condensed Matter Field Theory 24 Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology 24 Soft Matter and Biological Physics

from Part III Mathematics 24 Quantum Field Theory 3h paper, June

Lent Term

Minor Topics

Choose 3

16 Atmospheric Physics

1.5h paper for each option, Start of

Easter

12 Biological Physics 16 Formation of Structure in the Universe 12 Frontiers of Observational Astrophysics 12 Gauge Field Theory 12 Medical Physics 12 Non-linear Optics and Quantum States of Light 16 Particle Astrophysics 12 Quantum Information 12 Superconductivity and Quantum Coherence

Interdisciplinary Papers 12 Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change

1.5h paper for each, June

12 Climate Change 12 Materials, Electronics & Renewable Energy

from Part III Mathematics 24 Advanced Quantum Field Theory 3h paper for each,

June

from Part IIB Engineering 12 Nuclear Power Engineering 1.5h paper,

Start of Easter

Further Work Entrepreneurship

Course work Report of Vacation Project

Other requirements Research Project Course work General Paper 3h paper, June

Part III Physics 81


Note: This list is not exhaustive, and may be superseded by announcements on the TIS Tuesday 8th October 2013 Start of Michaelmas full term Wednesday 9th October 2013 12.30 General Registration (Small Lecture Theatre, Cavendish

Laboratory) and buffet lunch outside the Pippard Lecture Theatre

Wednesday 9th October 2013 Start choosing a project Monday 14th October 2013 16.00 Vacation work report deadline Wed 16th October 2013 14.00 Deadline for signing up for supervisions on

Major Topics Thursday 24th October 2013 Supervisors can now make decisions on students for

projects Friday 1st November 2013 Deadline for choosing a project (but don’t leave it

this late!) Friday 6th December 2013

16.00 Deadline for first brief progress report on Project

(summarising the goals of the project); hand in to the Teaching Office

Friday 6th December 2013 End of Michaelmas full term Monday- Wed

13th–15th January 2014 Examinations on Major Topics (check the TIS for details)

Tuesday 14th January 2014 Start of Lent full term Monday 3rd February 2014 14.00 Deadline for commitment to examination in the

Entrepreneurship Course Monday-Friday

3rd -14th March 2014

Presentations of projects (will be organised by your super-visor). Some supervisors prefer to do these early in Easter Term.

Wed 5th March 2014 16.00 Deadline for second brief progress report on Pro-ject (outlining progress and confirming that you have adequate material to complete the project); hand in to the Teaching Office

Friday 14th March 2014 End of Lent full term Tuesday 22nd April 2014 Start of Easter full term Tuesday-Friday

22nd -25th April 2014 Examinations on Minor Topics (check the TIS for details)

Friday 25th April 2014 14.00 Examples Classes on General Physics begin (eight classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, 14:00-16:00) in the Pippard Lecture Theatre.

Monday 12th May 2014 16.00 Deadline for handing in Project Work (two copies) 13th–23rd May 2014 Oral examinations on Projects (will be organised by your

supervisor) Monday 2nd June 2014 Examination on General Physics (check the TIS

for details) Friday 13th June 2014 End of Easter full term

Part III Physics 82

Late Submission of Work In accordance with the University’s regulations, a Part III Project (which amounts to more than 10% of the total year’s mark) submitted after the advertised deadline will not count towards your final examination mark, unless the University’s Applications Committee grants an extension of time on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. Any application for such an extension should be made by your college Tutor to the Applications Committee. For units of Further Work amounting to less than 10% of the total year’s mark, the Department may grant an extension of time on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. Any application for such an extension should be made by your college Tutor or Director of Studies to the Director of Undergraduate Teaching, c/o Teaching Office, Cavendish Laboratory, ([email protected]). In either case, you should submit the work as soon as possible after the deadline.

Part III Physics 83

7.10 LECTURE LIST

PART III PHYSICS

Departmental Contact: Helen Marshall: E-mail: mailto:[email protected] Course Website: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/

Students must offer three or more courses from Major Topics, together with three or more courses from Minor Topics. Quantum Field Theory may be substituted for one Major Topic. A Vacation project and courses from Interdisciplinary Topics, Advanced Quantum Field Theory, Nuclear Power Engineering and Further Work may each be substituted for one Minor Topic. The courses from the Major Topics and Minor Topics and Nuclear Power Engineering, are examined at the start of the term following that in which they are given. Quantum Field Theory, and Advanced Quantum Field Theory and courses from the Interdisciplinary Topics will be examined in June. The Entrepreneurship course from Further Work is continually assessed. All students are recommended to attend the Non-examinable courses. The course will begin with a meeting on the first Wednesday of Full Term (9 Oct.) at 12.30 p.m. in the Small

Lecture Theatre.

For the up-to-date lecture list please go to: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php

Part III Physics – Major Topics 84

ADVANCED QUANTUM CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

C Barnes

It is expected that students will have taken the Part II option course Quantum Condensed Matter Physics. However, the course includes an introductory section that discusses and refreshes all solid state concepts needed. It is therefore possible to take the course without having taken Quan-tum Condensed Matter Physics. Revision of key concepts of independent-electron framework (Part II)

Electron-electron interactions: The many-electron problem: Exchange and correlation ef-fects; Hartree-Fock theory; Phase diagram of the electron gas. Density functional theory: Hohen-berg-Sham theorem, molecular dynamics. Linear response theory of the electron gas. Introduction to Fermi liquid theory. Strongly correlated electron systems.

Magnetism: Magnetic exchange, Heisenberg model, giant & colossal magnetoresistance.

Electron-photon interactions: Linear optical response: Kramers-Krönig relations; Optical properties of semiconductors. Excitons in 3D and low-dimensional systems. Bose-Einstein con-densation in excitonic systems.

Electron-phonon interactions: Origin of electron-phonon coupling: Scattering, mass en-hancement, polarons. Effective electron-electron interaction through exchange of phonons.

Electrical transport: Classical transport: Boltzmann equation, AC conductivity of metals, Re-laxation time. Quantum transport: Conductance quantization; Coulomb blockade.

Superconductivity: Phenomenology; Microscopic BCS theory, High-Tc superconductivity.

BOOKS

Basic general: Solid State Physics, Ashcroft & Mermin (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1976) Introduction to Solid State Physics, Kittel (Wiley, 7th edition 1996) The Physics and Chemistry of Solids, Elliott (Wiley, 1998)

Advanced general: Solid State Physics, Grosso, Parravicini, (Academic Press, 2000) A quantum approach to Condensed Matter Physics, Taylor & Heinonen (Cambridge 2002) Principles of condensed matter physics, Chaikin &Lubensky (Cambridge 1995) Solid State Physics Phillips (Cambridge University Press 2012)

Specialized subjects: Quantum Theory of the Electron Liquid, Vignale (Cambridge 2005) Quantum Theory of Many-Particle Systems, Fetter & Walecka (Dover 2003) Magnetism in Condensed Matter, Blundell (Oxford 2001) Superconductivity, Superfluids and Condensates, Annett (Oxford 2004) Fundamentals of Semiconductors, Yu & Cardona (Springer, 1996) Optical Properties of Solids, Fox (Oxford 2005)


ATOMIC AND OPTICAL PHYSICS

Z Hadzibabic

The ability to cool and control atoms by laser light has given a completely new twist to the tradi-tional field of atomic physics in recent years. The Nobel prizes in physics of 1997, 2001, and 2005 document the fascinating recent advances in this field. Macroscopic quantum phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensation have become experimentally accessible and the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics have been studied in new ways and with unprecedented precision. This course will serve as an introduction to this exciting field and give insight into the current state of research. It is intended to provide the basic understanding needed for the current research on a wide range of topics involving atoms, lasers, and quantum gases. Emphasis will be put on the connection between theory and experimental observation. There are no special requirements for taking this course, apart from a good knowledge of quan-tum physics (e.g. from the "Advanced Quantum Physics" Part II course). Supervisions will be done in groups of 6-8 students. Introduction and revision of basic concepts: Bohr’s theory, Einstein A&B coefficients, Stern-Gerlach experiment Atomic structure: Hydrogen atom, fine structure, Lamb shift, hyperfine structure, electric di-pole transitions, selection rules, Zeeman effect, magnetic dipole transitions, alkali atoms Fundamentals of atom-laser interaction: Driven two-level system, Ramsey spectroscopy and atomic clocks, density matrix, optical Bloch equations, dissipation, cross-sections & line shapes, Doppler-free laser spectroscopy, ac Stark effect, two-photon and Raman transitions Laser cooling & trapping: Scattering force, slowing of atomic beams, optical molasses, Dop-pler cooling limit, magneto-optical trap, optical dipole trap, Sisyphus cooling below the Doppler limit Evaporative cooling and Bose-Einstein condensation of atomic gases: Requirements, magnetic trapping, evaporative cooling, critical temperature, condensate fraction, experimental observation of Bose-Einstein condensation Properties of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates: Atomic interactions, macroscopic wave function, matter-wave interference of Bose-Einstein condensates, Gross-Pitaevskii equation, Thomas-Fermi approximation, Bogoliubov excitation spectrum, superfluidity

BOOKS

Atomic Physics, Foot C J, (Oxford University Press) Laser Cooling and Trapping, Metcalf H & van der Straten P (Springer - Verlag) Bose-Einstein Condensation in Dilute Gases, Pethick C J & Smith H (CUP)


PARTICLE PHYSICS

C G Lester

The Part III Particle Physics Major option course aims to provide a reasonably complete descrip-tion of our understanding of modern particle physics. The Part II Particle and Nuclear Physics course is not a prerequisite to this course although familiarity with basic particle physics termi-nology is assumed. The course will concentrate on the Standard Model with the aim of providing both a detailed description of current experimental data, and the theoretical understanding to place these experimental results in context. The Minor Option course on “Gauge Field Theory” covers particle physics theory at a more advanced level. Introduction, cross sections and decay rates: The structure of the Standard Model; revi-sion of basic concepts; relativistic phase space and its role in two-body decays and two-body scattering. Solutions to the Dirac equation: The Klein-Gordon equation; the Dirac equation and Dirac spinors; negative energy solutions and anti-particles; C and P symmetries; spin and helicity. Interaction by particle exchange and QED: interaction by particle exchange; the QED ver-tex; Feynman rules for QED; scattering and e+e– annihilation in QED; the role of spin and helic-ity in QED and chirality; QED calculations using Dirac spinors. Electron proton scattering: Rutherford scattering revisited; low energy electron proton scat-tering and form factors; deep inelastic scattering and structure functions; Bjorken scaling and the Callan-Gross relation; the quark-parton model; valance and sea quarks. The quark model and QCD: symmetries and conservation laws; SU(3) flavour symmetry; mesons and baryon wave; SU(3) colour symmetry; confinement and gluons; Feynman rules for QCD; colour factors; the QCD potential; running couplings and asymptotic freedom; experimen-tal evidence for QCD. Particle Detectors: Particle interactions in matter, particle detection and large detectors at modern particle colliders. Charged-current weak interactions: V-A Theory and parity violation; helicity structure of the weak interaction; lepton universality; neutrino scattering; neutrino structure functions and the anti-quark content of nucleon. Neutrino physics and neutrino oscillations: Neutrino interactions; detecting neutrinos; solar and atmospheric neutrinos; neutrino oscillations and the PMNS matrix; CP and CPT in the weak interaction; recent neutrino experiments. The CKM matrix and CP violation: The Cabibbo angle and the CKM matrix; CP violation in the early universe; the neutral kaon system and strangeness oscillations; CP violation in the kaon system; the CKM matrix and CP violation in the Standard Model.

Electroweak Unification and the Standard Model: W boson decay; the W and Z bosons and a unified electroweak theory; the Z resonance; precision tests of the electroweak theory at LEP; the Higgs mechanism; hunting the Higgs; problems with the Standard Model.


BOOKS

There are many books available on particle physics, at various levels. The following are suggested as useful for this course: Particle Physics, Martin B R and Shaw G (2nd edn Wiley 1997). A good introductory text, more suited to Part II but covers most of the basic material. Introduction to High Energy Physics, Perkins D H (4th edn CUP 2000). Good coverage of experimental techniques and some aspects of theory. A slightly lower level than this course with a more historical approach. Introduction to Elementary Particles, Griffiths D (Harper & Row 1987) out of print Theoretical treatment, going slightly beyond the level of this course, but well written and clear. Good reference for those wishing to pursue some of the mathematical details. Quarks and Leptons, Halzen F and Martin A D (Wiley 1984). Goes beyond the level of this course, but provides a good description of the underlying theoreti-cal concepts.


PHYSICS OF THE EARTH AS A PLANET

K Priestley, J Rudge and A Deuss

Our aim in this course is to show how concepts from physics, especially from classical physics and continuum mechanics, can be used to understand the structure and evolution of the Earth, and to a lesser extent, the other terrestrial planets. Our approach is different from that taken in Part IA Geology, and does not assume knowledge of the material in that course. The course is mainly intended for students who are theoretically inclined. It includes practicals, which are de-signed to help students understand concepts discussed in the lectures. These practicals are like those in IA Geology, or the unassessed practicals in IA Materials and Minerals, in that they are not “written up” and demonstrators are present to help with any problems. An understanding of the concepts involved in the practicals will be tested in the written examination. Some of the lec-tures will be given by the other members of the Department of Earth Sciences whose present re-search is concerned with the topics that are part of the course. Introduction to geophysics: Theories of planetary formation, composition of terrestrial planets and the bulk composition of the Earth, origin of the crust, mantle, and core, large scale static structure of the Earth. Plate tectonics: Rotation vectors and poles of rotation, triple junctions, present-day plate mo-tion, reconstructing past plate motions. Continuum mechanics: Fundamental laws of continuum mechanics, analysis of stress, de-formation and strain. Seismology and elastic wave propagation: Linearised theory of elasticity and the wave equation, P and S waves, Eikonal equation and geometrical ray theory, partitioning of seismic energy at a boundary, ray characteristics in simplified flat and spherical Earth models, and sur-face wave propagation. Earth structure: Travel time curves; group and phase velocity dispersion curves; travel time, dispersion and waveform inversion for velocity structure; velocity structure of the crust, mantle and core. The earthquake source: Earthquake locations, fault plane solutions, the seismic moment tensor, earthquake dynamics, body wave and surface wave modelling, earthquake mechanisms and crustal deformation. Thermal and mechanical structure of plates: Structure of oceanic and continental plates, isostasy and gravity, thermal models, depth of the oceans, subduction, basin formation, the elas-tic layer on Earth and Venus. Dynamic processes: Heat sources of Earth and Venus, thermodynamics of convection, con-vective regime of the mantle, the cooling of the mantle, thermal history of the mantle. Immediately after the Michaelmas term is over, Part II students in the Department of Earth Sci-ences take a week long tectonics field trip to Greece. This is an excellent way to see first hand the surface manifestation of earthquake faulting and other geophysical topics discussed from a more theoretical viewpoint in the Physics of the Earth as a Planet lectures. Students taking this Part III Physics course are welcome to come on the Greece field course but the field trip is not connected to the Physics of the Earth as a Planet lectures as such. The cost for the trip is around £85.


