Core modules
You will take core lecture modules (concentrated mainly in the first two years), which introduce and develop the fundamental concepts, such as those of quantum theory and electromagnetism, and cover the mathematics used in physics.
You will also choose modules from lists of options. These are largely concerned with seeing how the basic concepts can explain the phenomena we observe. Examples include the light emitted and absorbed by stellar matter, and the response of the liquids, solids and gases, which we meet on a daily basis, to the mechanical, electrical and thermal forces acting on them.
In the first year, you take essential (core) modules. In the second and third years there is considerable freedom to choose modules. By then you will have a good idea of your main interests and be well placed to decide which areas to study in greater depth. In effect you design your own degree.
The fourth year includes modules on all the main areas of physics. It will encourage you to reflect more on some of the unsolved problems in physics than is possible in the first three years.
Year One
Physicists use mathematics to state the basic laws of nature and to analyse their consequences quantitatively and rigorously. The module introduces you to concepts and techniques that will be assumed by future modules. These include: complex numbers, functions of a continuous real variable, integration, functions of more than one variable and multiple integration. You will revise relevant parts of the A Level syllabus, to cover the mathematical knowledge to undertake first year physics modules, and to prepare you for mathematics and physics modules in subsequent years.
You will study Newtonian mechanics emphasising the conservation laws inherent in the theory. These have a wider domain of applicability than classical mechanics (for example they also apply in quantum mechanics). You will also look at the classical mechanics of oscillations and of rotating bodies. The module then explains why the failure to find the ether was such an important experimental result and how Einstein constructed his theory of special relativity. You will cover some of the consequences of the theory for classical mechanics and some of the predictions it makes, including: the relation between mass and energy, length-contraction, time-dilation and the twin paradox.
You will learn about dimensional analysis, thermodynamics and waves. Often the qualitative features of systems can be understood (at least partially) by thinking about which quantities in a problem are allowed to depend on each other on dimensional grounds. Thermodynamics is the study of heat flow and how it can lead to useful work. Even though the results are universal, the simplest way to introduce this topic is via the ideal gas, whose properties are discussed and derived in some detail. Finally, waves are time-dependent variations about some time-independent (often equilibrium) state. You will look at phenomena like the Doppler effect (this is the effect that the frequency of a wave changes as a function of the relative velocity of the source and observer), the reflection and transmission of waves at boundaries and some elementary ideas about diffraction and interference patterns.
This module is largely concerned with the great developments in electricity and magnetism, which took place during the nineteenth century. The origins and properties of electric and magnetic fields in free space, and in materials, are tested in some detail and all the basic levels up to, but not including, Maxwell's equations are considered. In addition, the module deals with both dc and ac circuit theory including the use of complex impedance. You will be introduced to the properties of electrostatic and magnetic fields, and their interaction with dielectrics, conductors and magnetic materials.
This module introduces the Python programming language. It is quick to learn and encourages good programming style. Python is an interpreted language, which makes it flexible and easy to share. It allows easy interfacing with modules that have been compiled from faster C or Fortran code. It is widely used throughout physics and there are many downloadable, free-to-use codes available. The module also looks at the visualisation of data.
This module explains how classical physics is unable to explain the properties of light, electrons and atoms. (Theories in physics that make no reference to quantum theory are usually called classical theories.) It covers the most important contributions to the development of quantum physics including: wave-particle 'duality', de Broglie's relation and the Schrodinger equation. It also looks at applications of quantum theory to describe elementary particles including their classification by symmetry, how this allows us to interpret simple reactions between particles and how elementary particles interact with matter.
The Universe contains a bewildering variety of objects - black-holes, red giants, white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, gamma-ray bursts and globular clusters. The module introduces these, and shows how, with the application of physics, we have come to know their distances, sizes, masses and natures. The module starts with the Sun and planets and moves on to the Universe as a whole.
The module introduces experimental science and teaches the skills required for successful laboratory work. These include how to work with apparatus, how to keep a laboratory notebook, how to handle data and quantify errors and how to write scientific reports. The module also asks you to think critically and solve problems. Initial experiments build core skills while later experiments explore important areas of physics.
Year Two
Any macroscopic object we meet contains a large number of particles, each of which moves according to the laws of mechanics (which can be classical or quantum). Yet we can often ignore the details of this microscopic motion and use a few average quantities such as temperature and pressure to describe and predict the behaviour of the object. Why we can do this, when we can do this and how to do it are discussed in the first half of this module.
