Welcome to SUPA

SUPA is the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance. It is a research alliance of physics and astronomy departments across eight Scottish Universities.

The eight member universities in SUPA are:• UniversityofAberdeen• UniversityofDundee• UniversityofEdinburgh• UniversityofGlasgow• Heriot-WattUniversity• UniversityofStAndrews• UniversityofStrathclyde• UniversityoftheWestofScotland

SUPA seeks to place Scotland at the forefront of physics research globallythroughaninter-institutionalmanagementstructure.Thereis acoherentresourcingstrategyandaScotland-wideresearchstrategy.SUPA facilitates enhanced collaborative research programmes and the pooling of equipment and resources.

The SUPA Graduate School

SUPArunsaGraduateSchoolofferinggraduatetraininginitiativesandprovidingPhDstudentswithaccesstoanextensiveprogramme ofstate-of-the-artvideoconferencedlectures.Eachyear,theSUPAGraduateSchooloffersalimitednumberoffully-fundedPrize PhDStudentships.Theseprestigiousandcompetitiveawards areavailabletostudentsfromanywhereintheworldandattract outstanding physics and astronomy students to study for a PhDinScotland.

SUPA Research Themes

SUPAisbuiltaroundthefollowingkeyresearchstrengths:• AstronomyandSpacePhysics• CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics• Energy• NuclearandPlasmaPhysics• ParticlePhysics• Photonics• PhysicsandLifeSciences

Introduction to the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance

WelcomefromtheDirectoroftheSUPAGraduateSchool

DearResearchers,

WelcometotheSUPAGraduateSchool2012-2013.With540PhDstudentsintotaland150firstyearstudentsjoiningeachyear,wearearguablythelargestPhysicsGraduateSchoolintheUnitedKingdom-indeedtheworld-anddefinitelythebest!

ThisyearweextendaverywarmwelcometoeachofourSUPAPrizeStudentswhofoughtoffcompetitionfrom400applicantstobeoneofthesuccessfulresearcherstojoinSUPAthroughthisworld-renownedscheme.WealsowelcomethestudentsjoiningtheDoctoralTrainingCentreinCondensedMatter,theIndustrialDoctorateCentreinOpticsandPhotonicsTechnologies,theCentreforDoctoralTrainingintheApplicationofNextGenerationAcceleratorsandtheCentreforDoctoralTraininginMagneticResonanceTechnology.

SUPAisanallianceofthePhysicsdepartmentsofeightmajorScottishuniversities,fourofwhichwereranked20oraboveinthelastResearchAssessmentExercise(RAE).TheSUPAGraduateSchooloffersworld-leadingeducationandtraininginpost-graduateTechnicalCoursesandCoreSkillsCourses. TheTechnicalCoursesaregroupedbytheme‘(AstronomyandSpacePhysics,CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics,Energy,NuclearandPlasmaPhysics,ParticlePhysics,PhotonicsandPhysics&LifeSciences),andcoursesaregivenbyvideoconferencedlectures,throughtheMy.SUPAe-learningportal,bytutorials/hands-on-sessions/labsandbyresidentialsessions.

WeaskthatallPhDstudentsundertakeaminimumof40hoursofTechnicalCoursesand20hoursofCoreSkillsCoursesduringthefirsttwoyearsoftheirstudies:thisisaminimumrequirement. Somethemes,andinparticulartheCondensedMatterDoctoralTrainingCentre,willrequiretheirstudentstodomoreinordertobestequipthemfortheirresearchcareers.Moreinformationabout these requirements can be found in this handbook.

The enrolment dates for 2012/13 are:Semester I – 10th September 2012 – 15th October 2012Semester II – 2nd November 2012 – 14th January 2013

Asnewpost-graduatestudents,youwillbeestablishingyourselvesinanexciting,vibrantresearchenvironment–meetinglotsofnewpeople,learningaboutanewculture(perhapsinaforeignlanguage)andbeingbombardedwithinformationonjustabouteverything.Inallofthis,ifIoranymemberoftheGraduateSchoolManagementCommittee(GSMC)canassistyouwithintegratingintoSUPA,yourresearchoryouruniversity,pleasedon’thesitatetocontactus.(Contactdetailsareprovidedinthishandbook).

Another important date for your diaries is Monday 8th October 2012. You are invited to join us at theGlasgowScienceCentretomeettheothernewScottishphysicsdoctoralstudentsatthefirst-yearstudentSUPAinductionandnetworkingevent.Ilookforwardtowelcomingyouallinpersonatthisexcitingevent.

Alltheverybestinyourstudies,

AvrilMannersDirectoroftheSUPAGraduateSchool

Disclaimer

Everyefforthasbeenmadetoensurethattheinformationcontainedwithinthisbrochureiscorrectat thetimeofpublication.SUPAGraduateSchoolcoursesaresubjecttoongoingdevelopmentwhichcouldnecessitatecancellationof,oralterationto,theadvertisedcourses.TheSUPAGraduateSchoolreservestherighttomakechangesatanytimewithoutpriornotice.

Pleasenotethattheterm‘credits’isonlyusedinthishandbooktoreferto‘SUPAHoursEquivalentCredits’(thenumberoffacetofacehourspercoursethatstudentsarecreditedwithtowardstheirminimumcourseworkrequirements).ThistermdoesnotrefertoECTSoranyothercreditingsystem.ThisHandbookisalsoavailableontheSUPAwebsiteatwww.supa.ac.uk andMy.SUPA.Pleasechecktheonlineversionforcurrentinformation.Shouldyounoticeanyerrorsorinaccuracies,pleaseletusknowbyemailingadmin@supa.ac.uk.

 

TableofContents

SUPAContacts Page4

SUPAGraduateSchoolBasics Page5-6

Frequently Asked Questions Page 7

SUPACourseList Page8

SUPACourseDescriptions Page9-28

Astronomy and Space Physics

CondensedMatterandMaterial Physics

Energy

NuclearandPlasmaPhysics

Particle Physics

Photonics

PhysicsandLifeSciences

CoreSkillCourses

Non-SUPACourses Page29

StudentFunding Page30

GettingStartedwithMy.SUPA Page31

GettingStartedwithVideo Page32 Conferencing

TheResearcherDevelopment Page33 Framework

SUPA

Scottish Universities Physics AllianceGraduate School DirectorAvrilMannersRoom4210JamesClerkMaxwellBuildingTheKing’sBuildingsMayfieldRoadEdinburghEH93JZUnitedKingdomTel:+44(0)1316517193Email:avril.manners@supa.ac.ukWeb:www.supa.ac.uk

Graduate School AdministratorValerieEvans234d,KelvinBuildingUniversityofGlasgowGLASGOWG128QQTel:+44(0)1413307720Email:valerie.evans@supa.ac.uk

SUPA Chief Executive OfficerJimHoughTel:+44(0)1413304706Email:jim.hough@supa.ac.uk

SUPA Knowledge Transfer DirectorRoyClarkeTel:+44(0)1415484196Email:roy.clarke@supa.ac.uk

SUPA WebmasterYen-FuChenTel:+44(0)1415483363Email:webmaster@supa.ac.uk

SUPA Room and VC BookingEmail:rooms@supa.ac.uk

Condensed Matter DoctoralTraining Centre

CM-DTC Central OfficeSchool of Physics and AstronomyUniversityofStAndrewsNorthHaughStAndrewsFifeKY169SSTel:+44(0)1334463102Email:cm-dtc@supa.ac.ukWeb:http://cm-dtc.supa.ac.uk/

DirectorAndyMackenzieTel:+44(0)1334463198Email:apm9@st-and.ac.uk

Director of TrainingChrisHooleyTel:+44(0)1334463171Email:cah19@st-and.ac.uk

ManagerChristineEdwardsTel:+44(0)1334463102Email:cae10@st-and.ac.uk

AdministratorJulieMasseyTel:+44(0)1334463102Email:jjm7@st-and.ac.uk

Graduate School ManagementCommittee (GSMC)

AberdeenEkkehardUllnerTel:+44(0)1224272943Email:e.ullner@abdn.ac.uk

DundeeDavidKeebleTel:+44(0)1382384561Email:d.j.keeble@dundee.ac.uk

EdinburghMartinEvansTel:+44(0)1316505294Email:mim@ph.ed.ac.uk

GlasgowDavidMillerTel:+44(0)1413304926Email:d.miller@physics.gla.ac.uk

Heriot-WattWeipingLuTel:+44(0)1314513065Email:w.lu@hw.ac.uk

St AndrewsGrahamTurnbullTel:+44(0)1334467330Email:gat@st-and.ac.uk

StrathclydePaulMcKennaTel:+44(0)1415485712Email:p.mckenna@phys.strath.ac.uk

UWSJohn F. SmithTel:+44(0)1418483652Email:john.f.smith@uws.ac.uk

SUPAVideoconference Rooms

AberdeenMestonBuildingRoom302Contact:MichaelChungTel:+44(0)1224272750Email:m.chung@abdn.ac.uk

DundeeEwingBuildingBasementContact:GaryCallonTel:+44(0)1382384695Email:g.j.callon@dundee.ac.uk

EdinburghJamesClerkMaxwellBuildingRoom6224Contact:SOPAHelpdeskTel:+44(0)1316505900Email:sopa-helpdesk@ed.ac.uk

GlasgowKelvinBuildingRoom255aContact:AndrewFraserTel:+44(0)1413306420Email:andrew.fraser@glasgow.ac.uk

Heriot-WattEarlMountbattenBuildingRoom1.27Contact:HughConnerTel:+44(0)1314513337Email:h.m.conner@hw.ac.uk

St AndrewsPhysics and AstronomyRoom307Contact:IanTaylorTel:+44(0)1334463141Email:iat@st-andrews.ac.uk

StrathclydeJohnAndersonBuildingRoom813Contact:TimothyBriggsTel:+44(0)1415483376Email:timothy.briggs@strath.ac.uk

UWSHenryBuildingRoomF.318Contact:TomCaddellTel:+44(0)1418483550Email:tom.caddell@uws.ac.uk

SUPA CentralYen-FuChenTel:07972084168Email:yen-fu.chen@supa.ac.uk

SUPAContacts

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Course Requirements for SUPA Students

SUPAhassetcourserequirementsforbothTechnicalCourses(whicharefocusedonspecialisedtraininginPhysicsorrelatedscientificareas)andCoreSkillsTraining(whichisfocusedondevelopingtransferableskillsforprofessionaldevelopment).

Technical Course Requirements

EveryPhDstudentwithinSUPAisrequiredtotakeaminimumof40hoursofTechnicalCoursesduringthefirsttwoyearsoftheirPhDstudies.Withinsomethemes,suchasParticlePhysics,thereisahigherrecommendednumberofhoursoftechnicalcoursework.Pleaserefertothetheme-specificsectionsofthiscatalogueforcourselistingsandmoreinformationoncourseworkrequirementsandrecommendations.TechnicalCoursesinclude:• SUPAGraduateSchoolLectures• SUPADistanceLearningCourses• SUPAResidentialCourses• SummerSchoolsasrecommendedbythethemes• Non-SUPAcourseswhereappropriate(Pleasereferto‘Non-SUPACourses’sectionformoreinformation).

Core Skills Requirements

EveryPhDstudentwithinSUPAisrequiredtotakeaminimumof 20hours(or4days)ofCoreSkillsTrainingduringthefirsttwoyears oftheirPhDstudies.PleaserefertotheCoreSkillsTrainingsection of this handbook for more information about courses available.CoreSkillsTrainingincludes:• SUPACoreSkillsTrainingCourses• Departmental,universityorresearchcouncilprogrammesas agreedbyGSMC

Earning and Tracking Hours Equivalent Credit

InordertoearnHoursEquivalentCredittosatisfytheSUPACourseRequirement,studentsmustenrolforthecourseonMy.SUPAand, forTechnicalCourses,passtheassessment.Nocreditcanbegiven if the student has not met these criteria.