BOOKS

The solid Earth, Fowler C M R (2nd edn CUP 2004) This is an excellent general book on geophysics. It covers about half of the course, but uses less mathematics than we do. Fowler’s discussion of seismology is briefer than that of the present course, and she does not discuss mantle convection and dynamics at all. Introduction to Seismology, P M Sheaver (CUP 1999) This text covers most of the material discussed in the course lectures on seismology. Geodynamics, Turcotte D L & Schubert G (Wiley 2002) This covers much of the material of the course except seismology, at about the same mathematical level that we will use. It contains many problems with their solutions.


QUANTUM CONDENSED MATTER FIELD THEORY

B D Simons

As well as Part IB NST mathematics, the course will assume a basic knowledge of Lagrangian, sta-tistical, and quantum mechanics. Exposure to the Part II theory courses (TP1 and TP2) and Quan-tum Condensed Matter course is useful but not essential. Collective Phenomena - From Particles to Fields: Linear harmonic chain and free scalar field theory; functional analysis; quantisation of the classical field; phonons; relation to quantum electrodynamics; concept of broken symmetry, collective modes, elementary excitations and uni-versality. Second Quantisation: Fock states; creation and annihilation operators for Bose and Fermi systems; represention of one and two-body operators; canonical transformations; Applications to the interacting electron gas; Wannier states, strong correlation and the Mott transition; quantum ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, spin representations and SU(2) spin algebra, spin-

waves; †spin liquids; weakly interacting Bose gas. Path Integral Methods: Propagators and the construction of the Feynman Path integral; Gaussian functional integration, stationary phase and saddle-point analyses; relation to semi-classics and statistical mechanics; quantum harmonic oscillator and the single well; double well,

instantons, and tunnelling phenomena; †metastability. Many-Body Field Integral: Bose and Fermi coherent states; Grassmann algebra; coherent state path integral; quantum partition function; Bogoluibov theory of the weakly interacting Bose gas and superfluidity; Cooper pair instability, and the BCS theory of superconductivity; Ginzburg-

Landau phenomenology and the connection to classical statistical field theory; †Gauge theory and

the Anderson-Higgs mechanism; †Resonance superfluidity in ultracold atomic gases and the BEC to BCS crossover. Italics denote specific mathematical topics.

Items marked † will be largely used as source material for problem sets and supervision.

Learning aims: By the end of this course, you will be familiar with the basic foundations of qua-tum field theory including the method of second quantisation, the Feynman path integral, and field integral techniques. On the Feynman path integral, you will be able to address the quantum mechanics of single particle systems from the physics of bound state systems to the estimation of tunnelling rates in unbound systems. On the field integral, you will be able to formulate the coher-ent state path integral of many-particle bosonic and fermionic systems. In particular, you will be able to address the quantum mechanics of superfluid and superconducting systems. Finally, you will have an appreciation of how the concepts of quantum field theory provide a common lan-guage to address phase transitions and collective phenomena in both high and low energy quan tum many-particle systems.

BOOKS

Condensed Matter Field Theory, Altland A and Simons B D (CUP 2006). Statistical Mechanics, Feynman R P and Hibbs A R (McGraw-Hill 1965). Quantum Field Theory in Condensed Matter Physics, Nagaosa N (Springer 1999). Quantum Many-Particle Systems, Negele J W and Orland H (Addison-Wesley 1988). Techniques and Applications of Path Integration, Schulman L S (Wiley 1981). The Physics of Quantum Fields, Stone M. (Springer 2000). Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics, Zinn-Justin J (Oxford Graduate Texts 2004). Lectures on Statistical Physics, Levitov L S (http://www.mit.edu/~levitov/8.334/)


QUANTUM FIELD THEORY

M J Perry (Part III Maths)

Quantum field theory is the language in which much of modern physics is formulated. It pro-vides a synthesis of quantum theory and special relativity and offers a mathematical framework in which to describe many particle systems. This course is an introduction to quantum field the-ory using the canonical quantization approach in which classical degrees of freedom are replaced by operators. This course requires a high-level of mathematical facility. Classical Field Theory: Lagrangian field theory, Symmetries, Noether’s theorem and con-served currents, Hamiltonian field theory. Canonical Quantization: The Klein-Gordon equation, Free quantum fields, Vacuum energy, Emergence of particles, The Heisenberg picture, Causality and propagators, Applications, Non-relativistic field theory. Interacting Fields: Types of interaction, The interaction picture, Dyson’s formula, Scattering, Wick’s theorem, Feynman diagrams and Feynman rules, Amplitudes, Green’s functions, Con-nected diagrams and vacuum bubbles. The Dirac Equation: The Lorentz group, Clifford algebras, Spinor representation, The Dirac Lagrangian, Chiral spinors, The Weyl equation, Symmetries and currents. Quantizing the Dirac Field: A glimpse at the spin-statistics theorem, Fermionic quantization, Fermi-Dirac statistics, Propagators, Particles and anti-particles, Dirac’s hole interpretation. Quantum Electrodynamics: Gauge invariance, Quantization, QED, Lorentz invariant propa-gators, Feynman rules, Processes in QED involving electrons, positrons and photons.

BOOKS

An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Peskin M E and Schroeder D V (Addison-Wesley 1996) A very clear and comprehensive book. To a large extent, the course will follow the first sec-tion of this book. Quantum Field Theory, Ryder L H (2nd edn CUP 1996) An elementary text covering most of the material in this course. Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell, Zee, A (Princeton University Press 2003). A charming book, where the emphasis is placed on physical understanding and the author isn’t afraid to hide the ugly truth when necessary. However, Zee primarily uses the path integral approach which we won’t cover in this course. The Quantum Theory of Fields, Vol 1. Weinberg S (CUP 1995). Weinberg takes a unique route through the subject, focussing initially on particles rather than fields. There is a course webpage with lecture notes at: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/qft.html


RELATIVISTIC ASTROPHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY

A C Fabian and A N Lasenby

This course builds on material from the Part II Relativity course. It will be helpful to have taken Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics in Part II. Introduction: The main constituents of the Universe: solar system, stars, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, clusters, radio sources, quasars etc. Sizes, velocities, masses, luminosities. The distance scale. General Relativity: Review of foundations of general relativity: equivalence principle, strong and weak forms, curved spaces, the geodesic equation, the field equations, Schwarzschild solution. Stars, white dwarfs, neutron stars: The physics of stars and stellar evolution, stellar struc-ture, white dwarfs and the Chandrasekhar mass. General relativistic treatment of stellar struc-ture, the Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations. Neutron star structure, mass-radius relation for cold matter, pair production and annihilation. The end-points of stellar evolution: Supernovae, pulsars, supernova remnants, shock waves, accretion, accretion discs, the Eddington limit. X-ray binaries, the Crab Nebula, binary and milli-second pulsars, tests of general relativity. Black holes: Formation, observational evidence, accretion discs, effects of spin. Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN): Radiation processes, energy budget, Eddington limit and growth. Special relativistic effects in jetted sources. Gamma-ray bursts. Gravitational waves: wave solutions to Einstein’s equations in vacuum. Detection of gravita-tional waves. Astrophysical sources of radiation. Galaxies and clusters of galaxies: Observational properties and structure. Black hole feed-back. Evidence for dark matter. Gravitational lenses, rotation curves. The Robertson-Walker metric: Basic observations. Hubble’s law, isotropy and homogeneity of the Universe, comoving coordinates and spatial curvature, redshift. Distance measures, decel-eration parameter, luminosity-redshift and angular diameter-redshift relations. Observed flux versus redshift relations. Number counts. The standard Friedmann models: General solutions, cosmological constant, the redshift-cosmic time relation, horizons, the flatness and isotropy problems. Ages of stars and galaxies. Methods for determining the Hubble constant. The Microwave Background Radiation: Evolution of blackbody spectrum. Energy densities, recombination and timescales. Imprints on the CMB and relation to the growth of structure. The Early Universe: Nucleosynthesis, baryon asymmetry. Inflation and the problems it ad-dresses. Origin of perturbations. Cosmological parameters and observations. Clues to the earliest times, links with fundamental theory.


BOOKS

At roughly the level of the course: Essential Relativity, Rindler W (2nd edn Springer 1990). Good introduction to GR and cosmol-ogy. Principles of Cosmology and Gravitation, Berry M V (2nd edn IoP 1989). Elementary but clear introduction to GR and cosmology, taking similar line to that used in course. Black holes, White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars (The Physics of Compact Objects), Shapiro S L & Teukolsky S A (Wiley 1983). Good textbook for parts of course. Aimed at advanced physics stu-dents. Accretion Power in Astrophysics, Frank J, King A & Raine D (2nd edn CUP 1992). Useful for high energy astrophysics aspects. High Energy Astrophysics, Vols 1 and 2, Longair M S (2nd edn CUP 1992 1994). Useful chapters. Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity, Taylor E F & Wheeler J A (Addison- Wesley 2001). Supplementary reading at an elementary level: The Physical Universe, Shu F (University Science Books 1982). Excellent introduction to the whole field of astrophysics and cosmology. The Big Bang, Silk J (2nd edn Freeman 1989). Our Evolving Universe, Longair M S (CUP 1996) Black Holes, Luminet J (CUP 1992). Excellent paperback account of black holes Gravity’s Fatal Attraction: Black Holes and the Universe, Begelman M C and Rees M (Freeman: Scientific American 1996) More advanced books covering General Relativity in greater detail: Introducing Einstein’s Relativity, d’Inverno R (OUP 1995) Introduction to Cosmology, Narlikar J V (2nd edn CUP 1993) General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists, Hobson M P, Efstathiou G P & Lasenby A N (CUP 2006)


SOFT MATTER AND BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS

U Keyser and R Goldstein

This course will assume knowledge of the topics covered in the Part IB Mathematics or Part IB Mathematical Methods courses, respectively. In addition, students should prepare material on partial differential equations as discussed for example in Chapters 20 & 21 of Riley, Hobson and Bence "Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering". Microscopic physics Poisson Boltzmann equation, Debye Huckel, surface potentials, Poisson-Boltzmann equation in spherical, cylindrical geometry, Manning condensation of long chain molecules, Brownian mo-tion, fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Fluctuation induced forces Review of polymer physics, freely jointed chains, worm-like chains, single chain experiments, pro-tein unfolding, Van der Waals interaction, attraction of neutral objects of arbitrary shape, DLVO theory. Elasticity Curve dynamics, Lagrangian dynamics, general 2-dimensional curves, curve shortening equation, global constraints, space curves, vortex rings, viscous drag, elastic coefficients , Elastohydrody-namics, Stokes equation, reversibility, Euler Buckling, Strain and Stress tensor, generalization of Hooke’s Law, Twisted worm-like-chain. Chemical kinetics and pattern formation Michaelis Menten Kinetics, cooperativity, slaving, diffusive effects in pattern formation, instabili-ties, reaction diffusion systems, Fitz-Hugh Nagumo model, separation of timescales, front dynam-ics, bioconvection, gyrotaxis. Membrane transport Passive diffusion- and energy-driven transport, nucleo-cytoplasmic transport, Diffusion through membranes, lipophilic ions, ionchannels, ionophores. Electrokinetic effects Polymer dynamics in gels, electrophoresis-/osmosis in channels, pressure driven flows, streaming currents and potentials, electrokinetic and hydrodynamic effects in confinement, nanopores. Introductory Reading Biological Physics, P. Nelson, W. H. Freeman (2007) Mathematical Biology I. and II., J. D. Murray, Springer (2007, 2008) Molecular Driving Forces, K. Dill and S. Bromberg, Garland Science (2009) Advanced and Complementary Reading Soft Condensed Matter Physics in Molecular and Cell Biology, D. Andelman & W. Poon, Taylor & Francis (2006) Van der Waals Forces, A. Parsegian, CUP (2005) Intermolecular and Surface Force, J. N. Israelachvili, Academic Press (1992) The Theory of Polymer Dynamics, M. Doi & S. Edwards, OUP (1986) Theory of the Stability of Lyophobic Colloids, E. Verwey and J. Overbeek, Elsevier (1948)

Part III Physics – Minor Topics 95

ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS

M Herzog and H Graf

The course is split into two parts. In the first part the principles of atmospheric physics will be intro-duced followed by an overview of mean circulation and climate variability. The second part focuses on cloud physical processes and their treatment in numerical models. The titles of the lectures are as fol-lows: 1. Thermodynamics of the atmosphere 2. Atmospheric radiation 3. Basics of hydrodynamics 4. Vorticity and divergence 5. Waves in the atmosphere 6. General atmospheric circulation 7. Energy cycle in the atmosphere 8. Atmospheric ocean coupling, ENSO 9. Teleconnections, e.g. NAO 10. Climate system modelling 11. Clouds - classification and types 12. Cloud microphysics 13. Cloud dynamics 14. Cloud modelling 15. Cloud parameterization 16. Open science problems, e.g. aerosol cloud interaction Lectures 1. to 6. and 11. to 16. will be given by Michael Herzog, lectures 7. to 10. by Hans Graf.

BOOKS

An Introduction to Atmospheric Physics. David G. Andrews, Cambridge University Press, 2005. A Short Course in Cloud Physics. R. R. Rogers and M. K. Yau, Elsevier Science, 1996. Global Warming, Understanding the Forecast. David Archer, Blackwell Publishing, 2008.


BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS

E Nugent

This course is an introduction to the physics of biological systems at the molecular and cellular level. The emphasis is on the design principles that living systems use to accomplish multifarious cellular processes, enabling them to sense and react to their environment. A set of case studies aims to dem-onstrate how physicists’ experience of the behaviour of complex systems can complement experimen-tal investigations by biologists to explain how living systems work, and why biology is the way it is. The course also introduces some of the methods currently used in biological physics. Exposure to ma-terial from the Part II Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysics course will be beneficial. Cells: What's in a cell? Component molecules. Cellular processes. Significance of Brownian motion, noise and stochasticity. Information and Regulation: DNA replication. RNA, transcription and translation. Promotors, repressors and operons, DNA topology. Structural elements 1: Lipid bilayer, membranes and vesicles. Endocytosis and trafficking. Energy: Chemiosmotic theory. Membrane potential, Nernst relation, ion channels and pumps. Me-tabolism and the synthesis of ATP. Structural elements 2: The cytoskeleton: mictrotubles, actin filaments, networks and gels. Cell movements and locomotion. Molecular machines: Motor proteins and isothermal ratchets. Mechanochemistry and the Kramers equation. Muscle contraction. Processive motors. Rotary motors. Sensory cells: Hair cells in the ear. Active signal detection and cochlear mechanics. Phototransduc-tion in the retina. Nerve impulses: Axons and the action potential. Hodgkin-Huxley model. Spiking and bursting. Methods 1: Light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, confocal and multiphoton microscopy, FRET, FRAP. Methods 2: Optical tweezers, other optical traps, atomic force microscopy and single molecule ex-periments.

