The aim of PHY3161 is to provide to students knowledge about the constituents of matter and the mechanics of the quantum world.
Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.
Matter, generally is a substance (often a particle) that has rest mass and also volume.
There are four states of matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas, and Plasma.
Solid State Physics is the study of the behavior of atoms when they are placed in close proximity to one another, like “Crystal”.
It explains the properties of solid materials.
It explains the properties of a collection of atomic nuclei and electrons interacting with electrostatic forces.
It formulates fundamental laws that govern the behavior of solids.
The course gives an introduction to solid-state physics and will enable the student to employ classical and quantum mechanical theories needed to understand the physical properties of solids.
Newtonian mechanics must be replaced by Einstein’s special theory of relativity when dealing with particle
speeds comparable to the speed of light. As the 20th century progressed, many experimental and theoretical
problems were resolved by the special theory of relativity. For many other problems, however, neither
relativity nor classical physics could provide a theoretical answer. Attempts to apply the laws of classical
physics to explain the behavior of matter on the atomic scale were consistently unsuccessful. For example,
the emission of discrete wavelengths of light from atoms in a high temperature gas could not be explained
within the framework of classical physics. As physicists sought new ways to overcome these issues, another
revolution took place in physics between 1900 and 1930. A new theory called quantum mechanics was highly
successful in explaining the behavior of particles of microscopic size. The first explanation of a phenomenon
using quantum theory was introduced by Max Planck. Many subsequent mathematical developments and
interpretations were made by a number of distinguished physicists, including Einstein, Bohr, de Broglie,
Schrödinger, and Heisenberg.
Brief description of aims and content
The course of Material Science is aimed to introduce the different classes of engineering materials, to describe the structure and properties of a range of engineering materials, to describe processing – microstructure – property relationships, to present the principles of engineering design including modelling and materials process and selection with reference to factors such as environmental impact and economics
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed the module, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in:
- Kinds and properties of engineering materials
- Crystal Structure and defects in crystals
- Mechanical behaviour of materials
- Alloy theory and equilibrium diagrams
- Environmental effects on materials
Bibliography
All the teaching materials are based on the following references:
- Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction , 6th Edition, William D. Callister, Jr., John Wiley, 2010
- Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers, 6/E, James F. Shackelford, Prentice Hall, 2005
- The Science and Engineering of Materials 4th Edition ,Donald R. Askeland, Pradeep P. Phulay , Thomson-Brooks/Cole, 2003
- Foundations Of Materials Science And Engineering, Third Edition, William F. Smith, McGraw-Hill, 2004
- Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering: An Integrated Approach, 2nd Edition, William D. Callister, Jr., John Wiley, 2004
Lecturer: Innocent Nkurikiyimfura, M.Eng.
Physics Department
Office: P408 Muhabura block
Phone: 0786976954
Email: innkinno@gmail.com
inkurikiyimfura@ur.ac.rw
Atomic and Molecular Physics is a course designed as a continuation of quantum mechanics. It covers the basics to understand the table of chemical elements and the physical properties
of the atoms. It covers hydrogen atom, Zeeman effect, Hybperfine structure and more on H atom. Then the atoms with more than one electron, say Li atoms and others are studied
where the approximation Models are utilised to solve the complicated Schrodinger equation, for which the potential energy is more complicated to describe. Then the emission and absorption
is studied, consequently X-rays are also studied. Then molecular physics follows where the diatomic molecules are covered and the applications to different techniques mainly spectroscopy:
Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation and others such as electron spectroscopy.
This course of statistical physics is designed for undergraduate students in Physics department, School of Science at UR-CST. It starts with key reviews on the thermodynamcs and thermodynamic functions,
where through the use of Maxwell’s relations the Chemical potential is introduced. Then it moves to the basics of statistical approaches where the introduction of phase space, distribution functions
and microcanonical ensemble is introduced. Through the use of Lagrange multiplier, the derivation of Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is done. After the introduction of probabulity, several systems are
considered like isolated systems with fixed (E, V, N ) known as Microcanonical Ensemble, Interacting systems with fixed (T, V, N ) known as canonical ensemble and finally interacting systems with fixed
(T, V, μ) known as Grand canonical ensemble. The applications of statistical physics are considered such as single-particle states, bosons, fermions, ideal fermions and boson gases and photon gases.
Course description
This Atmospheric Physics course introduces the Earth's atmosphere then explains in details the weather and climate of the earth system, atmospheric thermodynamics, aerosol and cloud physics, radiative transfer and some simple principles for remote sensing. The course explains in details key processes in the atmosphere based on basic physical principles.
Content of the course
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Earth's Atmosphere
Chapter 2: Gravitational Effects
Chapter 3: Atmospheric Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: Aerosol and Cloud physics
Chapter 5: Radiative Transfer
Learning outcomes
After completing the course of Atmospheric Physics, students should have the following competence:
- Understand vertical and horizontal profile variability of several atmospheric parameters and forces leading to the atmospheric motions.
- Know the basic thermodynamic concepts for the Earth's atmosphere and be able to apply atmospheric thermodynamic diagrams to assess stability and cloud conditions and explain weather phenomena.
- Understand how aerosols and clouds affect solar radiation in the Earth's atmosphere.
- Be able to quantify how absorption and emission of short and long wave radiation cause heating or cooling in different vertical layers.
- Have a general understanding of how aerosols are crucial for the formation of cloud droplets and ice particles. Based on atmospheric thermodynamics understand how different processes can lead to precipitation.
References
- Atmospheric Science – An Introductory Survey by John M. Wallace and Peter V. Hobbs
- An Introduction to Atmospheric Physics by Robert G. Fleagle and Joost A. Businger.
- Fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics by Murry L. Salby.
- An Introduction to Atmospheric Physics, Second Edition (2010, Cambridge University Press) by David G. Andrews.
- The Earth's Atmosphere. Its Physics and Dynamics-Springer (2008) by Kshudiram Saha.
- Practical Meteorology - An Algebra-based Survey of Atmospheric Science by Roland Stull.
- Weather forecasting analysis using meteorological parameters: http://wxmaps.org/fcst.php and http://wxmaps.org/fcstkey.php