TheHoursEquivalentCreditforeachSUPAcourseislistedinthiscatalogue.StudentscantracktheamountofHoursEquivalentCredittheyhaveearnedoverthecourseoftheirPhDbycheckingtheirprofilesonMy.SUPA.(Moreinformationabouthowtodothiscanbefoundinthe‘GettingStartedwithMy.SUPA’sectionofthishandbook).AllocationofHoursEquivalentCreditfornon-SUPA CourseswillbedecidedbytheSUPAGraduateSchoolManagementCommittee(GSMC).(Pleaseseethe‘Non-SUPACourses’section ofthishandbookformoreinformation).

Course Selection

GuidanceoncourseselectionforTechnicalCoursescanbefoundinthetheme-specificsectionsofthishandbook.StudentsgenerallytakeTechnicalCourseswithintheirmaintheme,butallstudents–especiallythoseworkingoninterdisciplinaryprojects-arewelcometotakeTechnicalCoursesfromacrosstheSUPAGraduateSchool,providedthesearerelevant to their studies. All students are strongly advised to discuss their planofstudyandspecificcourseselectionsforboththeTechnicalCourseRequirementsandCoreSkillsTrainingwiththeirsupervisors.

Studentswhoareunsureoftheir‘theme’(thisiscommonforthosewithinterdisciplinaryprojects)areadvisedtoconsultwiththeirsupervisorstodetermine the most appropriate course of study.

SUPA Assessment Policy

AssessmentforallSUPATechnicalCoursesismandatoryunlessthestudent decides to attend the course as a non assessed student (inthiscasethestudentwillreceivenocredittowardstheir40-hourrequirement).Coursesareassessedbyvariousmethodsasappropriatetothesubjectarea.Examplesofassessmentinclude:writtenexaminations,continuousassessment,dissertations,andoralexaminations.Informationaboutassessmentsforspecificcoursescanbe found in the course listing in this catalogue.

Ifastudentdoesnottaketheassessmentforacourse,noHoursEquivalentCreditwillbeallocated.Studentstakingnon-SUPAcoursesmustagreeanassessmentwiththeirlecturer(s)andgetthisapprovedbytheirsupervisorandtheGSMCbeforethestartofthecourse. Pleaserefertothe‘Non-SUPACourses’sectionofthishandbookformore information.

Lecturersarerequiredtonotifystudentsoftheassessmentdetailsbythestartofthecourseandtoreportstudents’marksbythemarkingdeadline.Allmarkswillbeona0-100pointscale,withapassmarkof50.(WhereSUPApostgraduatecoursesarepartofthefinalyearundergraduatecurriculum,thepassmarkmaybe40).

ThereisnoassessmentrequirementforCoreSkillsTraining,however,confirmationofattendancemustbereceivedfromthecourselecturerand some courses may be assessed.

SUPAGraduateSchoolBasics

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Enrolling for SUPA Courses

ToenrolforSUPAcourses,logontotheMy.SUPAportal(http://my.supa.ac.uk)andfollowtheenrolmentinstructions postedonthefrontpage.Beforeyouenrolforthefirsttime,youwill beinformedaboutSUPA’svideoconferencerecordingpolicyand askedforyourconsent.(Formoreinformationaboutthispolicy, please email admin@supa.ac.uk)

WhenusingMy.SUPAtoselectcourses,pleasenotethatduringtheenrolmentperiod,mostcourseareasareavailablewithread-onlyaccesstosomematerials.Allcoursematerialswillbemadeavailabletoenrolledstudents once registration is closed. For more information about using My.SUPA,pleaserefertothe‘My.SUPAandVideoconferencing’sectionof this handbook. Students must enrol for courses in order to be eligible toearnHoursEquivalentCreditforthem.

ThedeadlinesforenrolmentareonPage2.Ifyoumisstheenrolmentdeadlines,lateenrolmentmaybepossiblebutcannotbeguaranteed,as the videoconference rooms may have been booked for other events. Please contact the SUPA Administration team at admin@supa.ac.uk in this instance.

IfyouwouldliketounenrolfromaSUPAcourse,youcandosobygoingtotherelevantcoursepageandclickingonthe‘UnenrolmefromSUPA[XXX]’link.Pleasenotethatifyoudecidenottocompleteacourse,itisveryimportantthatyouunenrolonMy.SUPA.Ifyoudonotunenrol,yourSUPAtranscriptwillstillcontainarecordofthiscourseandyourmarkwillbelistedas0.Afterunenrolling,youcanalsosignupforthecourseasanonassessedstudent(seebelowformoreinformation) in order to be able to continue to attend the lectures.

PleasenotethatifyouhavenotsignedupthroughMy.SUPAyoumay not attend the lectures.

Non-Assessed SUPA Courses

Incaseswhereastudentwouldliketoattendacoursebutwouldnotliketocompletethecoursework,itispossibletoregisterasanon-assessedstudent.ItisimportanttonotethatyouwillNOTreceiveHoursEquivalentCreditforcourseswhichyouaudit.Instructionsforregisteringasanon-assessedstudentarepostedontheMy.SUPAportal(http://my.supa.ac.uk).Beforeyouregisterforauditingthefirsttime,youwillbeinformedaboutSUPA’svideoconferencerecordingpolicy andaskedforyourconsent.(Formoreinformationaboutthispolicy,please email admin@supa.ac.uk)

Duringtheenrolmentperiod,whichisdetailedonPage2,itispossibleforstudentstoswitchfromanon-assessedstudenttoafullyenrolledstudentonacourse.Thisisparticularlyimportantforstudentswhowouldliketotryoutacoursebeforefullycommittingasanenrolledstudent.Toswitchfrombeinganon-assessedstudenttoanenrolledstudent,gototherelevantcoursepageandclickonthe‘UnenrolmefromSUPA[XXX]’link.Then,re-registerasanenrolledstudent.

Attending SUPA Courses

Videoconferenced Lectures

MostSUPAcoursesaretaughtviavideoconferencing.Toattend,simplygotoyourlocalinstitution’sSUPAvideoconferenceroom.(Seethe‘Contacts’pageforthelocationofallSUPAvideoconferencefacilities.)Formoreinformationonusingthevideoconferencefacilities,pleaserefertothe‘GettingStartedwithVideoconferencing’sectionofthishandbook.Generally,videoconferencelecturesstartfiveminutespastthehourandlastapproximatelyfifty-fiveminutes.

Distance Learning Courses

Courseslistedas‘DistanceLearning’inthishandbookhavenovideoconferencedlectures.Enrolmentonthesecourseswillgiveyouonlineaccesstonotes,interactivematerials,slides,podcasts,videocontent,problemsheetsanddiscussionforums.Youwillbeexpectedtoworkthroughthematerialsandactivities,meetdeadlinesnegotiatedwiththecoursetutorsandparticipateinonlinediscussions.Opportunitieswillbeprovidedforyoutouploadcompletedexercisesandreceivefeedback from the course tutors.

Tutorials/Hands-on sessions/Labs

Afewcoursesrequireyoutoattendtutorialsandlabsessionsinperson.PleasechecktheonlinetimetableandMy.SUPAcoursepagesforinformationaboutwherethetutorialstakeplaceandifyouarerequiredtotraveltoattend.SUPAwillreimbursetravelexpenses.Pleasecheckwithyourlocaldepartment’sfinanceofficeforproceduresforclaimingexpenses.

Residential Courses

Courseslistedas‘Residential’areface-to-facesessionsforwhichyoumay have to travel and stay overnight. SUPA organises accommodation andmeals,andreimbursesstudenttravelexpensesforsuchcourses.Pleasecheckwithyourlocaldepartment’sfinanceofficeforproceduresforclaimingexpenses.

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What is SUPA? SUPAistheScottishUniversitiesPhysicsAlliance,agroupingofeightPhysicsdepartmentsacrossScotland.TheSUPAGraduateSchoolfacilitates shared learning across these institutions. After enrollingforpost-graduatestudiesinaSUPA-memberinstitution,youareautomaticallyenrolledintheSUPAGraduateSchoolandaresubject to its academic policies.

Is there a timetable for the SUPA courses? TheSUPAtimetablecanbefoundontheMy.SUPAwebsite.

How do I use the videoconferencing equipment? Training should be made available to all students and staff at thestartofeachsemester.Youwillbeinformedaboutthesesessionsbyemail.Moreinformationcanalsobefoundinthe‘My.SUPAandVideoconferencing’sectionofthishandbook. Ifyouhaveaspecificissue,pleasecontactyourlocalGSMCrepresentative or a member of local support. Their contact information canbefoundinthe‘SUPAContacts’sectionofthishandbook.

How do I obtain a My.SUPA password and username?ToobtainaMy.SUPAlogin,pleasegototheMy.SUPAportal(http://my.supa.ac.uk)andclickonthe‘RequestaMy.SUPAlogin’link.Yournewloginandpasswordwillsoonbeemailedtoyouwithinstructions.

How do I reset my My.SUPA password or username?Youcanresetthemeitherbyfollowingthe‘LostPassword?’linkintheloginboxontheMy.SUPAportalorbyemailingadmin@supa.ac.uk. Who do I contact if I am having difficulty using My.SUPA to enrol (or unenrol) for courses? IfyouencounteranydifficultieswhileenrollingorunenrollingforcoursesonMy.SUPA,pleasecontacttheSUPAOfficeatadmin@supa.ac.uk. How can I contact my lecturer?TheeasiestwaytodothisisthroughMy.SUPA.Youcanfindyourlecturer’sdetailsintheParticipantsboxinthefrontpageofthecoursearea.

What if I am unable to attend a SUPA lecture?IfyouenrolonaSUPAcourse,youareexpectedtoattendthelectures.Ifyouareillorfindyouhaveaconflictingobligation,pleasecontacttheSUPAOfficeatadmin@supa.ac.uk.

How can I obtain a copy of my SUPA transcript?AnelectroniccopyofyourtranscriptisavailableonMy.SUPAonthe‘Grades’tabofyourstudentprofile.ToobtainanofficialcopyofyourtranscriptcertifiedbytheSUPAGraduateSchoolDirector,pleasewrite totheSUPAOfficeat:admin@supa.ac.uk.

Who can I contact if I have a general question about the SUPA Graduate School?AllgeneralenquiriesabouttheSUPAGraduateSchoolshouldbeaddressedtotheSUPAOfficeatadmin@supa.ac.uk.

Who is my local SUPA representative?Onthecontactspageofthishandbook,youcanfindthenamesofallSUPAGSMCrepresentatives.Donothesitatetocontactthemif youhaveanyqueriesorissuesregardingSUPAGraduateSchool.

Where can I find out about SUPA Events?AllSUPA-sponsoredevents,suchasdistinguishedvisitorlectures,arepostedintheSUPAcalendarandtheSUPAEventsForum. YoumayreceiveannouncementstotheEventsForumviaemailaswell.

I am organising an event, can SUPA help me fund it?Yes.SUPAdoesoffersomefundingforconferences,meetings and distinguished visitors. Applications can be found at: http://www.supa.ac.uk/Graduate_School/Graduate_School.htm AllapplicationsarereviewedbytheGraduateSchoolManagementCommittee(GSMC).Completedfundingapplicationsshouldbe sent to admin@supa.ac.ukukinresponsetoaCall.Applicationsmustbemadebeforetheeventoccurs-retrospectivefundingisnotavailable.

I am organising an event, can SUPA help me promote it?Yes. As long as you are a SUPA member and your event is relevant tothoseworkinginPhysicsinScotland,SUPAishappytohelpwithpromotion. Please email admin@supa.ac.uk withasuccinct description of your event and electronic copies of any promotional materials(suchasfliersorposters)thatyoumayhave,andSUPAwillworkwithyoutopromoteyourevent.

Can SUPA help me fund my participation in an event or course not organised by SUPA?Unfortunately,SUPAonlyprovidesfundingforSUPA-sponsoredand-organisedevents.IfyouareattendinganeventsuchasasummerschoolorconferencenotorganisedbySUPA,nofundingisavailable.

Can I claim travel expenses from SUPA?ForSUPAeventstowhichSUPAmembersmusttravelinordertoattend(suchasaresidentialcourse),SUPAusuallycoverstravelexpenses.PleasecheckMy.SUPAforinformationaboutspecificeventstofindoutwhethertravelexpenseswillbecovered.Incaseswheretravelexpensescanbeclaimed,SUPAwillcoverreasonablecosts,definedas:publictransport or mileage on shared rides equivalent to public transport costs.Iffurtherexpenseclaimsarepermittedforanevent(suchasmealsoraccommodation),thisinformationwillbepostedonMy.SUPA.