BOOKS

Essential Cell Biology, Alberts B et al. (Garland 2003). Biological Physics: Energy, Information, Life, Nelson P (WH Freeman 2003). Cell Movements, Bray D (Garland 2000). Mechanics of Motor Proteins and the Cytoskeleton, Howard J (Sinauer 2000)


FORMATION OF STRUCTURE IN THE UNIVERSE

R Maiolino

This course builds on material in the Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology Major option and dis-cusses how structure forms in the universe on all scales from planets and stars, through galaxies to the largest structures we know about. Throughout the course we develop physical models motivated by the evidence from a wide range of observational data we now have available. The topics covered are at the forefront of active research in astrophysics and failings of our current understanding and models will be discussed along with likely developments in the near future.

It is assumed that students have taken Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics in Part II.

Introduction: overview of the evolution of structure in the universe; properties of galaxies in the lo-cal universe; star-forming regions; a first-look at the high-redshift universe.

Physical processes in baryonic gas: heating processes; cooling processes; cooling curves; ther-mal stability and instability; multi-phase medium in galaxies; baryonic gas in the early universe.

Gravitational stability and instability: the isothermal sphere as a simple model; virial equilib-rium; Jeans analysis in an infinite medium; role of magnetic fields, turbulence and angular momen-tum.

Formation of stars and planets: inside-out collapse; formation of the first core and second core; deuterium burning; hydrogen burning; angular-moment, discs and stellar jets; planet formation; ex-tra-solar planets.

Star-formation on galactic scales: properties and structure of star-forming galaxies; initial mass functions; factors controlling star formation; Schmidt-Kennicutt star-formation law; starbursts; a first look at star formation histories.

Cosmological origins of structure: Origin and early growth of density perturbations and the mat-ter power spectrum.

Galaxy formation: collapse of a spherical over density; evolution of the baryonic gas; numerical simulations; hierarchical structure formation; failure of the simple model; the need for feedback; su-pernova feedback; AGN feedback; improved models for galaxy evolution; galaxy dynamics.

The high-redshift universe and galaxy evolution: properties of galaxies at high redshift; Lyman-break galaxies; the Hubble deep field; old red galaxies; evolution of the AGN population; evo-lution of the galaxy population; confronting predictions and observations.

Large-scale structure: clusters and superclusters; correlation functions; remnants of primor-dial structure; the cosmic web.

Challenges: problems with our current models of galaxy formation; the end of the dark ages – the epoch of re-ionisation; the equation of state of dark energy; testing our predictions.


BOOKS The physics of the interstellar medium, Dyson J E and Williams D A (2nd edition IoP) Accretion processes in star formation, Hartmann L (Cambridge) An introduction to modern cosmology, Liddle A (2nd edition Wiley) – a good and relatively simple text to put material in context The Structure & Evolution of Galaxies, Philips S (Wiley) Galaxy formation, Longair M S (2nd edition Springer) Cosmology – the origin and evolution of cosmic structure, Coles P and Lucchin F (2nd edition Wiley) – a more advanced text


GAUGE FIELD THEORY

B M Gripaios

This course is an introduction to the gauge field theories of modern Particle Physics, focusing on the gauge-invariant Lagrangian of the Standard Model of electroweak and strong interactions, with parti-cle masses introduced via spontaneous symmetry breaking (the Higgs mechanism). There are no for-mal prerequisites for the course though it would be helpful to have attended the Part III Particle Physics or Quantum Field Theory Major Options; for those who have not, the lectures cover the essen-tial material, including the necessary relativistic quantum field theory. Relativistic quantum mechanics: Covariant notation; transition rates; phase space; two-body decay and scattering; interaction and scattering via particle exchange; Feynman graphs; Klein-Gordon equation; Dirac equation; free-particle spinors; helicity and chirality; electromagnetic interactions, photons; charge conjugation; gamma matrix algebra; Compton scattering. Relativistic quantum fields: Classical field theory, Lagrangian densities; Klein-Gordon field; Fou-rier analysis; second quantization; single-particle and two-particle states; quantising the electromag-netic field; vacuum energy and normal ordering; complex fields; symmetries and conservation laws; Noether’s theorem; Dirac field; spin-statistics theorem; Majorana fields. Gauge field theories: Gauge symmetry in QED; non-Abelian gauge symmetry; strong interactions, QCD; weak interactions; electroweak interactions; spontaneous symmetry breaking; gauge boson masses; the unitary gauge; Yukawa interactions, quark and lepton masses; Higgs mechanism; parame-ters of the Standard Model; properties of the Higgs boson. Renormalisation: Ultraviolet divergences; renormalisability; dimensions of fields and couplings; non-renormalisable interactions and effective theories. Beyond the Standard Model: neutrino masses, the seesaw mechanism; grand unification, SU(5).

BOOKS

Quantum Field Theory, Mandl F and Shaw G (2nd edn Wiley 2009) A Modern Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Maggiore M (OUP 2005) Gauge Theories in Particle Physics, Aitchison I J R and Hey A J G (3rd edn 2 vols IoP 2003) An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Peskin M E and Schroeder D V (Addison-Wesley 1995)


MEDICAL PHYSICS

Dr S Bohndiek and Others

This course is intended to give an overview of some of the Medical applications of Physics. Most of the lectures are given by Addenbrookes Hospital staff. The material should be accessible to all Part III students. Introduction: The scope of medical physics, introduction to the biological problem, radiation terms and units, statutory responsibilities. Mechanisms of energy loss by ionising radiation in biological materials: Classical calcula-tion of energy loss by heavy charged particles, extension to electrons, ranges of charged particles and Bragg curves. Interaction of neutrons with matter. Mechanisms of energy loss by electromagnetic ra-diation. X-ray production (kilovoltage and Megavoltage). Radiation dosimetry. Use of X-rays for diagnosis: X-ray imaging: X-ray image transducers and image intensifiers; as-sessment of image quality and the modulation transfer function. Mammography. X-ray computed to-mography. Patient dose measurement and typical doses in diagnostic radiology. Radiation Protection. Imaging with radioactive tracers: Single-photon imaging: optimal tracer properties; photon de-tection using a gamma camera; acquisition modes. Tomographic image reconstruction: data required for tomography; analytical and iterative reconstruction algorithms. Positron-emission tomography (PET): cyclotron production of positron-emitters; positron emission and annihilation; detection of annihilation photon pairs; acquisition modes; image reconstruction and data corrections. Diagnostic ultrasound: Interaction of ultrasound with tissue; ultrasound transducer and the ultra-sound field; A-, M-, B-modes and real-time imaging; common image artefacts; Doppler techniques; safety considerations; clinical examples. Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy: Controlling the magnetic nucleus, proton den-sity T1 and T2 measurements, the imaging process, coil design, field strength and safety considerations, MR spectroscopy. Combining imaging modalities: Techniques for image registration. Combining images from mul-tiple modalities. Radiotherapy: Introduction to radiobiology. Relative biological effectiveness. Choice of radiation for radiotherapy. Medical linear accelerators. Radiotherapy treatment planning with external beams. Use of CT and MR images in treatment planning. Radiation distribution around closed sources, source dis-tributions and dose specification, equipment and clinical applications.


BOOKS

The physics of radiology, Johns H E & Cunningham J R (4th edn Charles C Thomas 1983). This is a good general text on the interaction of radiation with matter, and on radiotherapy physics. See par-ticularly Chapters 2.8-2.11, 3, 4.1-4.5, 5, 6, 15. The physics of medical imaging, Webb S (ed) (IoP Publ. 1988). This is a good general text for the im-aging part of the course, particularly chapters 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8. Physics for Medical Imaging, Farr R F and Allisy-Roberts P J (Saunders 1997) Radionuclide Imaging Techniques, Sharp P F, Dendy P P & Keyes W I (Academic Press 1985). See particularly chapters 2 & 3. Diagnostic ultrasonics; principles and use of instruments, McDicken W N (3rd edn Churchill Living-stone 1991). Several chapters are relevant, but especially 3, 4, 8 & 11. The Physics of Radiotherapy X-rays from linear accelerators. Metcalf P, Kron T and Hoban P. (Medi-cal Physics Publishing 1997) Physics for Diagnostic Radiology, Dendy P P and Heaton B (2nd edn IOP Publishing 1999). A good general introduction to diagnostic imaging before consulting other references for more detailed physics. The Theory and Practice of 3D PET, Bendriem B and Townsend D W (eds) (Kluwer Academic 1998). Covers scanner design, data acquisition, image reconstruction and image quantitation. Atlas of Clinical Positron Emission Tomography, Maisey M N, Wahl R L and Barrington S F (Arnold 1999). Up-to-date coverage of the clinical applications of PET. Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Physical Principles and Sequence Design, Haacke E M, Brown R W, Thompson M R and Venkatesan R (Wiley 1999). A very comprehensive technical reference. MRI from Picture to Proton, McRobbie D W, Moore E A, Graves M J, Prince M R (CUP 2006). A very readable, recent book, with a clinical bias which includes some of the basic physics.


NONLINEAR OPTICS AND QUANTUM STATES OF LIGHT

M Atature

These minor option lectures will provide a basic overview on the field of nonlinear optics from classi-cal to quantum-mechanical descriptions of light. A survey of key nonlinear optical processes will be covered and recent advances of the field leading to the generation of nonclassical states of light dis-playing squeezing and entanglement will be discussed. Introduction: Historical development of nonlinear optics, physical origins of nonlinear response, anharmonic oscillators, coupled wave equations, classical and quantum mechanical derivation of non-linear optical susceptibility, symmetry properties of nonlinear susceptibilities. Second-Order Nonlinear Interactions: second harmonic generation, depleted pump effects, Gaussian beams, pulse propagation in nonlinear medium. General Parametric Processes: up-conversion, amplification, optical gain, sum- and difference-frequency generation, phase matching, quasi-phase matching. Ultrafast Pulse Phenomena: amplitude and phase measurement of optical pulses using nonlinear optics, frequency-resolved optical gating and other techniques. Nonlinearities in Refractive Index: Third-order nonlinearity, Kerr medium, intensity depend-ence and self-phase modulation, self-focusing, optical filamentation, soliton formation. Nonclassical light: quantization of electromagnetic waves, parametric fluorescence, squeezed light, quantum correlations and photon statistics, Fock, thermal and coherent states of light, superposition and entanglement, vacuum field and spontaneous emission. Supervisions: The course will include 3 supervisions to cover example problems and supplementary concepts. BOOKS Primary: Principles of Nonlinear Optics, Y. R. Shen, Wiley-Interscience, 1984.

Nonlinear Optics, R. W. Boyd, Academic Press, 2003. Auxiliary: Quantum Theory of Light, R. Loudon, OUP, 2000.

Optical Coherence & Quantum Optics, L. Mandel & E. Wolf, CUP, 1995. Quantum Electronics, A. Yariv, John Wiley & Sons, 1989.


PARTICLE ASTROPHYSICS

M A Parker

This course will give a basic introduction to experimental and theoretical aspects of particle astrophys-ics. The aim of the course is to emphasise the connection between the very large (cosmology) and the very small (particle physics) and to demonstrate that the early Universe provides the `ultimate' parti-cle accelerator, giving access to energies that will never be created by machines on Earth. Overview of astroparticle physics: Links between particle physics and cosmology, the big open questions. The thermal history of the Universe: Timeline and concept of freezeout. Synthesis of light ele-ments. The mystery of baryon asymmetry, Sakharov criteria. CP violation and baryogenesis: How CP violation can create baryons. Experimental evidence for CP violation. CP violation in SUSY models. The matter content of the Universe: Evidence for dark matter, possible explanations, current searches. Dark energy. Inflation: Horizon and flatness problem, inflation, reheating. Problems of Higgs field in the early universe. Use of CMB fluctuations as a cosmological probe. Relics from the Early Universe: Dark matter abundance, monopoles, cosmic strings and textures. Comparison of WMAP results with SUSY models and HEP constraints. Cosmic rays: spectrum, GKZ cut-off, astrophysical sources and acceleration mechanisms. Neutrinos: neutrino fluxes, detection, neutrino oscillations and masses. Double-beta decay experi-ments, astrophysical constraints on neutrino masses. Relic neutrinos. Modified gravity: Gravitational waves. MOND. Extra dimensions, brane-worlds. Tests of short-range gravity. Black holes: Black holes, hawking radiation, quantum black holes. BOOKS Particle Astrophysics, Perkins D (Oxford University Press). This is available in paperback and is pitched at about the right level for the course, though it does not cover inflationary cosmology in much detail. Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics, Bergström L and Goobar A (Wiley 1999). Dated and has more advanced material than is required for the course. The Physical Foundations of Cosmology, Mukhnaov V (CUP 2005). Graduate level text, but with use-ful pedagogical discussions of nucleosynthesis and baryogenisis. The Early Universe, Kolb E and Turner M (Westview Press 1994). The classic graduate text, but now very dated.


SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND QUANTUM COHERENCE

G G Lonzarich

The course presents a unified treatment of superconductivity, superfluidity and Bose-Einstein conden-sation as an introduction to the general problem of quantum coherence. It is assumed that students taking this course will have also done Advanced Quantum Condensed Matter Physics. Introduction to Superconductivity: Historical overview; superconducting materials; macro-scopic properties; Meissner effect and levitation; type-I and type-II states; Landau theory; critical field Bc. Ginzburg-Landau Theory: The Ginzburg-Landau free energy and Ginzburg-Landau equations; London equations; penetration depth and coherence length; gauge transformations and gauge symme-try breaking (broken symmetry in internal space). Vortex Matter: Flux quantization; vortex lines and vortex lattice; the critical fields Bc1 and Bc2, type-I and type-II superconductivity; vortex pinning and critical currents; vortex liquid state. Josephson Effect and SQUIDs: DC and AC Josephson effects; gauge invariant phase; quantum interference for weak links; the DC SQUID; applications. Superfluidity: Phenomenology; superfluid wavefunction; two-fluid model and the fountain effect; flow quantization and vortices; first and second sound; rotons; Landau’s critical velocity. Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC): Ultra-cold atomic gases; BEC with weak interactions; co-herent states and second quantization; the Bogoliubov Theory and connection to the phenomenologi-cal Ginzurg-Landau Theory. The Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) Theory: BEC to BCS cross-over; Cooper pairs; the BCS wavefunction; the Bogoliubov quasiparticles and the energy gap; experimental evidence for the valid-ity of the BCS theory; order parameter and the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length. Current Problems in Superfluidity and Superconductivity: Unconventional forms of quan-tum order; p-wave spin-triplet superfluidity in 3He; spin-triplet superconductivity in Sr2RuO4 and UGe2; d-wave superconductivity in the high Tc cuprates; phase-sensitive measurements of the gap ani-sotropy; the pseudo-gap state; unconventional mechanisms for superconductivity; collective modes in superfluids and superconductors; the Anderson-Higgs mechanism and superconductivity. BOOKS Superconductivity, Superfluids and Condensates, Annett J F (Oxford University Press, 2004) Superconductivity of Metals and Cuprates, Waldram J R (Institute of Physics Publishing, 1996) Also: Bose-Einstein Condensation in Dilute Gases, Pethick C J and Smith H (Cambridge University Press, 2002) Introduction to Superconductivity, Tinkham M (McGraw-Hill, 1996)


THE FRONTIERS OF OBSERVATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS

R D E Saunders

The course is an entry to the observational and analysis techniques of astrophysics and cosmology. It outlines the underlying physics and studies example issues at the forefront of current research. It is about exactly what limits what we know about the Universe and why. The material is not covered in the Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology major option and so com-plements that option, and by the same token it doesn’t matter if you didn’t attend that option. Indeed, it doesn’t matter whether or not you took the Astrophysical Fluids option last year nor how well you fared with the Relativity course. Introduction: Some basics. The mass-radius relationship of everything. Observational design and statistical inference: The replacing of lab measurements by the study of samples of objects. Hidden correlations and Malmquist bias. Eddington bias. Completeness and false detection. Selection effects: the critical problems in trying to measure apparently simple things such as the space density of quasars as a function of their power outputs and the space density of planets as a function of their masses. Model fitting, chi-squared, likelihood function, etc. Bayesian methods and the need for them as you push the forefronts. Lutz-Kelker bias and the influence of pri-ors. Example: We “know” from supernovae observations that the cosmic expansion is accelerating; the course looks at what this is based on, the assumptions and the uncertainties – which may surprise you. Probes of the Universe: Black-body radiation (stars and cosmic microwave background (CMB)), brightness temperature. Radio and X-ray Bremsstrahlung. Self absorption. Photoionisation, permit-ted and forbidden UV-optical-IR emission lines. Production of emission and absorption lines across the wavebands. Absorption features in the spectra of high-redshift quasars. Measuring temperatures and densities. Measuring the sizes of objects that are observationally unresolved… Fundamental requirements and limitations: range of angular scale; spectral resolution and matched filtering; shot noise, Johnson noise, coherent and incoherent addition, sensitivity; systemat-ics. Example: The detection of planets outside the solar system – astrometry, radial velocities, eclipses, and their biases. Astronomical measurement techniques: Traditional collectors. Interferometry: coupling to an-gular scales, resolving out, sensitivity, clever removal of many systematics, coherence length and path compensation. Following the electric field of the incident radiation versus photon counting. Sky noise, instrument noise, and the hidden problem of surface brightness. Charge coupled devices. Example: Imaging the CMB – pros and cons of interferometric methods, confusing foregrounds, han-dling of systematics, the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect and its distance independence. The effect of the atmosphere: The atmosphere causes high-resolution images in both optical and radio (for different reasons) to jiggle about, limiting sensitivity as well as resolution. The course con-siders these phase effects and ways that, without going into space, can overcome them. Example 1: Adaptive optics – methods of wavefront sensing, design of optimum systems. Example 2: Optical interferometry – the direct imaging of stars and nearby active galactic nuclei de-spite the jiggling phase.


BOOKS Most of the material hasn’t entered textbooks yet, and certainly no book covers the course. The course is therefore designed to be stand-alone, but references are given in the course where useful.


QUANTUM INFORMATION

C H W Barnes

There are no prerequisites for this course. It is a set of new concepts that people who have taken the IB quantum mechanics course could easily step into. You should expect your understanding of quan-tum mechanics to be challenged. Introduction: The postulates of quantum mechanics - the Copenhagen Interpretation. Quantum en-tanglement. Density matrices. Measurement 1: What constitutes a measurement? Schrödinger’s cat and Wigner’s friend. The Ein-stein-Podolsky -Rosen paradox. Some alternative interpretations of quantum mechanics: Many worlds. Bohm’s guiding waves. Transaction interpretation. Histories. Quantum-state diffusion. Hidden variables theories: Bell’s theorem; experimental tests. Quantum Entanglement: Bipartite systems: Schmidt decomposition, reduced density matrix, en-tanglement measures. Tripartite systems. Measurement 2: Positive Operator Value Measure (POVM); Weak measurements. Decoherence: Decoherence time. Quantum cryptography: The BB84 protocol. The no-cloning theorem. Eavesdropping strategies. Privacy amplification. Other protocols. Experimental realisations. Quantum teleportation: Theoretical strategy and experimental realisations. Quantum computing: Qubits. Logical operations. Algorithms for quantum computers: factorisa-tion, database searches. Error correction. Possible systems for implementing quantum computing: ion traps; nuclear magnetic resonance; semiconductor quantum dots.

BOOKS

An easy to understand introduction to the subject can be found in the March 1998 edition of Physics World and articles on quantum information often appear in the news media. The following books provide detailed coverage of parts of the course: Quantum Computation & Quantum Information, Nielson MA & Chuang IL (CUP 2000) The Physics of Quantum Information, Bouwmeester R, Ekart A, Zeilinger A (Spring 2000) Introduction to Quantum Computation and Information, H.-K. Lo, S. Popescu and T. Spiller (World Scientific 1998). Note that this book may not be routinely stocked in bookshops and may have to be ordered. Quantum Mechanics, Rae A I M (3rd edn IOP 1992). The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, Onnes R (Princeton 1994). Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods, A. Peres (Kluwer 1993). There are some very good resources on the World Wide Web such as at: http://www.theory.caltech.edu/~preskill/ph229 - Lecture notes and examples for a course on Quan-tum Information taught by John Preskill at Caltech. Note however that this treatment is much more mathematical than the present course. http://www.qubit.org - The Quantum Information Research Group in Oxford. http://www.cam.qubit.org - The Quantum Information Research Group in Cambridge.


ADVANCED QUANTUM FIELD THEORY

D B Skinner (Part III Maths)

This course is only suitable for students whose mathematics is very strong. Physics stu-dents taking this course may need to do some supplementary reading on Lie group theory, for which the following are recommended: G. 't Hooft, Lectures on Lie Groups in Physics (given at the University of Utrecht, 2007), available at http://www.phys.uu.nl/~thooft/lectures/lieg07.pdf For more advanced topics: Symmetries, Lie Algebras and Representations, Fuchs J and Schweigert C, (C.U.P 1997), available in the Rayleigh Library. Quantum field theory (QFT) is the basic theoretical framework for describing elementary particles and their interactions (excluding gravity) and is essential in the understanding of string theory. It is also used in many other areas of physics including condensed matter physics, astrophysics, nuclear physics and cosmology. The Standard Model, which describes the basic interactions of particle physics, is a particular type of QFT known as a gauge theory. Gauge theories are invariant under symmetry trans-formations defined at each point in spacetime which form Lie Group under composition. To quantise a gauge theory, it is necessary to eliminate non-physical degrees of freedom and this requires addi-tional theoretical tools beyond those developed in the introductory quantum field theory course. A variety of new concepts and methods are first introduced in the simpler context of scalar field the-ory. The functional integral approach provides a formal non-perturbative definition of any QFT which also reproduces the usual Feynman rules. The course discusses in a systematic fashion the treatment of the divergences which arise in perturbative calculations. The need for regularisation in QFT is ex-plained, and the utility of dimensional regularisation in particular is emphasised. It is shown how re-normalisation introduces an arbitrary mass scale and renormalisation group equations which reflect this arbitrariness are derived. Various physical implications are then discussed. The rest of the course is concerned specifically with gauge theories. The peculiar difficulties of quantis-ing gauge fields are considered, before showing how these can be overcome using the functional inte-gral approach in conjunction with ghost fields and BRST symmetry. A renormalisation group analysis reveals that the coupling constant of a quantum gauge theory can become effectively small at high en-ergies. This is the phenomenon of asymptotic freedom, which is crucial for the understanding of QCD: the gauge theory of the strong interactions. It is then possible to perform perturbative calculations which may be compared with experiment. Further properties of gauge theories are discussed, includ-ing the possibility that a classical symmetry may be broken by quantum effects, and how these can be analysed in perturbation theory. Such anomalies have important implications for the way in which gauge particles and fermions interact in the Standard Model. BOOKS An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, Peskin M E and Schroeder D V (Addison-Wesley 1996) Quantum Theory of Fields, Vols. 1 & 2, Weinberg S (CUP 1996)


NUCLEAR POWER ENGINEERING

G T Parks and R L Skelton

This course is module 4M16 (formerly 4A1) in the Engineering Tripos. It is open to third or fourth year Engineering students and students doing some MPhil courses, for instance the MPhil in Technology Policy, as well as Part III Physics students. There are no hard prerequisites in terms of background knowledge, but familiarity with basic nuclear physics and heat transfer is certainly helpful, and stu-dents who cannot solve second-order ordinary and partial linear differential equations will not enjoy parts of the course very much. This module aims to give the student an introduction to and appreciation of the UK nuclear industry, particularly the technology used in the production of electricity in nuclear power stations, the prepara-tion and subsequent treatment of the fuel and its by-products, and the detection of ionising radiation and the protection of workers within the nuclear industry and the general public from it. On completion of the module students should: Appreciate the nature of neutron-nucleus interactions; Be able to classify ionising radiation by physical nature and health hazard; Be able to conduct safely a simple experiment involving radiation; Understand the principles of radiation detection and shielding; Be able to explain the principles of operation of UK nuclear reactors; Be able to apply elementary models of neutron behaviour in reactors; Know how to compute simple power distributions in reactors; Know how to compute simple temperature distributions in reactors and appreciate their conse-

quences; Appreciate the significance of delayed neutrons and Xenon-135 to the control and operation of re-

actors; Appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of on-load and off-load refuelling; Be able to perform simple calculations to predict the refuelling requirements of reactors; Be able to explain the operation of enrichment plant; Appreciate the problems of radioactive waste management; Appreciate the range of activities of the UK nuclear industry. The course consists of 12 lectures, two within-lecture laboratory demonstrations and two examples classes. LECTURE SYLLABUS Health Physics: Principles of nuclear reactions; Radioactivity and the effects of ionising radiation; Introduction to health physics and shielding. Reactor Physics: The fission chain process; Interactions of neutrons with matter; Models for neu-tron distributions in space and energy. Reactor Design and Operation: Simple reactor design; Past, present and future reactor designs and concepts; Heat transfer and temperature distributions in commercial reactors; Time-dependent aspects of reactor operations; delayed neutrons and Xenon poisoning; In-core and out-of-core fuel cy-cles. Fuel Processing: Enrichment and reprocessing; The containment and disposal of radioactive wastes. LABORATORY DEMONSTRATIONS


Demonstration of the use of Geiger-Muller and scintillation counters for detecting ionising radiation. Demonstration of the detection and shielding of fast and thermal neutrons using a 37 GBq Americium-Beryllium source.

BOOKS

Elements of Nuclear Power, Bennet D J and Thomson J R (Longman 1989) Nuclear Reactor Engineering Volumes 1 and 2, Glasstone S and Sesonske A (Chapman and Hall 1991) Principles of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Harms A A (RSP/Wiley 1987) Introduction to Radiation Protection, Martin A and Harbison S A (Chapman and Hall 1996) Nuclear Chemical Engineering, Benedict M, Pigford T H and Levi H W (McGraw-Hill 1981)


INTERDISCIPLINARY TOPICS – NST PART III

Various departments

Within Part III of the NST, certain courses in the Lent Term, typically of 12 or 16 lectures, are made available across the Tripos, rather than just to one subject within it. These Interdisciplinary Courses are examined in a separate papers in the main examination period at the end of Easter Term. At present there are three interdisciplinary topics, all on an environmental theme. Students taking Part III PHYSICS may take any of these, each in place of one Minor Topic.

MATERIALS, ELECTRONICS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY Prof. NC Greenham This interdisciplinary course looks at the physical issues concerning energy generation, storage and use. The style will be varied – making use of simple physical estimates for a wide range of energy problems, but also looking in more detail at materials-based approaches to renewable energy. Only IA-level physics is a prerequisite; those who have experience of solid-state physics will find some parts of the course more straightforward, but the material will be taught and examined in such a way that prior knowledge in this area is not required. This course is given by the Department of Physics. For more details, see the separate synopsis on page 112. CLIMATE CHANGE Prof. D Hodell and others This course is given by the Department of Earth Sciences and the Department of Geography. More details will be made available at www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/IDP.php when they are known. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND GLOBAL CHANGE Dr N Harris and others This course looks at global change from the perspective of atmospheric composition and its linkage to the climate system. Issues covered include the fundamental photochemical and dynamical processes which control atmospheric composition and structure, and how they would differ in a modified cli-mate. The course is designed to complement the material covered in Course I2 (The Earth system and Climate Change) although either course can be taken independently. The course will be lectured and examined in a way which assumes no prior knowledge for those taking the course. This course is given by the Department of Chemistry. More details will be made available at www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/IDP.php when they are known


MATERIALS, ELECTRONICS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

N C Greenham

Interdisciplinary Course within Part III of the Natural Sciences Tripos

This course is given by the Department of Physics This interdisciplinary course looks at the physical issues concerning energy generation, storage and use. The course aims to develop skills in using simple physical estimates for a wide range of energy problems, while also looking in more detail at materials-based approaches to renewable energy. Only IA-level physics is a prerequisite; those who have experience of solid-state physics will find some parts of the course more straightforward, but the material will be taught and examined in such a way that prior knowledge in this area is not required. Energy requirements and energy availability: Back-of-envelope models of energy consumption and production. Current and projected usage. Alternatives to fossil fuels: nuclear, wind, wave, tide, geothermal, solar. Hydrogen and batteries: Hydrogen vs. electric vehicles. Generation and storage of hydrogen. Elec-trochemical principles. Batteries. Fuel cells. Exergy: Heat engines, heat pumps. Exergy and exergy efficiency. Heating and cooling: Practical heat pumps. Combined heat and power. Engines: The Otto cycle. Stirling engines. Solar energy: Sunlight, solar concentration, solar thermal. Scale of solar installations required. Theoretical limits to conversion of solar energy. Electronic structure of molecules and solids: Tight-binding band structure. Interaction with light. Excitons. Electrons and holes. Doping. Inorganic semiconductor solar cells: The p-n junction. Photovoltaic operation. Cell design, ma-terials and performance. Molecular semiconductors: Materials and optical properties. Excitons. Marcus theory. Photo-voltaic devices: multilayers, bulk heterojunctions and dye-sensitised cells. Advanced photovoltaics: Tandem cells. Multiple exciton generation. Photosynthesis: Structure and optoelectronic operation. Charge separation and recombination. Ef-ficiency. Biofuels. BOOKS Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air, Mackay D J C (UIT Cambridge 2009) The Physics of Solar Cells, Nelson J (Imperial 2003) Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis, Blankenship R E (Blackwell 2002)


ENTREPRENEURSHIP

S Barakat

Overview ETECH Projects is best suited for students who see themselves as would-be entrepreneurs or as those who expect to work in situations where they will have to assess ideas, technologies or propositions for their commercial viability.

