174
Physics &
Astronomy (continued)
Students working in the School’s group study area
Investigating the physics of a broadly tunable laser in the third-year photonics teaching laboratory
Visiting Days On University Visiting Days the School has two slots in the afternoon. The first is intended for all potential students, and gives an overview of courses, a tour of the building, and discussion opportunities. The second slot is an optional follow-on from the first session, where visitors can tour the University Observatory. The School runs a special Saturday Visiting Day in February, details of which are on our website.
www.st-andrews.ac.uk/physics
Summary of Course Content
First Level (1st year) All students take the modules Physics 1A and Physics 1B, which are intended to consolidate and extend the instruction which students have received at school or elsewhere. In addition, students aiming for the astrophysics degree take Astronomy & Astrophysics 1 which presents a broad outline of the astronomical universe. Students will also take at least one module in mathematics, as well as other modules of interest.
Second Level (2nd year for some, year of entry for others) The main branches of physics are discussed in Physics 2A and Physics 2B. The module Astronomy & Astrophysics 2 is intended to complement the First level module in that subject and to introduce students to more advanced material. (Those entering directly into Second level and aiming for a degree in Astrophysics take Astronomy & Astrophysics 1 in their first year of study and postpone taking Astronomy & Astrophysics 2 until the following year.)
Honours (3rd, 4th and optionally 5th years) In the two (BSc) or three (MPhys) Honours years the main branches of the degree subject are covered in considerable depth. Students take some or all of the mainstream modules in quantum mechanics, physics of atoms, nuclear and particle physics, thermal and statistical physics, electromagnetism and solid state physics, and take additional modules in the appropriate specialist areas. Depending on the degree
programme, these might include Exoplanetary Science, Computational Astrophysics, Physics of Electronic Devices, Radio and Coherent Techniques, Special Relativity and Fields, and Fluids. In their final year, students carry out a research project which frequently involves working with one of the research groups in the School.
The optional MPhys additional year contains a number of advanced modules chosen from topics such as Biophotonics, Quantum Optics, Group Theory, Experimental Quantum Physics at the Limit, Contemporary Astrophysics, Star Formation and Plasma Astrophysics, as well as a major research project.
Teaching Most teaching takes the form of lectures in conjunction with tutorials where problems set by lecturers can be discussed. Lecture class sizes are around 70 to 90 for First and Second level, and between 5 and 70 for Honours modules. Appropriate laboratory work is provided at each level. This is usually undertaken in pairs in First level, individually in Second level, and as a mixture of individual and pair/team work in the Honours labs. Students studying for the degree in theoretical physics may choose whether or not to include laboratory modules in their Honours years. Astrophysicists gain experience in using the facilities at the Observatory, and also in the use of computers for astrophysical modelling and in the analysis of complex observational results. Transferable skills are explicitly developed in an Honours module of that title, as well as in other modules.
Professional Accreditation Our Physics and Astronomy degrees have been accredited by the Institute of Physics.
How to create an invisible region – guide light around it using an “invisibility cloak” with rather special optical properties, as determined theoretically by Professor Leonhardt of this School, later named as one of the top-50 researchers of 2006 by Scientific American.
The 16 inch Meade telescope at the University Observatory is used in teaching, and by the student Astronomical Society. The Observatory also contains the largest operational optical telescope in the UK.
broad daylight
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