How do I claim back my expenses from a SUPA event?ToclaimbackexpensesfromaSUPAevent,pleasesubmitaclaimformatyourlocaldepartment’sfinanceoffice.SUPACentraldoesnotprocesstheseclaims,unlessotherwisestated.

Can SUPA help me fund my PhD studies?ForstudentswhohavenotyetbeguntheirPhDstudies,theSUPAPrizeStudentshipCompetitionawardsalimitednumberoffully-fundedPhDplaceswithintheSUPAparticipatinguniversities.Formoreinformationaboutthisandotherfundingoptions,pleaserefertothe‘StudentFunding’sectionofthehandbook.

Unfortunately,forstudentswhohavealreadybeguntheirPhDstudies,nofurtherfundingsourcesexistwithinSUPA.

Frequently Asked Questions

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BelowisalistofalltheSUPACourses.Pleasenotethatcoursesmarkedwitha*arebiennialandwillnotrunin2012-2013,however,theywillrunin2013-2014.

CourseList

Descriptionsofallthecoursescanbefoundinthefollowingpages.

Key

Astronomy

CMMP–CondensedMatterand MaterialPhysics

Energy

NPP– NuclearandPlasmaPhysics

PP – Particle Physics

Photonics

PaLS– PhysicsandLifeSciences

CoreSkills

8

PP RQF Relativistic Quantum Field Theory 20 PP STR String Theory 19 PP SMO The Standard Model 21 PP/NPP ACC Accelerators 17/ 19 PP/NPP QHS Quarks and Hadron Spectroscopy 17/ 20 Photo OCO Optical Control 23 Photo PTC Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics 22 Photo PLC Polymers and Liquid-Crystals 22 Photo QIN Quantum Information* 23 Photo QOP Quantum Optics 22 Photo STA Semiclassical Theory of Atom Light Interactions 23 Photo SPD Semiconductor Physics and Devices* 22 Photo UPH Ultrafast Photonics 23 PaLS IBS Introductory Biology School 24 PaLS MMD Mathematical Modelling 25

PaLS SRP Physics and Life Sciences Short Research Project 25

PaLS/Astro ASL Astrobiology and the Search for Life 10/ 24 Core Skills ADA Advanced Data Analysis 27 Core Skills COO C+ +/ Object Orientated Programming 26 Core Skills ENT Enterprise & Entrepreneurship for Researchers 28 Core Skills ROO ROOT 26 Core Skills HOW Hands on Writing 28 Core Skills HRP Hanging Your Research Out in Public 28 Core Skills PYT Introduction to Python 27 Core Skills IDA Introductory Data Analysis 27 Core Skills PRI Maths Primer 26 Core Skills PPR Peaceful Productivity for Creative Types 28 Core Skills SSC Shell Scripts 28 Core Skills VAC Vacuum Technology 27

Theme SUPA Code Course Name

Page

Astronomy AAT Advanced Astronomical Techniques 10 Astronomy ACO Advanced Cosmology 9 Astronomy APL Astrophysical Plasmas* 10 Astronomy GAL Galaxies* 10 Astronomy GWD Gravitational Wave Detection 9 Astronomy/PaLS ASL Astrobiology and the Search for Life 10/ 24 CMMP ACM Advanced Condensed Matter 14 CMMP ASP Advanced Statistical Physics 11

CMMP CLP Chaikin and Lubensky's Principles of Condensed Matter 12

CMMP CCH Computational Chemistry 11 CMMP DOS Disordered Systems 12 CMMP ENP Experimental Nanophysics 13 CMMP EPS/IES Interacting Electron Problem in Solids 11

CMMP LMI Light Matter Interactions: Quantum Optics for Condensed Matter Physicists* 12

CMMP MAG Magnetism 15 CMMP NSM Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics 15 CMMP OQS Open Quantum Systems 12 CMMP HCM Probes of Hard Condensed Matter 12 CMMP SCM Probes of Soft Condensed Mater 14

CMMP QFT Quantum Field Theory (Many Body Quantum Theory 2) 14

CMMP QPT Quantum Phase Transitions (Many Body Quantum Theory 3) 14

CMMP RFN Response Functions (Many Body Quantum Theory 1) 13

CMMP SUP Superconductivity* 14 CMMP TNP Theoretical Nanophysics 13 Energy SPR Solar Power 16 Energy/NPP LDP Laser Driven Plasma Acceleration 16/ 17 Energy/NPP NFL The Nuclear Fuel Cycle 16/17 NPP NIN Nuclear Instrumentation 18 NPP NRT Nuclear Reaction Theory and Nuclear Forces 18 NPP PPH Plasma Physics 17 NPP/Energy LDP Laser Driven Plasma Acceleration 16/ 17 NPP/Energy NFL The Nuclear Fuel Cycle 16/ 17 NPP/PP ACC Accelerators 17/ 19 NPP/PP QHS Quarks and Hadron Spectroscopy 17/ 20 PP COP Collider Physics 20 PP DET Detectors 19 PP DCL Discussion Classes 20 PP FLA Flavour Physics 21 PP GTH Group Theory 20 PP LAT Lattice QCD 21 PP MQF Modern Quantum Field Theory 21

The Astronomy and Space Physics courses cover a broad range of topicsaimedatwideningstudents’knowledgeofthefield.Theyrangefromadvancedextensionsofsubjectscoveredatundergraduatelevel totheintroductionofnewinterdisciplinarysciences.Werecommendthatstudentstakeamixtureofcorematerial,advancedcourses(usually16-20hoursequivalentcredit)andmoregeneraltopics,includingcomputinganddatareductionmodules,togainabroadgrounding in astronomical methods and modern research areas.

Eachcourseisself-contained,althoughbackgroundreadingoranotherSUPA course may be recommended to bring students from various backgrounds up to speed. Students from other theme areas are very welcometotakeAstronomyandSpacePhysicscourses,withparticularmoduleslikelytobeofinterestforLifeSciencesandPlasmaPhysics,but they should remember that a basic understanding of astronomy and astronomicaltermswillbeassumedbycourselecturers. A typical programme, building to the core requirement of 40 hours of Technical Courses might include:

ASUPAcoreAstronomycourse(thesegenerallyconstitute16-20hours)AcoreSUPAcourseinanotherfieldorasecondAstronomycourseNon-SUPAcoursesasappropriate(e.g.,forstudentschangingspecialities)

Summer Schools in Astronomy and Space Physics

Astronomy students should note that certain Astronomy courses are onlyrunbiennially.EachstudentmustconsulttheirPhDsupervisortoconstructasuitableprogrammebeforeregistering,andstudentsareencouragednottoover-register.The40hourcourserequirementistakenoverthefirstandsecondyears,althoughstudentsfromallyearscantakeextrasubjectsforinterest.

Semester 1

Gravitational Wave Detection (SUPAGWD)Lecturer: GilesHammondet al Institution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 15Assessment: EssayandVivaCourse DescriptionThis course is for students interested in the physics of gravitational wavedetection.StartingfromthefundamentalsofEinstein’sGeneralTheoryofRelativity,thewavenatureofweakfieldspacetimecurvatureperturbationswillbederivedinthetransversetracelessgauge.Interactionsofgravitationalradiationwithmatterwillbeexplored,leadingtothebasicprinciplesofgravitationalwavedetectors.Astrophysicalsourcesofgravitationalwaveswillbediscussed,includingexpectationsforsourcestrengthsfromcoalescingcompactbinarysystems,pulsars,etc.Afulldescriptionofcurrentlyoperatingdetectorswillincludeinstrumentalnoisesources,suchasthermal,seismic,optical,andthestandardquantumlimit.Currenttopicsdiscussedwillincludesqueezing,andothernon-classicallighttechniquesforreducingopticalnoiseininterferometric systems. Plans for detectors on the ground and in space willbepresented,endingwithadiscussionofdataanalysistechniques.Assessment Method: Adissertation(ordesignstudy),ofapproximately2000words,onacurrenttopicingravitationalwaveresearch,tobesubmittedattheendofthecourse.Exampletopicsinclude:thermalnoisereduction,applicationsofnon-classicallighttechniques,applicationsofoptimalfilteringtechniques,applicationsofBayesianinferenceindataanalysis,astrophysicalapplicationsofgravitationalwavesources.Atwentyminuteoralexamisalsorequiredforeachstudentattheendofthecourse.Equalweightingwillbegiventothetwoassessmentareas.

Semester 2

Advanced Cosmology (SUPAACO)Lecturer: John PeacockInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 20Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversity ofEdinburghCourse DescriptionThecoursewillbeginbyreviewingbasictoolsandequations.In-depthstudieswillfollowofthehotbigbang,includingstructuraleffectsandnucleosynthesis;inflation,addressinginitialconditions,mathematicalsolutions,andthewidevarietyofpossiblemodels;andtheformationofstructure,emphasizinggaugeissues,perturbationsandvariedapproachestotheproblem(Lagrangian,N-bodysimulation). StatisticalcosmologywillbeintroducedviatoolssuchasN-pointcorrelationsandredshiftspace,leadingintothestudyoffluctuationsbymethodsincludingtensormodes.Anisotropyofthecosmicmicrowavebackgroundanditseffectswillthenbeconsideredindepth.Recentdevelopmentsingravitationallensinganddarkmatter,thenatureofdarkenergy,andtheformationofgalaxieswillbediscussed,andthecoursewillendwithsomenewviewsonanthropicsandthemultiverse.

Astronomy and Space Physics

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Astrobiology and the Search for Life (SUPAASL)Lecturer:CharlesCockellet alInstitution: variousHours Equivalent Credit:20Assessment:OnlinemultiplechoicetestThiscourseiscross-listedwiththePhysicsandLifeSciencesTheme.Course DescriptionThiscourseisofferedbytheUKCentreforAstrobiology.ThecoursewillintroducesubjectsrelatingtotheoriginandevolutionoflifeontheEarthandthesearchforlifeintheuniverse.Itistaughtbyanumberofsubjectexperts,withlecturesinaseminarstyleallowingpresentationofcutting-edgeresearchquestionsandaninteractiveenvironmentforstudentstoposetheirownquestions.Aims and objectives:Toprovideabroadperspectiveonastrobiology,includinggeology,biology,chemistryandastronomyatanintroductorylevel;TogiveanappreciationoftheconditionsforlifeonEarthandhowthesemayapplyelsewhereintheuniverse;Tounderstandthebroadinterdisciplinary nature of astrobiology; To have a critical outlook on the searchforlifeandhowcurrentscientificapproachesareappliedtothe problem. Learning outcomes:Aworkingknowledgeofthebasicsoftheareastaughtandtheirterminology-understandinghowscientificmethodologiesareappliedinsubjectsotherthanastronomy-appreciationofhowtoformulateverybroadquestionsinresearchandhowthiscouldbeappliedtothedetailinthestudent’sownwork.Differentiatingbetweenscientificandnon-scientificmodesof investigation; identifying hidden assumptions; the dangers oftakingmathematicalrigour,initself,forscientifictruth;identifyingthedifferencesbetweentrivialandsignificantstudies;andunderstandingthe sociological pressures and biases present in all branches of science.Readinglistsareprovidedineachlectureforstudentswishingtoundertake further study.Syllabus: TherequirementsforlifeonEarth,intermsofextractionofenergy,chemicalpathwaysetc.Limitsforlifeinextremeconditions;evidenceforearliestlifeonEarthandwhereitoriginated.Driversofevolution,survivabilityofchangesinconditions,andhowthismightapplyinnon-Earthenvironments.AnalogousnichesforlifeelsewhereintheSolarSystem,includingMarsandicymoonsofthegiantplanets.Originsofthechemistryneededforlife:interstellarmoleculesandchemicalcomplexityonplanets.Theformationofplanetarysystemsanddevelopment of conditions for life in the star and planet forming process. Discoverymethodsforextrasolarplanets;diversityofknownexo-planetsystemsandwhatnichesforlifecouldexist;problemsdifferenttothoseonEarthsuchastidallockingandday/nighttemperatureextremes.Futureexo-planetdetectionmethodsandmissions,andtheprospectsfordiscoveringanexo-Earthanalogueandinvestigationofitslife-signs.AscientificgroundingforthinkingabouttheSearchforExtra-TerrestrialIntelligence(SETI),whatkindsofcivilizationandcommunicationmightexist,theDrakeequation,theFermiparadox,time-scalesforourowncivilization.Currentsearchesforlifeintheradio/opticalregions.Assessment:Byonlinemultiple-choicetestaftertheendofthecourse,onapass/failbasis.Studentswillneedtodemonstrateunderstandingofthefundamentalpointsofeachlecture.Alllecturenoteswillbeavailableonline for revision and personal study to catch up if any lectures aremissed.Nore-sitpermitted.