ETECH Projects has come a long way since its origins in 2001. Since then ETECH Projects has grown to reach out to more university departments, and more than 600 students have gone through the course and almost 50 inventors have been supported. The course is offered every year in the Lent term primarily to students from Chemical engineering, Material Science, Biological Sciences and Physics.

ETECH Projects allows students interested in entrepreneurship to work closely with inventors devel-oping cutting-edge science and technology. The students work as a team to evaluate the commercial potential of novel, potentially disruptive technologies. In many instances the teams are multidiscipli-nary, offering further insights into how a disruptive technology is viewed from different perspectives.

The blend of skills developed through the course are needed in a variety of contexts from early stage companies, venture capital, corporate venturing and technology transfer environments. By assessing commercial due diligence of novel technologies, ETECH Projects helps students develop key entrepre-neurial skills such as opportunity recognition and evaluation in the context of science-based entrepre-neurship.

Please see more on http://www.cfel.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/etech/index.html

ETECH Projects objectives • Assessment of market potential and viability of novel technology based concepts • Build skills to carry out due diligence on the emerging technology. • Perform practical group work to apply these skills to new business ideas. • Work in a multi-disciplinary setting on projects.

Lectures Twelve 1-hour sessions will cover the key elements of successful commercialisation of novel, emerging technologies. There will be practitioner-delivered guest lecturers supplementing the lec-ture/discussions to be led by the faculty. The guest lectures will be delivered by invited local entrepre-neurs and investors providing practical insights that come from experience gained in Europe’s top technology cluster. Topics covered will include the key aspects of commercialisation as follows:

Commercialisation aspect Key topics

Technology Attributes, IP position

Application Viability, Linking technical and commercial advantages

Market and Industry Target markets, Size and growth rates

Competitors/Partners Current/future competition, Potential partners

Business Model Potential business models, Pros and cons

Recommendations Target market, Most suitable business model

Next Steps Immediate next steps to commercialisation Tutor Supervisions


Each student team will prepare a commercial feasibility report and present the findings to the inven-tor(s). Students will be provided with supervision support during the course of the commercial due-diligence process. The supervisions will be structured according to the requirements of each ‘ETECH Project’, but will broadly cover opportunity evaluation, developing the business concept and present-ing the findings. A sample supervision guidance sheet is enclosed in Appendix B. Readings and Supporting Material Students will be provided with a comprehensive course pack that includes a course handbook and pro-viding much of the background material required for the commercial assessment. Reading lists will be provided at the start of the course and at different points during the term that students can draw on to deliver assignments and supplement the lecture notes. Lecture slides along with additional materials are posted on Camtools.

Students wishing to gain further insights into the field before the class should read the following texts, both of which are excellent:

New Venture Creation, Timmons J A and Spinelli S (6th edn Irwin McGraw Hill 2004)

The High-Tech Entrepreneur’s Handbook, Lang J and the Cambridge University Entrepreneurship Centre (Pearson Education 2001) Assessment The course will be assessed by two sets of coursework, which are designed to test candidates’ ability to apply the concepts, tools and techniques covered in the syllabus. Similar tasks are regularly performed by entrepreneurs and investors and are important steps in developing the self-efficacy and compe-tence of those who take the course. One set of the assessed coursework is made up of individual pieces of work and the other is the group project mentioned above, working with an inventor and evaluating the commercial potential of a real invention. Full details are in the course handbook distributed in class.

Part III Physics – Non-examinable courses 115

ETHICS IN PHYSICS

R Jennings

This course of four workshops will address ethical issues that arise in doing physics. The format will be a moderated discussion of ethical problems that arise in four areas as follows: Workshop 1 – military research Workshop 2 – the politics of science and government funding policy Workshop 3 – the use and abuse of data Workshop 4 – intellectual property and allocation of credit Broadly speaking the first two workshops are concerned with the responsible conduct of research and the second two with the applications of physics. My intention is to run a fairly open plan course, and I am willing to introduce topics of particular interest to participants. That said, the default topics are as follows: Workshop 1 For this first ethics in physics workshop I will introduce some of the ethical questions that arise in doing military research and indicate alternatives to military research. My main resources are pub-lications of Scientists for Global Responsibility. Three in particular are of interest and are avail-able as handouts on the TIS: Soldiers in the Laboratory More Soldiers in the Laboratory Behind Closed Doors Workshop 2 This workshop will look at the politics of science and the origins of the government's funding pol-icy. The discussion will focus on the question of how to balance the funding of pure basic research with the government’s priority for wealth creation. This is a particularly sensitive issue for the most basic fields of research such as particle physics and astronomy. The issues arise in a classic debate in the Journal Minerva Volume 1, 1962: Michael Polanyi, “The Republic of Science: Its Political and Economic Theory” pp. 54-73. Alvin Weinberg, “Criteria for Scientific Choice” pp. 159-171. Workshop 3 To compare Robert Millikan’s dubious presentation of data in his 1913 paper, "On the elementary Electrical Charge and the Avogadro Constant," [The Physical Review Series II, Volume II, No. 2, (1913), pp. 109-143] and the more notorious presentation of data by Jan Hendrick Schön. The Millikan case is available at: http://www.onlineethics.org/Education/precollege/scienceclass/sectone/cs2.aspx Workshop 4 Problems of intellectual property range from straightforward plagiarism to industrial espionage. At a more subtle level, there are problems of how credit is shared out among members of a group working on a research project. We will discuss two cases: the case of Rosalind Franklin and her contribution to our knowledge of the chemical structure of DNA, and the case of Jocelyn Bell Burnell and the discovery of pulsars. In each case there is still a range of opinions concerning the distribution of credit, and these two cases provide good examples of the difficulties that can be en-countered in fairly sharing the credit for discoveries. The case of Rosalind Franklin is available at: http://www.onlineethics.org/Education/precollege/scienceclass/sectone/cs4.aspx

Part III Physics – Non-examinable courses 116

PHILOSOPHY OF PHYSICS

J Butterfield

This course of four lectures offers an introduction to the philosophy of modern physics. This is a technical area, although an interdisciplinary one. Its closest cousin is the branch of physics called ‘foundations of phys-ics’. Thus in both areas, we examine the mathematical structures of physical theories. This course will em-phasise two specific theories: relativity and quantum theory. The first and second lectures will survey the philosophy of relativity theory. I will emphasise Einstein’s fa-mous ‘hole argument’, as a lesson about the foundations of general relativity. Einstein devised this argument in late 1913, as an argument against general covariance: namely, that any generally covariant theory would be radically indeterministic. Late in 1915, after he had found the field equations of general relativity, which are generally covariant, he re-assessed the argument as showing only that we should not think of spacetime points as objects, on pain of a radical indeterminism. Broadly speaking, there the matter rested, until about twenty years ago, when the assessment of the argument became again a live topic, because of its connection with other issues in the interpretation of general relativity. The controversy continues today. The third and fourth lectures are devoted to the measurement problem of quantum theory: in short, Schroedinger’s cat. There are many aspects, technical and philosophical (and even historical), one could dis-cuss about this. I will in part be guided by the interests of the class. But here are two: (i) The nature and role of decoherence. In short, decoherence gives a dynamical basis to the selection of a preferred quantity, but does nothing to ‘select’ an individual, definite measurement-outcome, or more gener-ally a definite macroscopic reality. (ii) The current prospects for the Everett interpretation (also known as: the relative-state, or many worlds, interpretation). In short, the interpretation is very strange, but its current prospects are surprisingly good!

BOOKS NB: Most of the books cited will surely be in your College library.

All four Lectures: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), and the Pittsburgh philosophy of science e-arXive, both available online, have many good philosophy of physics articles. First and second Lectures: Theoretical Concepts in Physics, Longair M, (2nd edn CUP 2003); Chapter 17.1-2. SEP article on Einstein’s philosophy of science: http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/einstein-philscience/ SEP article on Einstein’s Hole Argument http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/spacetime-holearg/ Third and fourth Lectures: Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics, Bell J S (2nd edn CUP 2004); Chapters 20 and 23 Philosophical Concepts in Physics, Cushing J T (2nd edn CUP 1998); Chapters 20-22. SEP article on Bell’s theorem: http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/bell-theorem/ SEP article on decoherence in quantum mechanics: http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/qm-decoherence/ Pittsburgh e-arXive articles on the Everett interpretation include the following two: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00000208/ and philsci-archive.pitt.edu/archive/00000681/ Students doing Part III Physics are welcome to attend the weekly non-examinable seminar in Philosophy of Physics given in Mathematics, in both Michaelmas and Lent Terms. In 2012-2012, the details are: Thursday s at 4.30, weeks 1 to 8, Michaelmas and Lent Term, Meeting Room 13 in CMS

Part II Physics – Projects 117

PROJECTS

C G Smith

Please note that from 2014-15 the project allocation procedure with be changing.

Each Part III Physics student is required to undertake a project worth about one-third of the final tripos mark. A project is aimed at investigating a topic of current interest in physics, giving an opportunity for original work and ideas. The precise form of the project may vary from topic to topic and will be specified by the supervisor.

The various types of project work available are as follows:

Experimental Project: generally this is an extended investigation, which is open-ended and gives considerable freedom of approach. Theoretical Project: this is a small-scale theoretical research project, requiring an element of original theoretical development and/or computation. Computing Project: this generally requires the writing or use of computer programs to investigate some aspect of physics. Some theoretical work is usually required as a basis for the program.

The project abstracts, provided by members of staff and Senior Research workers, are available on the web: see (http://www-teach.phy.cam.ac.uk/pt3projects/ for a direct link to the project pages). Students may also suggest projects of their own, but they must have a supervisor (who may be external) and the project must be approved in advance by Professor Smith. Students interested in a particular project should discuss it as soon as possible with the relevant supervisor. The list of projects on the web will be continuously updated to show which ones have already been taken. Students must choose their projects by the end of the fourth week of Michaelmas term. Supervisors will decide, by that same deadline, which students may undertake their projects, but they are asked not to make a decision until Thursday, October 24th 2013, at the earliest. The purpose of this delay is to allow students time to talk to several supervisors and to allow supervisors to find the most suitable students for their projects. In response to student concerns, a code of practice for projects allocations has been agreed by both the Teaching Committee and the Staff Student Consultative Committee – see below for the full version. Supervisors will offer the project to a student using the web interface, where they will also indicate the safety risks associated with the project, and students will be asked to indicate their acceptance of the offer, via email. In the interests of fairness both to the supervisor and to fellow students, students will not normally be allowed to change their project once they have accepted an offer. Safety In all research there are possible risks associated with performing the work. Each supervisor will indicate what the risks are associated with their experiment on the sign up form. Before the project starts the student and supervisor will sign a project card which will confirm that the student will be trained appropriately to cover the risks associated with the project. No project will start until this card is received in the Teaching Of-fice. The card will also list the name of the “day to day” supervisor and the laboratories in which the student will be working. If there is a safety hazard associated with the project then supervisors will suggest appro-priate safety courses for the student to go on. The laboratory will provide these safety courses, which will be held in the Michaelmas term. Attendance records will be taken at these lectures and no student will be al-lowed to start their project unless they have attended the appropriate courses. Supervisors and Students will now complete and sign a risk assessment form showing they understand the risks associated with their project experiments. These forms will be prepared with the help of the supervisor and these will be handed in to the Teaching Office before the start of experiments or before Friday, December 6th 2013, whichever


is the sooner. They will then be passed on to the Safety officer. Changes of experimental procedure during the project will require an updating of the risk assessment forms. Where work is performed in Laboratories outside the Cavendish Laboratory, the Teaching Office will write to the department concerned drawing attention to the fact that one of our students will be working there to get their agreement on the project going ahead. If for any reason a project needs to move between departments the Teaching Office must be informed and the new department made aware of the arrangements. Expected time students should spend on the project The project workload is expected to take up one third of your time for the year:

Michaelmas Term: approximately one sixth of your project time spread through the term.

Lent Term: approximately four sixth of your time with concentrated effort at the beginning and end of the term.

Easter Term: one sixth of your project work, at the beginning of Full Term.