We also develop the ideas of first year electricity and magnetism into Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. Establishing a complete theory of electromagnetism has proved to be one of the greatest achievements of physics. It was the principal motivation for Einstein to develop special relativity, it has served as the model for subsequent theories of the forces of nature and it has been the basis for all of electronics and optics (radios, telephones, computers, the lot...).
In the first part of this module you will use ideas, introduced in the first year module, to explore atomic structure. This includes the time-independent and the time-dependent Schrödinger equations for spherically symmetric and harmonic potentials, angular momentum and hydrogenic atoms. The second half of the module looks at many-particle systems and aspects of the Standard Model of particle physics. It introduces the quantum mechanics of free fermions and discusses how it accounts for the conductivity and heat capacity of metals and the state of electrons in white dwarf stars.
This module develops experimental skills in a range of areas and includes the design and testing of a functional electronic circuit. The module also introduces the concepts involved in controlling an experiment using a computer. The module explores information retrieval and evaluation, and the oral and written presentation of scientific material.
You will review the techniques of ordinary and partial differentiation and ordinary and multiple integration. You will develop your understanding of vector calculus and discuss the partial differential equations of physics (Term 1). The theory of Fourier transforms and the Dirac delta function are also covered. Fourier transforms are used to represent functions using linear combinations of sines and cosines, and are a powerful tool in physics and applied mathematics. The examples used to illustrate the module are drawn mainly from interference and diffraction phenomena in optics (Term 2).
Year Three
The basic principles of quantum mechanics are applied to a range of problems in atomic physics. The intrinsic property of spin is introduced and its relation to the indistinguishability of identical particles in quantum mechanics discussed. Perturbation theory and variational methods are described and applied to several problems. The hydrogen and helium atoms are analysed and the ideas that come out from this work are used to obtain a good qualitative understanding of the periodic table. In this module, you will develop the ideas of quantum theory and apply these to atomic physics.
Einstein's 1905 paper on special relativity was called "On the electrodynamics of moving bodies". It derived the transformation of electric and magnetic fields when moving between inertial frames of reference. The module works through this transformation and looks at its implications. The module starts by covering the magnetic vector potential, A, which is defined so that the magnetic field B=curl A and which is a natural quantity to consider when looking at relativistic invariance.
The radiation (EM-waves) emitted by accelerating charges are described using retarded potentials, which are the time-dependent analogs of the usual electrostatic potential and the magnetic vector potential, and have the wave-like nature of light built in. The scattering of light by free electrons (Thomson scattering) and by bound electrons (Rayleigh scattering) will also be described. Understanding the bound electron problem led Rayleigh to his celebrated explanation of why the sky is blue and why sunlight appears redder at sunrise and sunset.
The researching, evaluation and presentation of scientific information are important skills that you used in the 2nd year Physics Skills module. This project is designed to further develop these skills. Your class will be divided into groups, each of about six members. Each group will then be assigned a topic to be researched and reported on, and they will also each be allocated a member of Academic Staff who will act as a both a mentor and an assessor. The project will provide you with the chance of studying in-depth some particular field of physics at the research level.
The Physics Laboratory continues your introduction to experimental science and includes an introduction to computer simulations as a form of experimental science. It aids the transition from guided laboratory work with constrained experiments, to more open experimental investigations. It includes experiments such as scanning tunnelling microscopy, optical pumping and quantised conductance. You are assessed on the reports you submit, written in the form of scientific papers using your own results.
You will study the calculus of variations and complex variables. The calculus of variations is concerned with the minimisation of integrals over sets of differentiable functions. Such integrals crop up in many contexts. For example, the ground state wavefunction of a quantum system minimises the expectation value of the energy. The classical equations of motion for both particles and fields can often be obtained by minimising what is called the action functional (which may be familiar if you took Hamiltonian Mechanics). Requiring functions of complex variables to be analytic (differentiable with respect to their complex argument in some domain) turns out to constrain such functions very strongly. As the module shows: only the constant function is differentiable everywhere, analytic functions are actually equal to their Taylor series and not just approximated by them, a function that is once differentiable is differentiable infinitely many times. Complex differentiable functions are clean, they are fun and they are important in physics. For example, response functions like the dielectric response function are analytic functions with the domain, in which the function is analytic, being related to causality.
Year Three
The project will provide you with experience of working in a research environment. You will work, normally in pairs, on an extended project which may be experimental, computational or theoretical (or indeed a combination of these). Through discussions with your supervisor you will establish a plan of work which you will frequently review as you progress. In general, the project will not be closely prescribed and will contain an investigative element.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