Astrophysical Plasmas (SUPAAPL)Lecturer: LyndsayFletcher,EduardKontarandMoiraJardineInstitution: GlasgowandStAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 12Assessment: MultipleChoiceExam,writtenquestionsandshortEssayForinformationonly.Thiscourseisabiennialcoursewhichwillnotrunintheyear2012-2013,butwillrunagainintheyear2013/14.Course DescriptionThecoursewillgiveanoverviewofthephysicsofplasmas,andintroduceapplicationsinastrophysics.Beginningwithbasicdefinitionsandideassuchasplasmawavesandkinetictheory,thecoursewilldevelopfundamentalconceptsinastrophysicalplasmadiagnostics,includingcyclotronandsynchrotronradiation,bremsstrahlungandrecombinationemission,wave-particleinteractionsandplasmaemission(coherentandmaser).Magnetohydrodynamicswillbestudiedasatoolforunderstandingdynamos,solarandsolar-terrestrialenvironments,andmagnetospheres.Thecoursewillconcludewithtopicallecturesonplasmas in different astrophysical environments. Students are strongly advisedtotaketheSemester1courseonPlasmaPhysicsintheNuclearandPlasmaThemefirst.

Galaxies (SUPAGAL)Lecturer: VivienneWild,RossMcLure,ThomasTargettandChrisEvansInstitution: StAndrews&EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 12Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentForinformationonly.Thiscourseisbiennialandwillnotrunin2012-13.Itmayrunagainin2013-14.Course DescriptionThiscoursecoversthetopicoftheevolutionofgalaxiesandactivegalactivenuclei(AGN),fromtheverylocalUniversetothehighestredshift objects. The course aims to give graduate students the backgroundknowledgenecessarytounderstandconferenceleveltalksanddiscussioninthefield.Thecourseinvolves:• coveringtheevidencebehindfactsthatarecommonlyassumedas “known”byresearchersinthefield• explainingthekeyproblemscurrentlybeingaddressedbyactive areas of research.Lectureswillbegiveninaseminarstyle,byresearchersactivein eachsub-field.Thesub-fieldareaswillbe:MilkyWayandlocalgroup;low-redshift;high-redshift;AGN.Eachsub-fieldwillbecoveredbythreelectures

Advanced Astronomical Techniques (SUPAAAT) Lecturer: tobeconfirmedInstitution:ATCHours Equivalent Credit:15Assessment:Essay&VivaThiscourseisbiennialandwillrunin2012-2013butnotin2013-2014.Course DescriptionAstronomyisenteringanerawhensomeofthemostfundamentalquestionsinsciencewillbeaddressed,suchashowdogalaxies,starsandplanetsformandevolve?ToanswertheseOriginsquestionsrequiresnewfacilitiessuchas30-mclassground-basedtelescopesandadvancedspaceobservatorieswithhighlysophisticatedinstrumentsthatare not only able to image the faintest objects but to study their spectraandlearnabouttheircomposition.Furthermore,newwavebandsarereachingahigherlevelofmaturity,suchasthefar-IRandsubmillimetre,whicharecrucialtothestudyoftheopticallyobscuredobjectsthatareembryonicgalaxiesandstars.TheSUPAlecturecourseonAdvancedAstronomical Techniques aims to bring to the fore the current ideas anddesignsbehindthenewtechnologyadvancementsthatareneededtoaddress the big questions in astronomy.

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Astronomy and Space Physics

CondensedMatterandMaterialsPhysics(CMMP)isadiversesubjectcoveringmanydifferentspecialitiesandattractsPhDstudentsarrivingfromwiderangeofbackgroundswithdifferentbalancesoftheoreticaland practical training. The program of study is therefore tailored individuallyforeachstudent,inconsultationwithhisorherPhDsupervisor. The overall range and level of courses offered aim tointroducestudentstosubjectareasoutsidetheimmediateconfinesoftheirthesisresearch,aswellasprovidingmorespecialistknowledgedirectly relevant to each dissertation. It is envisaged that during the firsttwoyearsofstudyeverystudentwillcompleteaminimumoftwophysics-contentcourses,atleastonesummerschool,plusatleastonemodulecoveringtransferableskills.Atypicalprogramwillcomprisethefollowingelements: CMMPcoursesorganisedbySUPA:Theseareeithergraduatespecificor advanced masters courses made available to all centres over the SUPAvideoconferencingnetwork.CoursesofferedarelistedbelowandformthebackboneontheCMMPgraduateschoolprogramme. CoreCoursesOrganisedbySUPA:ThoseofparticularinteresttoCMMPstudentsincludeAdvancedDataAnalysisandcoursesindifferentprogramminglanguagessuchasC++andPython.

Non-SUPAcourseasappropriate(e.g.forstudentschangingspecialities)

Summer Schools: Examplesofappropriatesummerschoolsinclude‘PhysicsbytheSea’(StBeesSchool,Cumbria)forthosewithaninterestintheoryandHERCULES(Grenoble,France)forthosedoingresearchinvolvingneutronandX-rayscatteringatcentralfacilities.

Transferable skills modules

Coursesofferedbyotherthemes

Semester 1

Advanced Statistical Physics (SUPAASP)Lecturer: DavideMarenduzzoInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 20Assessment: ProjectReportThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversity ofEdinburghCourse DescriptionInthiscoursewewilldiscussequilibriumphasetransition,ofthefirstandsecondorder,byusingtheIsingandtheGaussianmodelsasexamples.Wewillfirstreviewsomebasicconceptsinstatisticalphysics,thenstudycriticalphenomena.Phasetransitionswillbeanalysedfirstviameanfieldtheory,thenviatherenormalisationgroup(RG),inrealspace.Wewillconcludewithsomediscussionofthedynamicsoftheapproachto equilibrium.

Computational Chemistry (SUPACCH)Lecturer: HerbertFruchtl,TanjavanMourik,JohnMitchell,CaroleMorrison,MassimilianoPorriniandMichaelBuehlInstitution:StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 9Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThecoursewillprovideanintroductiontopracticalcomputationalchemistry techniques. The focus is on an introduction to the current state-of-the-artcomputationalchemistrycodestogetherwiththetheorybehindthemethods.Abinitio,DFTandclassicalmethods,aswellascheminformatics,willbeintroducedalongwithhowtheyareusedinpractice by researchers in Scotland.

Interacting Electron Problems in Solids (SUPAEPS) Lecturer: AndyMackenzie Institution:StAndrews Hours Equivalent Credit:18Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofStAndrews.Course DescriptionTheaimofthiscourseistogiveanoverviewofdevelopmentsinmoderncondensedmatterphysics.Thedifficultiesofafullquantummechanicaltreatmentofelectronswithstronginteractionswillbediscussed.CommonexistingapproachessuchastheHubbardandt-JmodelsandFermiliquidtheorywillbecompared.Itwillbeshownthat,althoughmicroscopicmodelscanexplainaspectsofmagnetism,theyhavelittlechanceofcapturingmanyotherfeaturesofthefascinatinglowenergyphysicsofthesesystems.Instead,weintroducetheprincipleofemergence,andshowhowitsuggestsradicallynewapproachestotheproblemofcomplexityincondensedmatterphysicsandbeyond.

CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics

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Light Matter Interactions: (SUPALMI) QuantumOpticsforCondensedMatterPhysicistsLecturer: JonathanKeelingInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 16Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentForinformationonly.Thiscourseisbiennialandwillnotrunintheyear2012-2013,butwillrunintheyear2013-2014.Course DescriptionOverthelasttwodecadesanincreasingrangeofcoupledlight-mattersystemshaveariseninwhichitisnowpossibletobegintostudyaspectsofcondensedmatterphysics,suchasphasetransitionsandcollective dynamics. The main aims of this course are thus to discuss thetheoreticalframeworkrequiredtomodelthequantumbehaviourofcoupledlightandmatter,andtointroducesomeofthesimplemodelsthatmaybeusedtodescribesuchsystems.Duetotheirlightcomponent,suchsystemsnaturallyrequirenon-equilibriumdescriptions,andsothiscoursewillalsointroducesomemethodstodealwithopenquantumsystemsthatarisenaturallyinthecontextofcoupledlightandmatter.Havingdevelopedthesetechnicaltools,theywillbeusedtodescribeanumberofparadigmaticexperiments,andthephysicalsystemsthattheseexperimentsinvolve(e.g.superconductingqubits,Rydbergatoms,semiconductorquantumdots.)Thecoursewillassumefamiliaritywithsecondquantisednotation,andbasicconceptsofquantum optics such as coherent states and density matrices.

Chaikin and Lubensky’s Principles of Condensed Matter (SUPACLP)Lecturer: MikeCatesInstitution:EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit:25(18lectures&7tutorials)Assessment:ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseisbiennialandwillrunintheyear2012-2013,butwillnotrunintheyear2013-2014.Course DescriptionThiscoursewillprimarilyinvolveacombinationofdirectedreadingandpresentationsbytheparticipantsontopicschosenfromChapters1-6ofthegraduatetext‘PrinciplesofCondensedMatterPhysics’byP.ChaikinandT.Lubensky(CambridgeUniversityPress).Thecoursewillalsoentailgroupworkandindividualworkonproblemswithhand-insand/or teleconferenced presentation of solutions by the participants. Assessmentwillbebasedonperformanceinboththestudentpresentations and selected problems.

Disordered Systems (SUPADOS)Lecturer: WilsonPoonandMatsJonsonInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 12Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseisbiennialandwillrunin2012-2013,butwillnotrunin 2013-2014.Course DescriptionMostintroductorycondensedmattercoursesstudymainlycrystallinesolids.HereBloch’sTheoremapplies,alleigenfunctionsareextended,andthenotionofcrystalmomentumapplies.However,verymanymaterials in nature are not perfectly crystalline: either because they containimpuritiesinanotherwiseperfectcrystallattice,orbecausetheyhavenolong-rangestructuralorderatall.Thiscourseisashortintroduction to some of the most important physics in these systems.Thesyllabusincludes,butisnotlimitedto:disorderphysicsinsoftcondensed matter and metals; photons in disordered materials; the disorder induced metal insulator transition and Anderson localisation.

Open Quantum Systems (SUPAOQS)Lecturer: SabrinaManiscalcoInstitution: HeriotWattHours Equivalent Credit: 12Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThe course focuses on the dynamics of quantum systems interacting withtheirsurroundings.Duetotheinevitableinteractionbetweena quantum system and its environment peculiar quantum features suchastheexistenceofquantumsuperpositionsandentangledstates are quickly destroyed. Using mathematical approaches of the theoryofopenquantumsystemwewillderiveanequationofmotiondescribing the dynamics of the quantum system in presence of the environment(masterequation)andweuseittotackletwoaspectsofboth fundamental and applicative importance in physics: the fragility ofmacroscopicquantumsuperpositions(Schrödingercatstates)andthedeteriorationofentanglement.Thesetwoaspectsarecrucialbothforunderstandingfundamentalfeaturesofquantumtheory,suchasthequantummeasurementproblemandthequantum-classicalborder,andfornewquantumtechnologiessuchasquantumcomputationandcommunication.Specialemphasiswillbegiventofundamentalmodelsofdecoherenceincondensedmattersystems.Assessmentwillbebased on student presentations and tutorials.