Students should not devote too much time to the project to the detriment of their preparation for the exami-nations. Students should schedule their time carefully, and start as early as possible, so as not to conflict with preparation for exams during the vacations. Laboratory Note Book Students will be required to keep a laboratory note book during the project. This will act as a day to day re-cord of the project work and will be handed in with the project write up. Although the note book will not be marked, the information in it will be used in assessment of the project and will help indicate how the day to day issues that come up in the research were dealt with. During the safety course there will be a presentation on what is expected in the Laboratory note book. Progress reports Students will be asked to complete two progress reports. At the end of the Michaelmas Term you should submit a Project Plan (one copy; approximately 500 words) which would normally include a statement that the relevant literature has been consulted. This should be signed by your supervisor to indicate his or her agreement with the plan and should be handed in by Friday, December 6th 2013. The signed copy of the Project Plan will be retained by the teaching office and forwarded to the assessor in Easter Term – failure to submit a project plan will result in the loss of 5% of the available project marks. The second report is a simple “tick box” form, which will be issued during week 6 of the Lent term. This will invite you to report any problems with your project, and to confirm that a presentation has been scheduled. The second report will not form part of any assessment, but will allow any problems to be identified by Professor Smith well before the time the project has to be handed in. It is very important that students bring any unforeseen delays or other problems with their projects to Pro-fessor Smith’s attention at the earliest possible opportunity. The earlier such problems are addressed, the more chance there is of taking suitable remedial action. Supervisions and presentation Supervisors should offer up to six supervisions on the project. One of these should be in the form of a presen-tation of preliminary project results; either to the supervisor’s research group (strongly encouraged) or to a small group of say 4 — 6 project students and supervisors. It is expected that supervisors will organise these presentations in about the seventh week of the Lent term, (or later, perhaps even at the very start of the Easter term, if mutually acceptable). Students will receive feedback on the content and presentation of their projects from the supervisors and others present, which should help them with their oral exam. This form of


presentation is aimed at developing communication and presentational skills. Failure to give this presenta-tion will result in the loss of 5% of the available marks for the project. The formal write-up The project should usually be presented in the style of a paper published in a scientific journal. The style of the project should be agreed with the supervisor. The main text (excluding appendices and abstract) should be concise (20–30 pages, 5000 words maximum). The text should describe and explain the main fea-tures of the project, the methods used, results, discussion and conclusions. Detailed measurement records, calculations, programs, etc. should be included as appendices. (Programs of more than a few hundred lines can be submitted – one copy only – flash stick or, preferably, CDROM: please ensure it is labelled with your Examination number.) In addition, there must be an abstract of at most 500 words. The student and supervisor should discuss the general structure of the report before writing is started, but the supervisor should not read a full draft before submission. A set of handy tips and information is given in the booklet entitled Keeping Laboratory Notes and Writing Formal Reports, which is handed out to students at the start of the year and is also available on the web - make sure you get one. Submission of the project The deadline for submission of the project is:

An request for a delay in the hand-in date of your project report due to illness must go through your Director of Studies and then be agreed by the Applications Committee. Treat this deadline like you would an exam date.

Two copies of the project plus your laboratory note book should be handed in to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Building) in person before the submission deadline. In order to preserve anonymity when your project is looked at by the Part III examiners, your name must not appear on the project itself. Two cover sheets, available from the Teaching Office, should be attached to the front of each project. The blue cover sheet, which has a space for both your name and candidate number, goes on the outside. The green cover sheet, which has only your candidate number, goes immediately behind it. (The blue sheet will be removed before the Part III Examiners receive your report). You should ensure that your candidate number appears on the first page of your project, together with the title of the project and your supervisor’s name.

The blue cover sheet contains the following declaration, which you should sign: Except where specific refer-ence is made to the work of others, this work is original and has not been already submitted either wholly or in part to satisfy any degree requirement at this or any other university.

Project Assessment As soon as possible after submission, the project will be assessed by two people, normally the supervisor and another staff member (the assessor), who will conduct an informal oral examination of the student on the work. The assessor, who will be appointed by the Teaching Committee, will not usually be a specialist in the field. The student will be asked to present a short verbal summary, normally uninterrupted, of the project during the interview. A projector will be made available if requested in advance. Students should expect to be contacted by their supervisor shortly after handing their project in, to arrange the oral examination. The supervisor and assessor will write separate reports plus a joint report to the Part III Examiners and will recommend a mark. These marks are not necessarily final and may be amended by the examiners, who also look at the projects.

4.00 pm on the third Monday of Easter Full Term (12th May 2014).


The following guidelines for allocation of marks to Part III Projects will be given to assessors. Each heading carries equal weight.

Scientific content: How much appropriate understanding of science (particularly physics) was shown?

Quality of work: How carefully/accurately/successfully was the work planned and per-formed (the laboratory note book will be used to help assess this). Was an appropriate amount of relevant material included?

Communication skills: Report: was the report well written and clearly organised, with clear and well-balanced arguments, appropriate use of figures and tables, etc? Viva: was the student able to summarise the work and to respond coherently to questions?

After the oral examination, the assessors will return their report and recommended marks, along with both (signed) copies of the projects and the Laboratory note books, to the Teaching Office (Room 212B, Bragg Building). After publication of the Part III Class List, students may, if they wish, retrieve one copy of their project from the Teaching Office. If there are any questions about these arrangements come and see Professor Smith, in the Mott Building, Room 358, telephone 37483, e-mail [email protected].

Further information: Allocation of Projects In response to concerns about the transparency of the project allocation process, the following text has been approved by the Teaching Committee and the Staff Student Consultative Committee. Project supervisors are enjoined to act within the spirit of the following code.

Code of Practice for allocation of Part III Projects Part III Projects cover the full range of research in Physics, involving analytical, experimental and computational work in various proportions. They may involve working in research groups either in the Department of Physics or elsewhere in the University. Part III projects are often closely linked to the supervisor’s own research, and may result in single or joint publication. Unlike Part II Research Reviews, the successful conclusion of a project requires a reasonable match between the skills and interests of the student and those required by the project. It is reasonable that the project supervisor should be the judge of these: it is not therefore appropriate to assign projects by a general lottery, for example. Supervisors are, however, asked to ensure fair play in the allocation process. This requires that the requisite skills be fully advertised in the project abstract, and that the supervisor should be prepared to discuss the project with all students who make serious inquiries. He or she should also keep an open mind until the end of the consultation period, and should then make and an-nounce a decision as quickly as possible, to avoid keeping students “on a string”. If more than one student indicates serious interest, the supervisor should make clear how he or she in-tends to make the allocation – in some cases this might be as simple as drawing names from a hat, while for an analytical project closely tied to the supervisor’s research project, it might be on the ba-sis of performance in TP1 and/or TP2 in the previous year. The essential point is that whatever method is used should be seen to be appropriate and fair, should be clear to the students, and should be settled expeditiously once the system opens to allocations. Students can then make a reasonable guess at their chances, and can pursue such other projects as they wish. Supervisors may create projects expressly for a particular student, and are encouraged to do so (ei-ther in response to the student’s initiative in proposing the project, or in response to strong de-mand). However, such projects should not be advertised to the class via the web, but should be


flagged as “hidden” or “inactive” until allocated. As well as not raising false hopes, this will also avoid having to answer unwanted inquiries. Out of fairness to supervisors, students are not normally allowed to change projects once they have been allocated one and have accepted it. This places an additional responsibility on supervisors to ensure a fair, transparent and efficient allocation.

Further Health and Safety considerations Supervisors should always discuss safety aspects of their projects with the students concerned, mentioning potential hazards and procedures with which students may not be familiar. Supervisors should ensure that the student has read and understood the relevant risk assessments for the activities to be carried out. For new activities, risk assessments should be carried out by the supervisor in consultation with the student. For safety reasons, students must at all times remain within shouting distance of help, and, if performing an ex-periment, sign in a book provided by the supervisor, on each occasion when they start and when they finish work. They are only allowed to work on experiments in the Department outside normal lab hours in excep-tional circumstances, by prior arrangement with the supervisor, and with the approval of the Departmental Safety Officer and the Head of Department. Supervisors must ensure that students are aware of general and experiment-related emergency procedures. By accepting the project, students are indicating their agree-ment to abide by these and other safety rules. Use of bibliographic databases The Web of Science database (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk) may be used to find relevant papers. Students must first sign a form (available from the Rayleigh Library) unless they signed one last year

122

Guide for Students 123

Guide for Students


Academic Staff Staff member Telephone

(sec’y) Room Group E-mail

Alexander, Prof. P 37477(37294) G24 AP [email protected] Allison, Dr W 37416(37336) 413B SMF [email protected] Ansorge, Dr R E 66103 240 BSS [email protected] Atatüre, Dr M 66465(66298) 982 AMOP [email protected] Barnes, Dr C H W 37487 361 TFM [email protected] Batley, Dr J R 37434(37227) 953 HEP [email protected] Baumberg, Prof. J J 37313 24 IRC OE [email protected] Bohndiek, Dr S T.B.A. T.B.A. BSS [email protected] Buscher Dr D F 37302 G26 AP [email protected] Castelnovo, Dr C 37433 528 TCM [email protected] Cicuta, Dr P 37462 237 BSS [email protected] Cole, Dr J 37470 (37336) 429 SMF [email protected] Cooper, Prof. N R 65127 528 TCM [email protected] Donald, Prof. Dame Athene M 37382(37423) 243 BSS [email protected] Eiser, Dr E 37267 238 BSS [email protected] Ellis, Dr J 37410 427C SMF [email protected] Ford, Prof. C J B 37486(37482) 330 SP [email protected] Friend, Prof. Sir Richard H 37218(37313) 32 IRC OE [email protected] Gibson, Prof. V 37373(37227) 958 HEP [email protected] Green, Dr D A 37305(37294) F30 AP [email protected] Greenham, Prof. N C 66301(37313) 33 IRC OE [email protected] Gripaios, Dr B M 61014 961 HEP [email protected] Grosche, Dr F M 37352 409 QM [email protected] Gull, Prof. S F 37367(37294) F22 AP [email protected] Hadzibabic, Dr Z 37004 835 AMOP [email protected] Haniff, Prof. C A 37307 F29 AP [email protected] Hobson, Prof. M P 39992 F08 AP [email protected] Hughes, Dr H P 37327(37313) M210 OE [email protected] Irvine, Dr A C 37555 M232 ME [email protected] Jardine-Wright Dr L 33318 212A Outreach [email protected] Jones, Dr G A C 37484(37482) 359B SP [email protected] Keyser, Dr U 37272 239 BSS [email protected] Khmelnitskii, Prof. D C 37289(37254) 521 TCM [email protected] Lamacraft, Dr A 37378 529 TCM [email protected] Lasenby, Prof .A N 37293(37294) K28 AP [email protected] Lester, Dr C G 37232 952 HEP [email protected] Longair, Prof. M S 65953 G25 AP [email protected] Maiolino, Prof. R 61661 K35 AP [email protected] Needs, Prof. R J 37384(37254) 535 TCM [email protected] Padman, Dr R 37310(37294) F21 AP [email protected] Parker, Prof. M A 37429 210 Head of

Depart-ment

[email protected] [email protected]

Payne, Prof. M C 37381(37254) 541 TCM [email protected] Phillips, Prof. R T 37342(37313) 874 AMOP [email protected] Queloz, Prof. D P 37083 F24 [email protected] Richer, Dr J S 37246 F28 AP [email protected] Riley, Dr J M 37308 F23 AP [email protected] Ritchie, Prof. D A 37331/37255 361 SP [email protected] Saunders, Dr R D E 37301(37294) F08 AP [email protected]


Simons, Prof. B D 37253(37254) 539 TCM [email protected] Scott, Prof. J F 37391 502 QM [email protected] Sirringhaus, Prof. H 37557 M208 ME [email protected] Smith, Prof. C G 37483(37482) 358 SP [email protected] Steiner, Prof. U 37390 35 IRC BSS [email protected] Terentjev, Prof. E M 37003 245 BSS [email protected] Thomson, Prof. M A 65122/(37227) 951 HEP [email protected] Ward, Prof. D R 37242(37227) 939 HEP [email protected] Warner, Prof. M 37380(37254) 505 TCM [email protected] Withington, Prof. S 37393(37294) 816B AP [email protected]

“M” indicates Microelectronics Building - “IRC” indicates Interdisciplinary Research Centre “B” indicates Battcock Centre

Administration The Department’s central administration is located in the Bragg Building. Enquiries are usually dealt with via Room 206, between 9:00 and 12:30, and 14:00 and 17:00.

Aims and Objectives The Quality Assurance Agency, through its institutional audit of the University, is concerned with the assur-ance of the quality of teaching and learning within the University. The University in turn requires every De-partment to have clear aims and objectives and to monitor their teaching and learning activities and consider changes where necessary, and meet various criteria concerning management of the quality of its teaching provision. Students play a vital role in assisting with this quality assurance, and the Department welcomes constructive comment via the Staff-student Consultative Committee.

Appeals Information about the procedure for examination warnings, allowances and appeals is available at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/exams/undergraduate/exams.html.

Astronomical Society (CUAS) Astronomy is a popular branch of physics and the Astronomical Society provides an interesting series of lec-tures on Wednesday evenings during the Michaelmas and Lent Terms, details of which can be found on the society’s web page - http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cuas/. Members of the research groups of the Caven-dish Laboratory concerned with astronomy are often lecturers in this series.

Bicycles The Cavendish Laboratory provides several cycle sheds and racks in which you may leave your bike, but it should be locked with a sturdy security device when not in use. Several serious accidents occur every year in-volving students cycling in Cambridge: please cycle with care, use proper lights when required and wear a safety helmet.

Books The Physics Course Handbook lists the most important books to be used in conjunction with the lecture and practical courses. Reading and working through parts of these books are indispensable exercises which are usually considered part of the course. Many of the books are expensive, but they may be obtained at substan-tial reductions by attending book sales and looking out for bargains listed on College noticeboards and those in the Cavendish. All books recommended for Part I should be available in College libraries or the Rayleigh Library. If you notice any omissions, please fill in a request slip to ensure that the book is ordered.

Bookshops The main bookshops from which you should be able to obtain the recommended books are Heffers, CUP and Waterstones. And then there is always Amazon… Note: a 20% discount is available at the CUP bookshop with a University Card.


Buildings The present Cavendish Laboratory comprises the extensive buildings south of Madingley Road, the first of which opened in 1973. A map of the Cavendish Laboratory site is shown on the inside back cover. The origi-nal buildings on this site were the Rutherford, Bragg and Mott Buildings, named after former Cavendish Pro-fessors, and the workshop building between the Rutherford and Bragg buildings. These have in the past few years been supplemented by a building for the Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) in Superconductivity (now the Kapitza Building), and a further building for the Microelectronics Research Group and Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory. Further recent additions to the site are the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre of the Chemical Engineering Department, the first phase of the Physics of Medicine (POM) building, which houses the laboratories for the Biological and Soft Systems sector (BSS), the Nanoscience Centre and the Terrapin Building. The most recent addition is the Battcock Centre for Astrophysics, which houses the Astro-physics Group and is located on the Institute of Astronomy site off Madingley Road.

Calculators When considering which calculator to buy, you may wish to bear in mind that only certain types are permit-ted for use in Tripos examinations. Among these are the Casio models available from the Cavendish Stores. Calculators will also need the ‘official’ Board of Examination yellow sticker which can be obtained from the Board of Examination offices in Mill Lane.

CamCORS The supervision reporting system. See Databases (below)

CamSIS The student information system. See Databases (below)

CamTools CARET’s Virtual Learning Environment. See Databases (below)

Canteen See Common Room (below).

Careers The University Careers Service is located in Stuart House, Mill Lane (telephone number 338288), and is fi-nanced by the University to provide students with information about careers and assistance with application processes. The Service maintains an information room which can be used during normal office hours, and additionally provides expert staff to advise students about career-related issues. Ask at the reception desk.

Cavendish Laboratory The Cavendish Laboratory is the name of the building which houses (most of) the University’s Department of Physics; the name has become synonymous with the department itself. The laboratory was established through the generosity of William Cavendish, Seventh Duke of Devonshire, who endowed the laboratory in the nineteenth century, together with the Cavendish Chair of Experimental Physics. The original Cavendish Laboratory was located in Free School Lane, and opened in 1874; the Department moved to the present site in 1973-74. The history of the Cavendish is well illustrated in the Cavendish Museum, located in the Bragg Building.

Cavendish Stores Next to the Common Room in the Bragg Building is the central “stores” of the whole laboratory, the opening hours of which are 8:00 -16:45.

The stores sell past examination papers, the booklet of mathematical formulae, and calculators for examina-tions.

Cheating The Department considers the act of cheating as a serious matter and any incident will be reported to the Head of Department, who will normally refer the case to the University Proctors.


It is unacceptable to:

cheat during oral or written tests

copy the work of others and submit as your own

falsify and/or invent experimental data

In the practical classes, some experiments are designed to be carried out individually and some in collabora-tion with other students. Discussion among students and with demonstrators and Heads of Class is encour-aged and you may use any help or insights gained in these discussions to improve your experiment, your understanding of the physics and your written report. However, your report should be written by you, follow-ing the guidelines on writing reports, and only data collected in your experiment should be presented as your own.

The Department has access to the latest anti-plagiarism software tools and will use them from time to time to monitor coursework submissions for plagiarism, and so ensure fairness for all students.

Classing Criteria The Department of Physics has agreed that examiners will mark to agreed criteria for written examinations. Due to the way in which marks from different subjects are combined to create the final list in Parts IA and IB, the criteria used in Physics are not reflected directly in the class list. For Parts II and III, the examinations are under the direct control of the Department, in conjunction with scrutiny by External Examiners. The cri-teria for classing in Physics are available at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/classing.php.

College Your College ordinarily admits you to the University, provides you with accommodation and arranges for your supervisions in Parts IA and IB. Usually, but not always, your Director of Studies in Physics will be a member of staff of the Cavendish, and will be directly in touch with the Department. Most Colleges aim to provide supervision at a rate of about one hour per week for each of Part IA Physics, Part IB Physics A and Part IB Physics B. Part II and Part III supervision is provided on behalf of the Colleges through a scheme administered in the Department.

Common Room The Cavendish contains a large Common Room which is open to all students of Physics. It is open for light refreshments from 10:30-16:30, and for lunch from 12:30-13:45, on Mondays to Fridays. In addition there is an area for relaxation outside the lecture theatres, where there are vending machines for food and drink. Room 700 on the bridge between the Rutherford and Bragg buildings, above the metal stores is available for private study for Pt II and III students.

Complaints If you have a complaint about the teaching or administration in the Department, take it up first, if possible, with the person directly concerned in a constructive manner. If this is not effective, or if the matter seems to be of general interest, you may wish to discuss it with your course representative on the Staff-Student Con-sultative Committee. It may also be useful to discuss the matter with your Director of Studies or Tutor. If your complaint is substantial, by all means take it to the Director of Undergraduate teaching or the Head of Department. There is also a formal University Complaints Procedure, of which you should have received de-tails. If you need advice on whether or how to proceed with a formal complaint, you could ask your College Tutor or Director of Studies, or your CUSU representative, or any physics member of staff. (See also Harass-ment, below.)

Computing The Department relies on the University Computing Service for the provision of computing facilities for un-dergraduates. The Managed Cluster Service (MCS – formally PWF) is located close to the Practical laborato-ries, where you can use networked PCs with a range of software for word-processing, spreadsheet calculation and dataplotting. Most colleges also provide some facilities.


The Department makes increasing use of computers in practical work, and aims to develop specific skills in the use of computers for solving problems in physics.

Counselling The University Counselling Service is at 14 Trumpington Street (telephone 332865), and is open 9:00 - 17:30, Monday to Friday. It exists to help members of the University who have problems of a personal or emotional nature which they wish to discuss in confidence. The Service is widely used, so it can be very busy, and it is best to make an appointment either by telephone or in person. In times of particular stress a special effort will be made to see you quickly.

Advice on personal matters is always available in your college through your Tutor.

Special assistance is provided by Linkline (internal telephone 44444, external line 367575) and the Samari-tans (telephone 364455).

Courses The Department of Physics offers a wide range of courses in Physics, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, many of which are detailed in the Lecture List which is available online http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lecture.php from mid-September. Some specialised courses for post-graduate students are not advertised in this way. The detailed synopses of the courses for Tripos are given in this Handbook, which is distributed at the beginning of the academic year to all students taking physics courses.

Databases Students taking courses in Physics will come across a number of different on-line databases. Because these all use the same login method (“Raven” authentication: see below), it is not always obvious that these are dif-ferent systems, which for the most part do not (yet) talk to each other. The four main databases are:

CamCORS – the Cambridge Colleges Online Reporting System. Supervisors use this to report to Directors of Studies and Tutors on the progress of their supervisees, and to claim from the col-leges for the supervisions provided. If colleges choose to release the information, students can view their supervision reports here directly. See http://www.camcors.cam.ac.uk/

CamSIS – the student information system. Students use this to enter for exams, and (when the results are uploaded) to check their Tripos results. Part IB NST students also indicate their Part II subject choice through this system. See http://www.camsis.cam.ac.uk/

CamTools – a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) run by CARET, the Centre for Applied Re-search in Educational Technologies. Most Part IA NST courses have their own pages on Cam-Tools. The Department of Physics uses instead the Teaching information System (TiS; see below) which permits better integration with other Departmental systems. See http://camtools.cam.ac.uk/

The Teaching Information System – a web database system run by the Department of Physics. All course resources are provided here. It is important that all students register directly with the TiS each year, in addition to entering for examinations on CamSIS. (see Registration: below). See http://www-teach.phy.cam.ac.uk

Department of Physics The Department of Physics is the administrative unit in the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry which provides teaching in physics leading to the Part II and Part III examinations in Physics. The Head of Department is Professor Andy Parker. Your direct contact with the Department can be through your College (your Director of Studies in the first instance) or through the staff you encounter in lectures and practicals. The needs of students in Part I are usually met fully through College contacts; in later years direct contact with the De-partment increases. Notices are posted near the lecture theatres and practical classes which all students should read, since this is where details of examination procedures are advertised. The Department provides various facilities specifically to help you in your study of physics, many of which are described in this docu-ment.


Director of Studies You will have been assigned a Director of Studies in your College - possibly one for Physics and another for Natural Sciences overall. This person will assign you to supervisors during your first two years, will monitor your progress and try to assist you if you have problems. If you get into difficulties with the course you should discuss this with your Director of Studies, or with your Tutor. If for any reason you feel unable to do this any member of staff of the Department will willingly try to assist you.

Disability The Department is happy to cater for the needs of students with disabilities. Students with disabilities which require special arrangements to be made should contact the Teaching Office in good time.

Electronic Mail Electronic mail is widely used as a good way to communicate with your supervisors, and also provides the mechanism for offering comments on the courses offered by the Physics Department (see Year Groups). It is also used by the department to contact students.

Examinations The marks upon which your degree classification is based are derived from a combination of continuously-assessed work, set pieces (such as projects) and examination papers. There is one three-hour paper in Phys-ics for Part IA, two for Part IB Physics A, two for Part IB Physics B, and seven or eight two hour papers for Part II. In Part III most examinations are taken at the beginning of the term following that in which the course is taken; there is a 3-hour paper in General Physics at the end of Easter term.

See Natural Sciences Tripos http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/natscitripos/exams/ and Classing Criteria http://ww.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/classing.php for details of the grades that may be obtained.

Preparation for examinations is important, and the best method to use varies widely between individuals. The Physics Department has produced some guidance which you might find helpful and is available on the teaching pages on the web at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/exam_skills.php. If you have problems it is worth discussing them with your supervisor, Director of Studies or your Tutor, who may be able to assist by suggesting alternative approaches. Information on the various styles of questions is available at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/exam_questions.php, and you will find a brief description of how ex-aminers work at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/exam_workings.php.

Internal examiners are appointed each year for each Tripos examination; two external examiners are also appointed for Parts II and III. The Reporter publishes the names of the examiners. For each subject listed be-low there is a Senior Examiner drawn from the staff of the Department, and they take the responsibility for the setting and marking of the examination papers, assisted by the other examiners. For the academic year 2013-14 the Senior Examiners are:

Part IA Physics: Dr G A C Jones

Part IB Physics A: Prof. J J Baumberg

Part IB Physics B: Dr B M Gripaios

Part II Physics: Dr R Padman

Part II Half Subject Physics: Dr R Padman

Part III Physics: Prof. D R Ward

MASt: Prof. D R Ward

You should note that, by tradition - in order to ensure that the examination process is beyond reproach - di-rect contact with the examiners is not encouraged. If you have a problem that you believe should be brought before a particular body of examiners, the proper channel is through your Tutor or Director of Studies.

Selective Preparation for Examinations

There has been some discussion with past students about the advisability of ‘ditching a course’ in preparation for the examinations. The Department gave the following advice:


(1) Departmental policy is that the examinations should test the whole course taken by students. The exami-nations are designed to test the wide range of skills and knowledge that has been acquired.

(2) In any section of an examination paper, there is likely to be a range of questions which you will find to have differing degrees of difficulty and also testing different aspects of each course.

(3) It is very dangerous indeed to ‘ditch courses’. It results in a very limited range of questions which can be answered - how do you know they are not all going to be very demanding? It requires enormous effort to be sure that you can answer well any question which can be set on any given course. It is much safer, and educa-tionally much sounder, to prepare for all the courses for which you are entered in the Tripos examinations. You are much more likely to find two questions out of four in which you can perform well.

Examples Classes From the third year onwards Examples Classes are provided as an important aid to your learning. They ex-plore in greater depth some particular issues related to parts of the lecture course, and with a number of demonstrators on hand they should be used to strengthen your grasp of the course material.

Examples Sheets Examples sheets are provided to accompany every lecture course, and are usually distributed outside the lec-ture theatre. It is the policy of the Department to provide examples which cover a wide range of difficulty, so don’t expect to be able to do all of them without some assistance from your supervisor. You should try to produce satisfactory solutions to all of the designated ‘core’ examples for your subsequent use in revision, af-ter discussion of the material in a supervision. Many of the questions are taken from past Tripos papers, so they provide good practice in handling material in the lecture courses, chosen to reflect the present content of the course.

Faculty of Physics and Chemistry The Department of Physics is part of the Faculty of Physics and Chemistry.

Feedback The Department makes a great effort to provide excellent courses and facilities, and obviously wishes to en-sure that the results are as good as possible from the student’s perspective. We rely on you to help us iron out any problems. Your input to the constant refinement of our teaching provision is therefore a welcome and es-sential ingredient, and is most helpfully directed through your representative on the Staff-Student Consulta-tive Committee (see below). Feedback is now obtained using the SWIFT survey tool on Caret. Please fill these in with constructive comments – these responses are important input to the Consultative Committee, and the information is then passed on to the lecturers, Heads of Class and supervisors. There are also e-mail addresses for comments on each year of the Tripos (see the top of the relevant sections in this Handbook).

Fire Alarms All buildings are equipped with fire alarms, and you should take note of the instructions, which are posted around the buildings, for the procedure to follow in case of fire. There is a fire drill at some time each year. If you hear a fire alarm leave the building quickly and quietly by the nearest fire exit. Do not stop to collect your possessions. Do not use lifts. Fire doors in corridors close automatically when the alarm system is activated; they must never be obstructed. The system is tested between 7.30am and 8.30am each Monday.

If you discover a fire, raise the alarm by breaking the glass at the nearest Fire Alarm Point, and evacuate the building by the nearest safe route. If it is possible to do so without taking personal risks call the Fire Brigade (telephone 1999 from a University network telephone).

Formulae A booklet of standard mathematical formulae, identical to the one that is made available in certain examina-tions, is available for purchase from Cavendish Stores and Classes Technicians or for downloading from the web at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/students.php. You are urged to use and become familiar with the contents of this booklet, because it has become clear in recent Tripos examinations that many students are not aware of the time it can save them in an examination.


Handbook The Physics Course Handbook is updated each year, and distributed to students of all years. It aims to be the definitive source of information about the courses, but students may be informed of corrections, and up-dates, during the year, e.g. in course handouts, or by notices on notice boards, or by e-mail. It is also available on the web at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/students.php. Please send any comments, on errors or omissions, by e-mail to [email protected].

Harassment The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment for work and learning which is free from all forms of discrimination. The central authorities of the University regard racial, sexual and disability harassment and bullying as wholly unacceptable behaviour. The information about harassment is available at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/personnel/policy/dignity/.

Any student who feels they are being harassed or bullied racially, sexually or because of a disability is en-couraged to seek advice. The Department of Physics has appointed two advisors who are available to students for guidance and support:

Dr Bill Allison, Room 413B & Tel: 37416, E-mail: mailto:[email protected]

Dr Julia Riley, Room 916 & Tel: 37308, E-mail: [email protected]

Advice may also be obtained from College Tutors.

Contact with the advisors will be treated as confidential. No information about a complaint will be released or taken any further without the student’s consent.

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics is a national body that exists to promote physics. The Student Liaison Officer for the Institute of Physics is Esther Bennett ([email protected]). Prof. Mike Payne ([email protected]) is the Cambridge Representative, from whom application forms can also be obtained. Following graduation you may obtain (according to experience) various grades of professional membership, Chartered Physicist status, and several other benefits which may have some bearing on obtaining a job.

Laboratory Closure The Cavendish Laboratory opens at 8:00 and closes at 18:00 Monday to Friday. Over Christmas and New Year the Laboratory is completely closed.

Late Submission of Work In accordance with the University’s regulations, work submitted after the advertised deadline will not count towards your final examination mark, unless an extension of time is granted on the grounds that there are mitigating circumstances. For any item of work amounting to more than 10% of the total for the year (for ex-ample a Part III Project), any application for such an extension should be made by your college Tutor to the University’s Applications Committee. For items of work amounting to less than 10% of the total year’s mark, any application for an extension should be made by your college Tutor or Director of Studies to the Director of Undergraduate Teaching, c/o Teaching Office, Cavendish Laboratory, ([email protected]).

In either case, you should submit the work as soon as possible after the deadline.

Lecture handouts Handouts, containing material to supplement lectures, are usually distributed at the time of the relevant lec-ture outside the lecture theatre. The amount of material prepared is at the discretion of the lecturer. Diverse opinions have been (vociferously) expressed by students each year about handouts - some want very little material, others wish to have copies of lecture overheads, others want a substitute for a book. When lecture overheads are supplied there are often criticisms that the lecturer is reading from the handout! It is impossi-ble for the Department to provide courses and handouts which satisfy every different preference. Lecture handouts should be regarded as assistance beyond the lecture material, optionally provided by the lecturer, but they cannot substitute for your own reading through the wide range of textbooks available throughout the University, and you cannot reasonably expect them to. Lecture handouts are available on the web at http://www-teach.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/handouts.php.