Probes of Hard Condensed Matter (SUPAHCM)Lecturer: Multi-lecturer–co-ordinatedbyChrisHooleyasCM-DTCDirectorofTrainingInstitution: StAndrews/Edinburgh/Heriot-WattHours Equivalent Credit: 10Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscourseisanintroductiontothevariousexperimentalmethodsthatarecommonlyusedtomakemeasurementsonso-called“hard”condensedmattersystems–usuallycrystallinesolidsatlowtemperatures.Differentyears’versionsofthecoursevarysomewhat,buttypicallythelistoftopicsincludedis:low-temperaturebulkmeasurements(suchasspecificheatcapacityandthedeHaasvanAlpheneffect);transportmeasurements(resistivity,Hallresistivity,quantumoscillations);angle-resolvedphotoemissionspectroscopy(ARPES);andelectronmicroscopy.Thisisamulti-lecturercourse,witheachlecturergivingtwoorthreelecturesonhis/herspeciality.Assessmentisnormallyviatutorialsheets,submittedelectronically ontheMy.SUPAsystem.

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CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics

Semester 2

Response Functions (Many Body Quantum Theory 1) (SUPARFN)Lecturer: ChrisHooleyInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 13Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionResponsefunctionsandGreen’sfunctionsprovideapowerfulmathematicallanguageinwhichtodescribethephysicsofmany-body quantum systems. This course is a short introduction to them. ThefirstfewlecturesdefinethevariousGreen’sfunctionsofinterest,andcalculatethemexplicitlyforafewverysimplesystemsatzerotemperature. The remaining lectures give brief introductions to several moreadvancedtopics,includingGreen’sfunctionsatnon-zerotemperatureandGreen’sfunctionsoutofequilibrium.Thelecturesaresupplementedbyseveralproblemsheets,inwhichtheemphasisisona strong grasp of the basics. The course is designed to be accessible toanygraduatestudent(theoreticalorexperimental)whohasadecentundergraduateeducationinquantummechanics.Some-thoughnotmuch-knowledgeoftheformalismofsecondquantisation(creationandannihilationoperators)isrequired.

Experimental Nanophysics (SUPAENP)Lecturer: BrianGerardotInstitution: Heriot-WattHours Equivalent Credit: 24Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbyHeriot-WattUniversityCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillfocusontheemergingtechniquesandideasofnanophysicswherethesmallsizeofsystemsplaysacrucialroleindetermining their properties and behaviours. The fundamental aim istoprovidethestudentswithaworkingknowledgeofcontemporarynanophysics.Thecourseexplainshowsuchstructurescanbefabricated,characterized,manipulatedandunderstood.Thefocusisonthequantumaspectsofthebehaviour,propertiesnotsharedwithmoreconventionalcondensedmattersystems.Thecoursewillcoverquantisationeffects,fabricationofnanostructures,opticalandelectronmicroscopy,scanningtunnellingandatomicforcemicroscopy,andquantumdots.Oncompletionofthiscourse,thelearnerwillbeableto:achieveacriticalknowledgeandunderstandingofnano-scaledevices,theirfabricationandcharacterization;demonstrateadetailedknowledgeand understanding of advanced concepts and applications in thenano-scaleregime;integratepreviousknowledgefromphysicscourseswiththetopicsdiscussedinthemodule;analyseadvancedproblemsinnanophysics.

Theoretical Nanophysics (SUPATNP)Lecturer: IanGalbraithInstitution: Heriot-WattHours Equivalent Credit: 24Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbyHeriot-WattUniversityCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillfocusonthetheoreticaldescriptionofnanophysicsandnanodeviceswherethesmallsizeplaysacrucialroleindeterminingtheir properties and behaviours. The fundamental aim is to providethestudentswithaworkingknowledgeofcontemporarytheoreticalnanophysics.Thecourseexplainshownanophysicalphenomenacanbemodelledandpredictionsforbehaviourmade.Thecoursewillbeginwithareviewofsolidstatebasics.Thefollowingtopicswillbecovered:correlations&coulombeffectsinnanostructures;coulombblockade;coherenttransportandLandauer-Büttikerformalism;densityfunctionaltheoryfornanostructures.Oncompletionofthismodule,thelearnerwillbeableto:demonstrateadetailedknowledgeandunderstandingofsemiconductorquantumdevices;integratepreviousknowledgefromphysicscourseswiththetopicsdiscussedinthemodule;analyseadvancedproblemsinnanophysics;applythetheoriesofnano-scaledevices to problems or situations not previously encountered.

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CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics

Advanced Condensed Matter (SUPAACM)Lecturer: SantiagoGrigeraInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 15Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThis course aims to cover some of the more advanced concepts incondensedmatterphysics.Anintroductorysectiondealswithmaterials,energies,potentials,andstructures(includingfractalstructuresandglassesaswellasconventionalperiodiccrystals).Thisisfollowedbydiscussionofdefectsandexcitations;low-dimensionalsystems,andmagnetismandfrustration.Thecoursecloseswithsomeanalysisofexperimentalresultsonrealmetals,includingtheheavy-fermioncompounds. The emphasis throughout is on rigorous understanding ofthegeneralprinciplesofsymmetry,energy,andtopologythatdeterminethebehaviourofreal-worldcondensedmattersystems.

Probes of Soft Condensed Matter (SUPASCM)Lecturer: Multi-lecturer–co-ordinatedbyChrisHooleyas CM-DTCDirectorofTraining.Institution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 10Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscourseisanintroductiontothevariousexperimentalmethodsthatarecommonlyusedtomakemeasurementsonso-called“soft”condensedmattersystems–liquidcrystals,colloidalsystems,andbiologicalcondensedmatter.Differentyears’versionsofthecoursevarysomewhat,buttypicallythelistoftopicsincludedis:spectroscopy;atomic force microscopy; electron microscopy; optical and confocal microscopy;rheologyandrheo-imaging.Thisisamulti-lecturercourse,witheachlecturergivingtwoorthreelecturesonhis/herspeciality.Assessment is normally via preparation and delivery of presentations to the student cohort.

Quantum Field Theory (Many Body Quantum Theory 2)(SUPAQFT)Lecturer: JonathanKeelingInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 27Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofStAndrewsCourse DescriptionQuantumfieldtheorycombinesclassicalfieldtheorywithquantummechanicsandprovidesanalyticaltoolstounderstandmany-particleand relativistic quantum systems. This course aims to introduce the ideasandtechniquesofquantumfieldtheorystartingfrommany-bodyquantummechanicsandsecondquantizationandprogressingtoFeynmanandcoherentstatepathintegrals.Exampleswillbedrawnlargely from condensed matter physics. About one third of the lectures willbegivenovertoworkingthroughproblemsets.Bytheendofthecourse,thestudentwillbeabletocarryoutsimplecalculationsusingquantumfieldtheory.Theoreticalstudentswillhaveastronggroundingtoattemptmorecomplicatedcalculationsandexperimentalstudentsan understanding of the essential physics revealed by research papers usingthesetechniques.ThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofStAndrews.PleasenotethatthiscourseandSUPAEPSareadvisedasprerequisitesforSUPAQPT(Many-bodyQuantumTheory3).

Quantum Phase Transitions (Many Body Quantum Theory 3) (SUPAQPT)Lecturer: FrankKrugerInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 19Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionA classical phase transition is a disjunctive change of the state of matter driven(usually)byachangeintemperature.EveniftheunderlyingHamiltonianisquantummechanical,thermalfluctuationscutoffthedynamics,sothatsufficientlyclosetothetransitionaclassicaltheorycanalwaysbeused.Aquantumphasetransition,bycontrast,occurs(intheidealisedcase)atzerotemperaturesastheresultofthevariationofsomeothercontrolparameter,pressure,magneticfield,andchemicaldopingarethethreemostcommonexamples.Theeffectsofsuchquantumphasetransitionsarevisibleoverquiteawideareaofthephasediagram,andincludeanomalouspower-lawbehaviourinphysicalresponsefunctionssuchasresistivity,specificheat,andmagneticsusceptibility.Thiscourseisabriefintroductiontotheexperimentaldataandtheoreticalworkonquantumphasetransitions.Itincludes:asurveyofexperiments;Landau-Ginzburgtheory;quantumphasetransitionsininsulators;andtheHertz-Millistheoryforquantumphasetransitionsinmetals.PleasenotethatbothSUPAEPSandSUPAQFT(Many-bodyQuantumTheory2)areadvisedaspre-requisitesforthiscourse.

Superconductivity (SUPASUP)Lecturer: AndrewHuxleyInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 20Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentForinformationonly.Thiscourseisbiennialandwillnotrunintheyear2012-2013,butwillrunintheyear2013-2014.Course DescriptionThecoursewillintroducethetheoryofsuperconductivityandsuperfluidity,assumingpriorknowledgeofundergraduatenoninteracting-electroncondensedmatterphysics,thermodynamics and electromagnetism.Learning outcomes: Appreciation of the physical origin of the Gross-PitaevskiiequationforBose-Einsteincondensation(BEC)andhowtheexcitationspectrumofaninteractingBECgivessuperfluidity.UnderstandingLondon’sequations,vortices,Ginzburg-Landautheoryandthemainpropertiesofsuperconductors.AbilitytouseLandau-GinzburgandLondontheoriestocalculatepropertiessuchascriticalcurrents.Appreciationofboundaryconditions,JosephsonjunctionsandtheAnderson-Higgsmechanism.AnunderstandingofBCStheoryand ability to apply it to calculate physical quantities. Appreciation of theextensionsrequiredtodescribenon-conventionalsuperconductors.Awarenessofissuesrelevanttocurrentresearch.

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CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics

Magnetism (SUPAMAG)Lecturer: Multi-lecturer–co-ordinatedbyChrisHooleyas CM-DTCDirectorofTraining. Institution: StAndrews/EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 20Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscoursedealswiththetheoryoftheorigins,properties, and measurement of magnetism in condensed matter systems. Elementarymodelsofmagneticresponse;Bohr-vanLeeuwentheorem,diamagnetismandparamagnetism;Landautheoryofferromagnetism,symmetrybreaking;exchangeinteractions;theHeisenbergmodelandspinwavetheory;magneticfrustration;crystalfields;magneticorderingininsulatorsandmetals;giantmagnetoresistanceandexperimentaltechniques.

Non-Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (SUPANSM)Lecturer: RichardBlytheInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 12Assessment: ProjectThiscourseisbiennialandwillberunin2012-2013,butwillnotrunin2013/14.Course DescriptionThiscourseprovidesanoverviewoftheoreticalconceptsandtoolsusedincontemporaryresearchintothedynamicsofinteractingmany-bodysystems.Thesewillprimarilybetreatedwithreferencetocondensedmattersystemsdrivenoutofequilibrium,buttherelevanceoftheanalyticaltechniquesbeyondphysics(e.g.,topopulationdynamics)willalsobediscussed.Uponsuccessfulcompletionofthiscourse,itisintendedthatastudentwillbeableto:explaintheoriginsofstochasticdynamicsandentropyproductioninphysicalsystems,constructastochasticmathematicalmodel,suchasaBoltzmann,Fokker-PlanckorLangevinequation,appropriateforagivennonequilibriumsystemandexplainhowdifferentformulationsarerelated,writeacomputationalalgorithmtosolvesimplestochasticequations,suchasaFokker-PlanckorLangevinequation,showhowmesoscopicandmacroscopicequationsofmotionemergefrommorefundamentaldescriptions,analyse stochastic equations of motion to obtain predictions foremergentphenomenainnonequilibriumsystems,suchasfluctuationdissipationrelations,phasetransitionsandaging,evaluate the appropriateness of stochastic modelling approaches withreferencetocurrentresearchinphysicsandotherdisciplines.

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CondensedMatterandMaterialPhysicsCondensedMatterandMaterialPhysics

Energyisanewtheme,onaveryimportant,andyetdiversetopic. Ourcoursesrelatetotwomajoraspectsofthetheme’sactivities:solarandnuclearpower.TheyaredesignedtobeaccessibletoallEnergyThemestudents–sothatnuclearstudentscouldtakethesolarpowercourseandviceversa.Inadditiontothesecourses,studentsareencouraged to select courses relevant to their interests and projects fromotherthemes(particularlyCondensedMatterandMaterialsPhysics,PhotonicsandNuclearandPlasmaPhysics).