Lectures Details of lectures will be found in the Lecture List published at the start of each academic year on the web at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/lectures.php.

Part IA lectures are usually held in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre, The Chemical Laboratory.

Part IB Physics A and Physics B lectures are usually held in the Cockcroft Lecture Theatre on the New Muse-ums Site.

Part II and Part III lectures are usually held in the lecture theatres at the Cavendish Laboratory or in the Sackler Lecture Theatre at the Institute of Astronomy.

Libraries Library provision in Cambridge is outstanding. Your College will probably provide a core of physics books to supplement those you buy. Usually the College Librarian will welcome suggestions for additional purchases if you find omissions of important books from the College Library.

The Department provides the Rayleigh Library, located in the Bragg building, and a special section has been set aside for use by Part II and Part III students (see Part II and Part III Library, below).

The University Library has an extensive physics collection.

Physics journals are held in the Rayleigh Library and in the Moore Library in Wilberforce Road (see below). Online access to many physics journals is available within the cam domain.

MASt This is a taught postgraduate course, which consists of the same content as Part III Physics. The course is designed for students who hold a 3-year undergraduate degree who wish to pursue a research degree. The entry requirement for the MASt is a qualification comparable to an upper second class or better UK Bache-lor’s degree in Physics.

Managed Cluster Service (MCS – formally PWF) The MCS is a network of PCs supported by the Computing Service and located close to the Practical classes. It is used to assist with data analysis, document preparation and specific computing exercises. You will need to register as a user. See also Computing (above). Printing facilities are available.

Moore Library The University’s main collection of physical sciences, technology and mathematics journals is kept in the Moore Library in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Wilberforce Road (close to the Cavendish, just turn left at the end of the footpath leading from the Cavendish into town, instead of continuing down Adams Road; the large building on the right near the far end of the road is the CMS). To use the collection you need to have a University Card. It is unlikely to be useful to you until the Third and Fourth years.

Natural Sciences Tripos The Natural Sciences Tripos (NST) is the official title of the degree examinations covering the Natural Sci-ences, including Physics. The participating Departments of the University work together to provide a wide choice of subjects which can be combined in a great variety of ways to cater for the interests of each student.

Many students seem unclear about how the Part II and Part III examinations are Classed. The following is an extract from notes prepared in order to clarify the Department’s position on this:

Part III of the Tripos is classed in the usual way - 1st, 2.1, 2.2, 3rd. Parts II and III of the Tripos are inde-pendent and marks are not carried forward from one to the other.

Degrees as such are not classed. Students graduate from the University as a B.A. ‘with Honours’ and, if they are classed in Part III, as an M.Sci. The classes are attached to a particular Tripos. Thus if, for example, a student obtains a First in Part II, they will be entitled to say that they obtained ‘First Class Honours in Part II of the NST’ whatever their results in Part III. If they also obtain a good result in Part III then they can add that to their curriculum vitae. If future employers, postgraduate grant funding agencies, etc. require more de-tailed information than just the degree certificate, they will normally receive from a College or the University


the full profile of the student’s achievements during their years here, not just their result in the final year. This should enable them to give proper weight to the Part II results.

It is worth noting that many of the key decisions about job offers and places in research groups will be made before the Part III results are known, so the Part II classes are likely to be an important factor in those choices. The Research Councils normally require a specific standard to be met if students are to be eligible for postgraduate support. At present a student is eligible for a Research Council grant if at least an Upper Second has been attained in either Part II or Part III. It is unlikely that a poor result in Part III would lead to an offer of a place from any university, even if the formal requirement had been attained at Part II.

See also Classing Criteria, above.

Part II and Part III Library An area is set aside in the Rayleigh Library for use by Part II and Part III students, and there is an extensive collection of textbooks on all aspects of physics. These, and books from the main section of the Library, may be borrowed overnight after completing the borrowing procedure at the desk next to the main door to the Li-brary. A quiet area for study is also available in the Part II/III study area accessible from the link bridge be-tween the Bragg and Rutherford buildings.

Past Tripos papers Recent papers are also available on the web at www-teach.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/examPapers.php. Re-member that the course content changes, so past papers may contain questions on material with which you are not now expected to be familiar!

Personal Computers Many Colleges provide PCs, and you may also use those provided in the Cavendish by the Managed Cluster Service (MCS formally PWF). See Computing (above).

Philosophical Society The Philosophical Society is a long-established society in the University which, among its various functions, puts on evening lectures in the Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre, Department of Chemistry. Some of these are by eminent physicists and all are intended for a broad audience - you are therefore most welcome to attend. More details are available at http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cps/.

Physics Course Handbook See Handbook (above).

Photocopying Photocopying may be carried out in the copy room of the Rayleigh Library, at a cost of 4p per A4 copy. Pho-tocopying can only be carried out with the purchase of a card, the lowest denomination being £1, with other amounts of £2, £5, £10, £25. Photocopy cards may be purchased in the Library.

Physics Society (CUPS) The Physics Society organises a range of functions, including evening lectures. Joining is easy at the first eve-ning lecture or at the Societies’ Fair. More details are available at www.srcf.ucam.org/physics/wiki/index.php?title=Cambridge_University_Physics_Society.

Plagiarism See Cheating (above).

Practical Classes The Practical Classes are an important and examinable part of your course, and are conducted in the Caven-dish Laboratory. Registration procedures are outlined in the relevant section of this Handbook.

Rayleigh Library The Rayleigh Library is primarily a resource for research, but it includes a great many useful reference works as well as original research journals. Here you can also find New Scientist, Scientific American, Physics


World (for those who don’t have their own copy!) and Physics Today. All of these are excellent sources of in-formation about the fast-advancing frontiers of physics. Next to the section with these and other current journals is the Part II & III Library. There is limited space for private working.

Raven Raven is the University of Cambridge web authentication server. You will need your Raven password to log in to the Teaching Information System (q.v.), and to access "cam-only" material (such as past examination pa-pers) on the teaching website from outside the cam.ac.uk domain. If you use the Hermes mail-store, then you can get your Raven password at https://jackdaw.cam.ac.uk/get-raven-password. If you don't use Her-mes, then you can request a Raven password from http://ww.cam.ac.uk/cs/request/raven.html. If you have a Raven password and your login is rejected by the teaching system, please let the Teaching Office know your CRSID so that we can enable your account. If you have lost your Raven password, or it doesn't work, then see http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/docs/faq/n3.html.

Recording of Lectures Audio or video recording of lectures is not generally allowed. If there is a specific reason for needing to re-cord a lecture then a request should be made to the Teaching Office, who will consult the relevant lecturer. The Department may require that the recording is made by the lecture theatre technician.

Refreshments See Common Room.

Registration The Department runs an extensive set of teaching databases, and uses these, for example, to contact all stu-dents in any particular category. In order for us to reach you, we first need to know that you are here. You should receive, from the Department and/or your DoS, an invitation to register shortly before the start of the academic year. This does NOT enter you for examinations, or have any official function outside the Physics Department, but it does get you into the system so that we know you are here, and what you are doing. We are then able to allocate departmental supervisions where appropriate, and to give you access to all relevant information.

Reporter The University Reporter is the official publication of the University in which announcements are made. From this year the paper version of the Reporter will no longer be produced. All notices including the lecture list and official notices concerning examination procedures see http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/

Research The Cavendish is a large and thriving research laboratory, with a wide range of present-day interests in phys-ics, and a fascinating and illustrious history. More information about the research can be found distributed around the laboratory in the form of poster displays, but an increasing amount of information will be found via our Home Page on the World Wide Web: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk

Research is organised into the following groups:

Abbreviation Name of Research Group Contact Phone

AMOP Atomic, Mesoscopic & Optical Physics 66298

AP Astrophysics 37294

BSS Biological and Soft Systems 37423/37007

HEP High Energy Physics 37227

IG Inference 37254

ME Microelectronics 37556

OE Optoelectronics 37313

NP NanoPhotonics 60945


QM Quantum Matter 37351

SMF Surfaces, Microstructure & Fracture 37336

SP Semiconductor Physics 37482

TCM Theory of Condensed Matter 37254

TFMM Thin Films, Magnetism & Materials 37336

Safety Safe conduct is legally the individual responsibility of everyone in the workplace, whether they be student or staff member. Additionally the Department has specific legal obligations regarding health and safety, which are monitored by the Department Safety and Environment Committee. You will be given information about health and safety in the Practical Classes in particular; please take in this information, and accord it the im-portance it deserves. Particular rules apply to Part III Project work; they are detailed in the section describing the arrangements for projects. The Departmental Safety Officer is Dr. Jane Blunt (Room 220, Ext. 37397, [email protected]).

Scientific Periodicals Library The University’s main collection of scientific journals has been split into two. Journals related to the physical sciences, technology and mathematics are kept in the new Moore Library in the Centre for Mathematical Sci-ences in Wilberforce Road (close to the Cavendish, just turn left at the end of the footpath leading from the Cavendish into town, instead of continuing down Adams Road; the large building on the right near the far end of the road is the CMS). The other journals are kept in the SPL in Bene’t Street, which was originally the Philosophical Society’s Library and still houses the offices of the Society. To use the collection you need to have a University Library card. It is unlikely to be useful to you until the third and fourth years.

Smoking The entire Department of Physics has been designated a NO SMOKING AREA.

Staff-Student Consultative Committee The SSCC is the official channel for the communication of students’ concerns to the Department. There are one or two student representatives for each of the courses provided by the Department. Elections to the SSCC take place early in the Michaelmas term during lectures. The Consultative Committee is chaired by Dr Julia Riley, and the other members are the Head of Department, the Director of Undergraduate teaching and the Secretary of the Teaching Committee. The Committee meets at the end of each term, just after lectures fin-ish, and a major part of its business is to discuss in detail the feedback on each course, particularly as re-flected by questionnaires. The Committee also provides feedback to the Teaching Committee on general teaching issues.

The Committee’s minutes are considered in detail by the Teaching Committee and by the Head of Depart-ment, and are made available on the web for access within Cambridge (see www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/committees.php, where the current membership may also be found).

Supervisions Supervisions are organised through your college for Parts IA and IB, and by the Department for Part II. Su-pervision in larger groups is organised by the Department for Part III. You are normally expected to attend every supervision which you have arranged, as a courtesy to your supervisor as well as in order to benefit your own studies. You should expect to be asked to hand in work for each supervision, in sufficient time for your supervisor to look through the work and identify any potential problems.

If for some reason you have problems, please contact your Director of Studies in the first instance, even for supervisions arranged by the Department.

Synopses Moderately detailed synopses are published for every course offered by the Department; the synopses have been arrived at after long deliberation, consultation, and debate within the Department. The relationship be-tween courses is handled by the Teaching Committee, and every effort is made to refine the sequence in


which material is presented. Some problems remain; these should just be the ones for which no clear-cut so-lution was available, but in case there are difficulties for you which have not been identified in advance, the Staff-Student Consultative Committee always welcomes direct feedback via your representative.

Teaching Committee The Teaching Committee concerns itself with all aspects of teaching in the Department of Physics. It oversees the structure of lecture courses and practicals, and weighs up information about the success of the courses regularly during the academic year. The best route for communicating information to the committee is through your representative on the Staff-Student Consultative Committee, which itself reports to the Teach-ing Committee. The Chair of the Committee is Dr John Richer (Director of Undergraduate teaching) and the Secretary Dr Dave Green.

Teaching Information System The TiS is a web interface to the various teaching databases maintained by the Department. Part IA students can view their practical marks on the web; Part II and III students can select Research Reviews and Projects here, and can view their further work marks in the same way if they have been released. All supervisions ar-ranged by the department are listed, and you can use the system as an easy way to email your supervisors and supervision partners (for Parts II and III).

All handouts, for all years, are now available via the TiS, http://www-teach.phy.cam.ac.uk

Note that you must first be registered (see "Registration") for the current year in order to gain access to these facilities, and that many of them require you first to log in, using your Raven password (see under "Raven").

Teaching Office The Physics Department has a Teaching Office which is situated in the Bragg building, Room 212B, tel. 65798. The Teaching Office is run by Helen Marshall and is open for general enquiries and submission of written reports at regular times during full term. Enquiries can also be made to its e-mail address: [email protected].

Telephones The internal telephone network of the university provides ‘free’ calls between extensions, most of which have a five-digit number.

To reach an extension from another exchange line outside the network, the number is prefixed with a 3. (Some recent lines have 5-digit number beginning with a 6, for which the prefix when dialling from outside is a 7).

For details, see the internal telephone directory.

Transferable Skills We have identified a set of transferable skills that physics undergraduates can expect to acquire in Cam-bridge. As well as being needed for academic performance, these skills are sought after by employers, and students are encouraged to develop them. The details can be found on the web at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/students.php

University Library The University Library is an amazing resource for the University (and in many disciplines, for the interna-tional academic community). You may be surprised at how useful it can be for you. However, since it is so large it can be a little complicated.

Your University Card is required to gain access to the University Library.

You cannot take bags etc. into the library for security reasons, but you can leave them in the metal lockers to be found down a few steps on the right hand side of the entrance hallway. The keys are released by the inser-tion of a £1 coin, which is returned to you when you open the locker.

Most of the relevant physics books are to be found on the shelves in ‘South Front, Floor 4’ - easily located on the maps displayed throughout the building. You need to know that in order to maximise storage, books are shelved in catalogue sequence, but split into different size categories. This means that you might find four


different sets of books on, say, atomic physics - the size is indicated by a letter a,b,c in the catalogue number. They are easy to find once you know this! Periodicals (‘serials’) have numbers prefixed with P.

An increasing proportion of the 7,500,000 items in the inventory of the library are appearing on the com-puter catalogue, which can be accessed from any computer terminal which can connect to the network. The catalogue will tell you where the book should be found (eg SF4 i.e. South Front Floor 4) and whether or not it is out on loan (and if so, when it is due back). The same catalogue system allows you to check your College li-brary catalogue (for most of the colleges) and that of the Rayleigh Library. The UL catalogue is available at http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/.

World-Wide Web The Cavendish Laboratory’s home page http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk has notices about events in the Caven-dish, lists of staff and details of the activities of the various research groups, as well as teaching material and information. This Physics Course Handbook and teaching material for various courses can be found at http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/. The Teaching web pages also provide links to the Teaching Informa-tion system (q.v.), and to certain material that is not generally available to addresses outside the cam.ac.uk domain.

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