Semester 1

Solar Power (SUPASPR)Lecturer: Ifor Samuel et alInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 14Assessment: ProblemSheetsandreportsonlaboratoryexperiments.Thisisatwodayresidentialcourserunning1stand2ndNovember2012inStAndrews.Studentswhoareinterestedinthiscourseareaskedto register for the course and indicate their accommodation needs by MondayOctober1stCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillprovideanintroductiontosolarphotovoltaics(PV).Lectureswillintroducetheproblemofenergysupply,andtheamountofsolarpowerpotentiallyavailable.ThegeneralprinciplesofPVwillbecovered,followedbylecturesonarangeofcurrentandfuture PVtechnologies:crystalline,polycrystallineandamorphoussilicon, thinfilminorganicsemiconductors,andorganicsemiconductorPV.Threelabsessionswillenablestudentstoexplorekeyideasinthelectures.Thisisanintensivetwo-daycourse,usingarangeofinvitedlecturers from SUPA institutions.

Semester 2

Laser Driven Plasma Acceleration (SUPALDP)Lecturer: DinoJaroszynski&PaulMcKennaInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 16Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofStrathclyde.Thiscourseiscross-listedwiththeNuclearandPlasmaPhysics Theme.Course DescriptionThiscoursewilladdressthetopicalresearchinlaserplasmainteractions,laser-plasmaaccelerationandplasmabasedradiationsources. Itwillbedividedintofourconnectedpartsstartingwithathroroughbutbriefintroductiontothemaintheoreticalconceptsoflaser-plasmainteractions.Thesecondandthirdpartswilladdresstheinteractionofintenselaserpulseswithunder-denseandover-denseplasma,respectively,withparticularemphasisonlaser-plasmaacceleration,absorption,propagation,electrontransport,plasmawaves,shockwaves,radiationmechanisms,non-linearopticsofplasmaetc. Thefourthpartwillintroducestudentstothemainconceptsoffree-electronlasers,whichareimportanttoolsforscientistsinvestigatingthestructureofmatter.Studentswillproceedquicklyfrombasicconceptsto advanced and current applications such as compact radiation and particlesources,inertialfusionenergy,fastignitionetc.Theywillgainagoodintroductiontolaser-plasmainteractions,whichwillprovideagoodbasis for postgraduate research in this area.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle (SUPANFL)Lecturer: DavidHamiltonInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseiscross-listedwiththeNuclearandPlasmaPhysicsThemeCourse DescriptionWithpolicymakersaroundtheworldconsideringanuclearrenaissanceasoneofthepossiblesolutionstosociety’slow-carbonenergyneedsinthemedium-term,thiscoursewillprovideanintroductiontothenuclearfuelcycle.Coveringthetechnicalaspectsofnuclearpowerproductionatanintroductorylevel,thecoursewillcoverradiationinteractions,reactorandfuelcycletechnologyandcorephysics.Inaddition,asanydiscussionofthenuclearfuelcycleisincompletewithoutsomeconsiderationoftheeconomic,industrialandpolicydimensions, thecoursewillcoversomeofthemostimportantnon-technicalaspectsassociatedwithnuclearenergy.Thecourseisintendedforstudentswithaninterestinnucleartechnology,whetherasapossiblefuturecareerpathorsimplyforgeneralinterest.Specialistknowledgeinnuclearorparticle physics is not required for this course.

Energy

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TheNuclearandPlasmaPhysics(NPP)themecoversawiderangeofsubjectareas,includinganumberofdifferentspecialities.Dependingontheirindividualbackgroundsandareasofresearch,Ph.D.studentswillberequiredtoattendadifferentsetofSUPAcourses.Thedecisiononwhichcoursestoincludeshouldbemadeinconsultationwiththestudent’sPhDsupervisor.Typically,atwoyearcourseprogramwillinclude:

• SpecificNPPlecturestakenfromthecourselist• Coreskillsclasses,suchasC++ProgrammingandDataAnalysis, whereappropriate• TransferableskillscoursessuchastheEntrepreneurshipcourse Wherethenumberofcoursestakenexceedstheminimumrequirement,studentsandtheirsupervisorsshouldagreeonwhichcoursesshouldcontributetowardstheoverallassessment.ThereareseveralDoctoralTrainingCentresthatarepartofNPP.PhDsintheseCentresareusuallyfouryearsinduration,wherethewholeofthefirstyearisdedicatedtoformalcoursesandmini-projects.InthesecasesthestudentwillnormallydecideontheirPhDtopicattheendofthefirstyear.StudentsshouldcontacttheDoctoralTrainingCentreadministratorstoestablishthe course requirements.

Semester 1

Accelerators (SUPAACC)Lecturer: DinoJaroszynski&MarkWigginsInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 8Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseiscrossedlinkedwiththeParticlePhysicsThemeCourse DescriptionThecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics:(i)overviewandhistoryoftheaccelerators and outlook for future advances including the developmentoflaser-drivenaccelerators,(ii)acceleratorapplicationsincludingmedicalimaging,isotopeproductionandoncology(iii)transverseandlongitudinal beam dynamics outlining beam parameters and transportandtheeffectofbeamqualityontransportandfocusing,(iv)nonlinearbeamdynamicsincludingresonances,betatronmotionandbeaminstabilities,(v)RFacceleratingcavitiesincludingwaveguidepropagation,superconductingcavitiesandpowerdelivery,(vi)beamlinediagnosticsforcharacterisingbeamparameterssuchascharge,transverseprofile,energyspreadandemittance.

Plasma Physics (SUPAPPH)Lecturer: AdrianCrossInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 12Assessment: MultipleChoiceExamandContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscoursewilladdressfundamentalconceptsinplasmas,fromplasmacreationfromaneutralgasthroughtofullionization.Basicplasmatimescalesandlengthscaleswillbederived,suchastheplasma,cyclotronandcollisionfrequencies,skindepth,sheathextentandLarmorradius.Wavesandinstabilitiesinfullyionized(andmagnetized)fluidandkineticplasmaswillalsobeaddressed.Themanynaturalandman-madetypesofplasmaandtheirapplicationswillbeoutlinedandinparticularmagneticallyconfinedplasmaswillbediscussedwithexamples,includingtokamaks.Finally,drivenplasmasystems(suchasmicrowaveandrfplasmas)willbediscussed,alongwithpossibleapplications.

Quarks and Hadron Spectroscopy (SUPAQHS)Lecturer: DavidIrelandInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 7Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseiscross-listedwiththeParticlePhysicsThemeCourse DescriptionThecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics:whyaremodelsnecessarywhenyou’vegotQCD,quarkmodelpredictionsofhadronicstates,propertiesofthenucleonanditsresonances,“missing”baryonicresonances,pentaquarks-salutorylessonorcrucialdiscovery,partialwaveanalysis,thesearchforexoticstates:hybridmesons,glueballs.

Semester 2

Laser Driven Plasma Acceleration (SUPALDP)Lecturer: DinoJaroszynski&PaulMcKennaInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 16Assessment:ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversity of StrathclydeThiscourseiscross-listedwiththeEnergyThemeCourse DescriptionThiscoursewilladdressthetopicalresearchinlaserplasmainteractions,laser-plasmaaccelerationandplasmabasedradiationsources.Itwillbedividedintofourconnectedpartsstartingwithathroroughbutbriefintroductiontothemaintheoreticalconceptsoflaser-plasmainteractions.Thesecondandthirdpartswilladdresstheinteractionofintenselaserpulseswithunder-denseandover-denseplasma,respectively,withparticularemphasisonlaser-plasmaacceleration,absorption,propagation,electrontransport,plasmawaves,shockwaves,radiationmechanisms,non-linearopticsofplasmaetc.Thefourthpartwillintroducestudentstothemainconceptsoffreeelectronlasers,whichareimportanttoolsforscientistsinvestigatingthestructureofmatter.Studentswillproceedquicklyfrombasicconcepts to advanced and current applications such as compact radiationandparticlesources,inertialfusionenergy,fastignitionetc.Theywillgainagoodintroductiontolaser-plasmainteractions,whichwillprovide a good basis for postgraduate research in this area.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle (SUPANFL)Lecturer: DavidHamiltonInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseiscross-listedwiththeEnergyThemeCourse DescriptionWithpolicymakersaroundtheworldconsideringanuclearrenaissanceasoneofthepossiblesolutionstosociety’slow-carbonenergyneedsinthemedium-term,thiscoursewillprovideanintroductiontothenuclearfuelcycle.Coveringthetechnicalaspectsofnuclearpowerproductionatanintroductorylevel,thecoursewillcoverradiationinteractions,reactorandfuelcycletechnologyandcorephysics.Inaddition,asanydiscussionofthenuclearfuelcycleisincompletewithoutsomeconsiderationoftheeconomic,industrialandpolicydimensions,thecoursewillcoversomeofthemostimportantnon-technicalaspectsassociatedwithnuclearenergy.Thecourseisintendedforstudentswithaninterestinnucleartechnology,whetherasapossiblefuturecareerpathorsimplyforgeneralinterest.Specialistknowledgeinnuclearorparticle physics is not required for this course.

NuclearandPlasmaPhysics

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Nuclear Instrumentation (SUPANIN)Lecturer: TomDavinsonInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionTheobjectiveofthisshortcourseoflecturesistoprovidestudentswithan insight into state of the art of nuclear instrumentation technology andtechniques-particularemphasiswillbegiventotopicseithernotfound,ornotwell-covered,inthestandardtextbooks.Topicswillinclude:noise,interference,groundingandotherblackarts,theoriginsofdetectorenergyandtimeresolution,ASICS,dataacquisitionandanalysis,and digital signal processing.

Nuclear Reaction Theory and Nuclear Forces (SUPANRT)Lecturer: DanWattsInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillassumeanundergraduatelevelknowledgeofnuclearphysicsandquantummechanicsandwilldescribevarioustheoreticaldescriptions of nuclei and nuclear reactions at a level relevant to apostgraduateexperimentalphysicist.Thecoursewillintroducestudentstothetheoreticalformalismscommonlyencounteredinthefieldofnuclearandhadronphysics.Thestudentswillunderstandbasicmodelsofnuclearstructure(liquiddropmodelandFermigasmodel),beabletoexplaintheoriginofnuclearshapesandexcitationmodes,beabletooutlinethetheoreticaldescriptionoftheNucleon-Nucleonpotentialfrombosonfieldtheory,beabletounderstandthetermsusedtoparameterisephenomenologicalNNpotentials,showunderstandingoftheroleofthree-nucleonforcesinthenucleus,outlinethetheoreticalformalismfordescribingelasticandinelasticscatteringreactions,understandtheclassificationofreactionsascompound,directorpre-equilibrium,showunderstandingoftheprocessofpartialwaveanalysisandphaseshiftsinreactiontheory,understandthereactiontheoriesdescribingfissionandfusionandtheirapplicationinnuclearenergygeneration.

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NuclearandPlasmaPhysics

TheSUPAGraduateSchoolrunsanextensiveprogrammeofParticlePhysicscoursestoprovidenewgraduatestudentswiththenecessaryskills required to carry out research. The Particle Physics coursesaredividedintocategoriescorrespondingtowhetherthestudentisundertakingtheoreticalorexperimentalresearch,corelecturesarecompulsoryforfirstyearstudentsinbothareas.Theory Students are strongly recommended to attend all the‘CommonCore’and‘TheoryCore’courses.Experimentalistsarestronglyrecommendedtoattendallthe‘CommonCore’and“ExperimentCore’courses.Theorystudentsarealsowelcometoattendcoursesintheexperimentcoreandviceversa.Studentsshoulddiscusswiththeirsupervisorwhichoptionalcoursestheyshouldattend.

Semester 1

Accelerators (SUPAACC)Lecturer: DinoJaroszynski&MarkWigginsInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 8Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentExperimental Core: ThiscourseiscrossedlinkedwiththeNuclearandPlasma Physics ThemeCourse DescriptionThecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics:(i)overviewandhistoryoftheaccelerators and outlook for future advances including the developmentoflaser-drivenaccelerators,(ii)acceleratorapplicationsincludingmedicalimaging,isotopeproductionandoncology(iii)transverseandlongitudinal beam dynamics outlining beam parameters and transportandtheeffectofbeamqualityontransportandfocusing,(iv)nonlinearbeamdynamicsincludingresonances,betatronmotionandbeaminstabilities,(v)RFacceleratingcavitiesincludingwaveguidepropagation,superconductingcavitiesandpowerdelivery,(vi)beamlinediagnosticsforcharacterisingbeamparameterssuchascharge,transverseprofile,energyspreadandemittance.

String Theory (SUPASTR) Lecturer:ArjunBagchiInstitution:EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit:10Assessment:Take-homeexamCourse DescriptionString theory is currently the most successful theory of quantum gravity and is one of the most researched areas of theoretical physics today. Theaimofthiscourseistogiveaflavourofthebasicsofthesubjecttostudentswithaworkingknowledgeofgeneralrelativityandsomeexposuretoquantumfieldtheory.Althoughtheaboveisassumed,Iwouldtryandmakethecourseasself-containedasispossible.Wewouldmainlyconcentrate our attention on the bosonic string theory mentioning along thewaytheresultsforsuperstrings.Thefollowingisanoutline• Quantisationoftherelativisticpointparticle.• Quantisationoftherelativisticstring.• OpenstringsandD-branes• CompactificationandT-duality.

Detectors (SUPADET)Lecturer: StephanEisenhardt,RichardBates&AndrewBlueInstitution: Glasgow&EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit:16(11lectures,1x2hrlab&1x3hrLab)Assessment:ContinuousassessmentusingproblemsheetsExperimental Core:Course Description: Thecoursewillgiveacomprehensiveviewonthemanytechniquesand technologies utilised in the building of particle physics detectors.Theseriesof11hoursoflecturesiscomplementedby5hoursofpractical sessions.

Inthefirstseriesoflectures,taughtbyStephanEisenhardt,thestudentslearn about classical detector technologies and concepts that form thebasis of the modern developments. The principles of the interaction ofradiationwithmatterarediscussed.Fromprinciplestostate-of-the-artapplications,thefollowingtechnologiesarereviewed:gaseoustrackingdetectors,photondetectorsandcalorimeters.Themethodsutilisedforparticleidentificationaswellasconceptstotriggeronrareeventsarepresented.Finally,thestudentsareintroducedtohowallthesebuildingblocks are combined into modern layouts of particle physics detectors.Thesecondseriesoflectures,taughtbyRichardBates,focusesentirelyonthephysicsandapplicationsofSolidStateDetectors.Theirever-increasinguseinparticlephysicsdetectorsismotivated;theirapplicationinthepast,inthepresentandinthenearfutureisreviewed.Thefundamentalconfigurationsandpropertiesofsemiconductors are introduced and the process of signal formation insemiconductor detectors is discussed. The properties of the microstripdetectorareexaminedindetailasanexampleofadetectortypecommonlyusedtoday.Radiationdamageisthemostlimitingeffecttosemiconductor detectors; its effects and cures are presented.Intheconcludinglecture,AndrewBlueteachesaboutthefabricationofsemiconductors. The main production techniques and their limitationsarepresentedincludinglithography,additiveandsubtractiveprocesses,etching,SiO2layersanddoping.Finally,thesemiconductorprocessingfacilitiesattheGlasgowElectricalEngineeringDepartmentareoutlined.Atwo-hoursessiontakingplaceinalaboratoryatEdinburghwilldemonstrateastate-of-the-artapplicationofnovelphotondetectorsonthetestbench.Onefocuswillbeontheintegrationofcontrol,dataacquisitionandloggingintoanintegratedtestsystemusingLabview.Inadditionthebasicsofsignaltransmission,interfacingkitofhardwareandsafetywhenworkingwithhighvoltagesandradioactivesourceswillbecovered.

ThesecondlaboratorysessionheldinGlasgowwilllast3hours.Thesessionwillinitiallyexploretheelectricalbehaviourofsilicondetectors.AfterthistheresponseofthedetectortoanIRlightpulseasafunctionofdetectorbiasvoltagewillbeexamined.Twodifferentdetectordesignswillbeusedtoallowthestudenttomeasurethedifferentcharacteristicsofthesedevices.Thelaboratorywillgivethestudenttheopportunity to measure the type of silicon detectors that are discussed indetailinthesecondpartofthelecturecourse.Thecourseisself-containedandrequiresnopriorknowledgeofthefield.Studentswill be assessed using problem sheets.

Particle Physics

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Group Theory (SUPAGTH)Lecturer: tobeconfirmedInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 10(8lecturesand2tutorials)Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCommon CoreCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillcoverthefundamentalsofgrouptheoryfromaparticlephysicsperspective.WewillbeginwiththedefinitionofagroupandsomesimpleexamplesincludingSO(N)andSU(N)whichareimportantinparticlephysics.Wewillthendiscussrepresentationtheoryandirreduciblerepresentations.TheirreduciblerepresentationsofSU(2)willbedescribedindetailalongwithtensorproductrepresentationsandtheirdecompositionsintoirreducibles.TheconceptofisospinwillthenbediscussedinthecontextofSU(2)representationtheory.NextwewilldiscusstheirreduciblerepresentationsofSU(3)flavoursymmetryandhowtheseareusedinthequarkmodeltoexplainthemesonandbaryonmultiplets.TheLorentzandPoincarégroupsandtheirrepresentationsinparticlephysicswillbedescribed.Iftimepermits,wewillcoverthecubicgroupandit’srepresentationsinthecontextoflatticeQCD.At the end of this course students should: understand the differencebetweenAbelianandnon-Abeliangroupsaswellasthedifferencebetweenreducibleandirreduciblerepresentationsofagroup;beabletospecifythesetofthegeneratorsoftheSU(2),SO(3),SU(3),LorentzandPoincarégroupsandtheelementsofthecorrespondingLiegroups;beabletoconstructthesimplestrepresentationsoftheSU(2),SO(3),SU(3)groups;befamiliarwiththeisospinsymmetry;understandthemeaningofClebsch-Gordancoefficientsandbeabletousethemforthecalculationofthematrixelementsofdifferentphysicalprocesses;understandtheroleoftheCasimiroperators.UnderstandtheclassificationoffundamentalandcompositeparticlesinthestandardmodelintermsofirreduciblerepresentationsoftheLorentzgroup.Studentswillbeassessedbycontinuousassessment.

Quarks and Hadron Spectroscopy (SUPAQHS)Lecturer: DavidIrelandInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 7Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentExperimental Core: Thiscourseiscross-listedwiththeNuclearandPlasma Physics ThemeCourse DescriptionThecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics:whyaremodelsnecessarywhenyou’vegotQCD,quarkmodelpredictionsofhadronicstates,propertiesofthenucleonanditsresonances,“missing”baryonicresonances,pentaquarks-salutorylessonorcrucialdiscovery,partialwaveanalysis,thesearchforexoticstates:hybridmesons,glueballs.

Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (SUPARQF)Lecturer: TonyKennedy(lectures)&DavidMiller(Glasgowtutorials)Institution: Edinburgh&GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 32(22lectures&10tutorials)Assessment: ExamCommon Core: ThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofEdinburgh.Notes: EdinburghstudentsshouldattendtheundergraduatetutorialsandGlasgowstudentsshouldattendtheGlasgowtutorialsorganisedbyDavidMillerCourse DescriptionThecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics:classicalLagrangianfieldtheory,Lorentzcovarianceofrelativisticfieldequations,quantisationoftheKlein-Gordon,Diracandelectromagneticfields,interactingfields,Feynmandiagrams,S-matrixexpansionandcalculatingalllowestorderscatteringamplitudesandcrosssectionsinQuantumElectrodynamics(QED).

Semester 2

Collider Physics (SUPACOP) Lecturer:VictoriaMartinInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit:18(16lectures&2tutorials)Assessment: Essay Common Core:Course DescriptionTheSUPACOPlecturesprovidethecommoncoreforallparticlephysicsstudentsinsemester2.Thecoursecoversthreemainsubjectareas:ElectroweakPhysics(includingHiggs),QCDandBeyondtheStandardModel.Theobjectiveofthecourseistoprovideageneraloverviewoftheoretical,phenomenologicalandexperimentalaspectsofelectroweaktheory,QCDandbeyondtheStandardModel(BSM),concentratingonrecentandfuturemeasurementsfromcolliders.Thecoursewillinclude:• Anintroductiontoleptonandhadroncolliderbasics:kinematics, PDFs,MonteCarlomethods,jets,triggeringandreconstruction• LHCphysics:techniquesandresultsincludingStandardModeland QCDresults;HiggsandBSMsearches• ResultsfromLEPandTevatronandonW,Z,topandHiggssearches• TheBSMpartofthecoursewillintroducetheconceptofsupersymmetry,andsupersymmetrybreaking.Theminimalsupersymmetricstandardmode(MSSM)willbeintroducedandmotivated.Finally,themostimportantcollidersignaturesoftheMSSMwillbepresented.Attheendofthecourse,weexpectstudentstobefamiliarwithbasicsofcolliderphysicsandthetheoreticalandexperimentalaspectsofQCD,ElectroweakandMSSMphysics.

Discussion Classes (SUPADCL)Lecturer: AidanRobson&YuehongXieInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit:8Assessment: PresentationCommon Core:Course DescriptionTheaimofthiscourseistoprovidestudentswithanopportunitytoinvestigate current topics of interest and to present them. Intended outcomesaretoresearchaspecifictopicusingpublishedliteratureandpreprints,toexpandinsomedetailworkthatisrelevanttoone’sthesistopic,toconveydetailstoanaudienceofnon-experts,tobeabletofieldquestionsonanewlyresearchedtopiccompetently,andtoimproveone’spresentationskills.

Particle Physics

Flavour Physics (SUPAFLA)Lecturer: Paul SolerInstitution:GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 14(12lecture&2practical)Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCommon Core:ThiscourseincludestwolabsessionsbasedinGlasgowwhichstudentswillberequiredtoattendinperson.Course DescriptionFlavourPhysicsattemptstoanswersomeofthemostprofoundopenquestionsinmodernphysics,suchashowdoweunderstandthepatternofmassesintheStandardModelandwhatistheoriginofCPviolation.ThisintroductiontoFlavourPhysicsconsistsoftwoparts,dealingseparatelywithFlavourPhysicsofthequarkandleptonsectors. TheHeavyFlavourPhysicsandCPViolationpartofthecoursewillcovertheratherbroadtopicofCPviolationinthequarksector,focussingonthemainhistoricachievementsanddiscoveries,andonrecentissuesrelatedtothesearchforsignaturesofNewPhysics.WewillbeginbydiscussingintroductoryconceptssuchastheC,PandTsymmetries,andtheCPTTheorem.WewillthenexaminethephenomenologyofCPviolationintheStandardModel,andinparticular,thephenomenologyandexperimentsrelevanttotheK,BandDsystems,currentCKMTriangleconstraintsandprospects,andrareBdecays. ThemainobjectiveoftheNeutrinoPhysicspartofthecourseistotrytounderstandsomeofthepropertiesoftheneutrino,oneofthemostfascinatingparticlesintheStandardModel.Wewillcoversomeofthehistoricalaspectsofneutrinophysics,lookatdifferentmodelsofneutrinomass,reviewthetheoryofneutrinointeractions,reviewexperimentstodetermineneutrinomassandfinallylookatthetheoryandexperimentalevidence for neutrino oscillations and the future outlook of neutrinophysics,includingthesearchforleptonicCPviolations.Aftertakingthiscourse,studentsshould:understandthebasicconceptsofC,PandTsymmetries,theCPTTheoremandthephenomenologyofCPviolation;understand the historic importance of these concepts in the buildingoftheStandardModel;beabletodescribeCPviolationexperimentsdealingwithK,BandDmesonsandtheirdifferentchallenges;graspthedifferencesintheCPviolationphenomenologyofK,BandDmesons;understandthecurrentconstraintson,andprospectsfor,theCKMTriangle;haveageneralunderstandingoftheroleofFlavourPhysicsandCPviolationinthesearchforNewPhysicsbeyondtheStandardModel;beabletodescribehistoricalaspectsofneutrinophysics,includingbetadecay,thediscoveryofeachoftheneutrinoflavoursandearlytheoriesforweakinteractions(Fermitheory,V-Atheory);understandthephysicsofStandardModelneutrinointeractions(neutrino-electronscattering,neutrino-nucleonquasi-elasticandresonancescattering,neutrinonucleondeepinelasticscattering);understandtheoriginofneutrinomass(DiracandMajoranamass)andthesee-sawmechanism;beabletodescribeexperimentsthatmeasuredirectly the mass of the neutrino; be able to describe double beta decay experimentsandtheirimportanceindeterminingtheMajorananatureoftheneutrino;understandthephenomenologyofneutrinooscillations,includingoscillationsinmatter(MSWeffect);beabletodescribeneutrinooscillationexperiments(solarneutrinos,atmosphericneutrinos,acceleratorandreactorbasedoscillationexperiments);beabletounderstandtheroleoffutureexperimentsindeterminingleptonicCPviolation.

Lattice QCD (SUPALAT)Lecturer: ChristineDaviesInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ProjectTheory CoreCourse DescriptionThecoursewillprovideanintroductionintothemethodsoflatticeQCD.Inparticular,wewilldiscussgluonactions,algorithms,quarksonthelattice,algorithmsforthat,howtodoalatticecalculation,systematicerrors and recent results.

Modern Quantum Field Theory (SUPAMQF)Lecturer:RogerHorsleyInstitution:EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 22Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentTheory Core:ThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofEdinburghCourse DescriptionThe course introduces path integral methods in Quantum Field Theory.Thismodernapproach(asopposedtocanonicalquantisation)allowstherelatively simple quantisation of gauge theories and forms an essentialtoolfortheunderstandinganddevelopmentoftheStandardModelofparticlephysics.Topicsincludethepathintegralformalism,Feynmanrules,theLSZformalism,loopdiagramsanddivergencies,regularisationandrenormalisation,gaugetheoriesandtherunningcouplingconstant.Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a studentwillbeableto:understandthenotionofapathintegralinquantummechanicsandfieldtheory,befamiliarwithGrassmannnumbersandtheiruseforfermionsinpathintegrals,understandtheconnectionbetweenthepathintegralformalismandtheoperator(scattering)formalism,understandperturbationtheoryandappreciateFeynmannrules,anddiagramsfromthepathintegralviewpoint,befamiliarwiththeproblemofdivergenciesinquantumfieldtheoriesandtherenormalisationmethod,appreciatethefundamentalresultofasymptotic freedom of the running coupling constant in nonabeliangauge theories leading to a theory of strong interactions-QCD,tobeabletoapplywhathasbeenlearntinthecoursetosolvingsimpleproblemsinquantumfieldtheory.

The Standard Model (SUPASMO)Lecturer: PeterBoyleInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 22Assessment: ExamCommon Core: ThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofEdinburghCourse DescriptionThemethodsdevelopedinRelativisticQuantumFieldTheoryareappliedtoconstructandanalysethephysicsoftheelectroweakStandardModelandQuantumChromodynamics(QCD)afterhavingderivedtheFeynmanrules.Thenecessarygrouptheoreticalknowledgewillbeintroduced during the course and used to introduce the quark model and the concept of spontaneously broken gauge theories. A central role intheelectroweaktheorywillbeplayedbytheHiggsmechanismandFlavourPhysics.ForQCDtheconceptofarunningcouplingandthebetafunctionwillbemotivated.ThephenomenologyoftheStandardModelwillbediscussedforelectron-positroncolliders,deepinelasticscatteringandhadroniccollisions.SpecialemphasisisputonHiggsphysicsatpresentandfuturecolliderexperiments.

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Particle PhysicsParticle Physics

TheprogrammeofferedwithinthePhotonicsThemeinvolvesaselectionoflecturecourseswhichwehopewillbeofinteresttoyou.Additionallythere are opportunities to take part in some distance learning courses.It may also be useful for you to look at courses offered through otherthemes,especiallyCondensedMatterandMaterialPhysicsandtheCorecourses.StudentsareencouragedtoattendPhotonicsrelated seminars hosted across Scotland.

Semester 1

Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics (SUPAPTC)Lecturer: ThomasKrauss,AndreadiFalco Institution:StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 16Assessment:Exam,PresentationandAssessedTutorialsThisisanMSccourseorganisedbytheUniversityofStAndrewsCourse DescriptionNanostructuredmaterialssuchasphotoniccrystalsorplasmonicmetamaterials are very hot topics in contemporary photonics.The fascination arises from the fact that the properties of these materialscanbedesignedtoasignificantextentviatheirstructure.Whilephotoniccrystalsaremadeofdielectricmaterials,plasmonicstructuresaretypicallymadeofmetals.Manyofthepropertiesofthesenanostructuredmaterials can be understood from their dispersion diagram or opticalbandstructure,whichisacoretoolthatwillbeexploredinthecourse.Familiar concepts such as multilayer mirrors and interference effectswillbeusedtoexplainthemorecomplexfeaturessuchasslowlightpropagation,highQcavitiesinphotoniccrystalwaveguidesandsupercontinuumgenerationinphotoniccrystalfibres.Similarly,theconceptsofpropagatingandlocalizedplasmonsandtheirpropertieswillbeexplainedandexpandedtoincludethenoveleffectsofsuperlensing and optical cloaking in metamaterials.

Semiconductor Physics and Devices (SUPASPD)Lecturer: GrahamTurnbullInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 27Assessment: Problem SheetThisisaDistanceLearningCourse.Forinformationonly.Thiscourseisabiennialcoursewhichwillnotrunintheyear2012-2013butwillrunagainin2013-2014.Course DescriptionThe course describes the physical phenomena involved in the operationofoptoelectronicsemiconductordevices,andthenshowshowthephenomenadeterminethepropertiesofspecificdevicessuchaslightemittingdiodes,semiconductorlasers,solarcellsandopticaldetectors.Semiconductor Physics: band gaps; density of states; materials; opticaland electronic properties; carrier generation and recombination; mobilityanddiffusion;lowdimensionalstructures;quantumwells,wiresanddots;heterostructures.SemiconductorDevices:PNjunctions;solarcells;LEDs;gainconditions;lasers-waveguideandVCSELgeometries;optical modulators; detectors.

Polymers and Liquid Crystals (SUPAPLC)Lecturer: GrahamTurnbullInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 13Assessment: TutorialSheetandExamThiscourseisbiennialandwillrunin2012-13 butnotin2013-14’.Course DescriptionThisModuledescribesthematerialsscienceanddevicephysicsthatunderpins modern display technologies. The module is delivered in aDistancelearningformat.Thesyllabusincludesanoverviewoftypesof displays and characterisation on display properties. The modulethenfocusesontwocontemporarydisplaytechnologies:liquidcrystalandorganicsemiconductors.Topicsinclude:Displays-Typesofdisplays,characterisationofdisplayproperties.Semiconductingpolymers-Chemicalstructure;energystates;photoluminescenceandelectroluminescence.FactorsdeterminingOLEDefficiency;light-emittingdiodesandfieldeffecttransistors.DendrimerOLEDs.LiquidCrystals-Nematic,smecticandcholostericphases;directorandorder-parameter;splay,twistandbenddistortions;anisotropyandbirefringence;operationoftwistednematicdisplay.

Quantum Optics (SUPAQOP)Lecturer:DanielOiInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 24Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityof Strathclyde.Course DescriptionAfirstcourseinquantumoptics.Studentsshouldknowclassicalelectromagnetism and quantum mechanics before attending this course.Topicscovered:quantumharmonicoscillator,fieldquantisation,photons,numberstates,coherentstates,phase,beamsplittersandinterferenceexperimentswithphotons,wave-particleduality,nonclassicallight,interactionoflightwithtwo-levelatoms,emissionandabsorptionofradiationandtheJaynes-Cummingsmodel.

Photonics

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Photonics

Semester 2

Optical Control (SUPAOCO)Lecturer: MilesPadgett&JohannesCourtialInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 10Assessment: ShortEssaysCourse DescriptionThecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics:opticalfractalsandtheimagingpropertiesoflaserresonators,holographywithlightandcoldatoms,spatiallightmodulators;howtheyworkandtheirapplications,algorithmsfordesigninghologramsanddiffractiveoptics,opticalmomentum,linearandangular,opticalvortices,theinherentfeaturesoflight,opticalspectroscopy,applicationtoultra-sensitivegasdetection,opticaluncertaintyrelationships,opticaldownconversion,atoolforquantumentanglement,opticaltweezing.Theassessmentwillbeshortessaysdiscussingpointsraisedbythelecturers(shouldtakeapprox1hourtocomplete).

Quantum Information (SUPAQIN)Lecturer: SteveBarnettInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 16Assessment:ContinuousAssessmentForinformationonly.Thiscoursewillnotrunin2012-13.Itmayrunagainin2013-14.Course DescriptionThe aim of this course is to give a coherent introduction to the theoretical conceptsinvolvedinthenewdisciplineofquantuminformation. Thefollowingtopicswillbecovered:ProbabilityandInformation,ElementsofQuantumTheory,QuantumCryptography,GeneralisedMeasurements,Entanglement,QuantumInformationProcessing,Quantum Information Theory.

Semiclassical Theory of Atom Light Interactions (SUPASTA)Lecturer: Gian-LucaOppoInstitution: StrathclydeHours Equivalent Credit: 24Assessment: Essay&ContinuousAssessment(70%)&OralPresentation(30%)Course DescriptionThecourseisbeneficialtostudentsinterestedintheinteractionoflaserlightwithmaterials.Itprovidesusefultheoreticalandnumericalskillsthathavebecomebasicsinmanyresearchfieldsinphotonics,quantuminformationprocesses,light-matterinteractionandtheirapplications.Topicscoveredinclude:SecondQuantization,RaisingandLoweringOperators,DensityMatrixApproach,TwoandThreeLevelAtoms,ElectromagneticallyInducedTransparency,CoherentPopulationTrapping,EnhancedRefractiveIndices,SlowLight,Sub-naturalLineWidths,Self-Focusing,PropagationandCavitySolitons,ParametricDown-ConversionandFourWaveMixing.

Ultrafast Photonics (SUPAUPH)Lecturer: DerryckReidInstitution: Heriot-WattHours Equivalent Credit: 10Assessment: OnlineAssessmentThisisaDistanceLearningCourse.Course DescriptionPico/femtosecondtechniques.Standingwaveandtravellingwaveresonators. Active and passive modelocking schemes. Saturablegainandloss.Nonlinearopticaleffectsforenhancedmodelocking.Applicationexamplesandmeasurementtechniquesassociatedwithultrashort laser pulses.

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TheThemeofPhysicsandLifeSciences(PaLS)coversalargebreadthofbothphysicalandlifesciences.Asstudentscomefromawiderangeofbackgroundsandexperiences,andarepursuingdiversePhDprojects,theexactcoursestobetakenshouldbediscussedwiththestudent’sindividualsupervisor.Studentsarealsoinvitedtoselectrelevant courses from any of the themes and or to take appropriate andrelevantnon-SUPAcourseswithintheirhomeinstitution,butitisessentialthattheappropriateassessment(intheformofexamination,writtenassignmentororalassignment)bediscussedandagreedwiththePaLSThemeLeaderinadvance.

Semester 1

Physics and Life Sciences Introductory Biology School (SUPAIBS)Lecturer: CaitMacPheeandFrankGunnMooreInstitution: StAndrewsHours Equivalent Credit: 15Assessment: WrittenAssignmentThisisaResidentialcourserunningannuallyinAugust.PleasecontacttheSUPAcoursesofficeatadmin@supa.ac.ukwhenrequestedtoreserveyourplace.Thecoursewillnotbeopenforonlineenrolmentandwillberestrictedto10placesinAugust2013.Course DescriptionStudentsenteringthePALSthemecomefromavarietyofbackgrounds,and your needs as graduate students are enormously varied. Some of youwillbehandlingbiologicalmaterials,somewillbecarryingoutmolecularexperimentalprojects,andsomewillbeinvolvedalmostentirelywiththeoryorsimulation.InordertobeproductivePhDstudents,however,allstudentsneedabasicgroundinginBiologyandthechallengesofbiologicalresearch.Thisshortcourseisdesignedtogiveyouataster, anexposuretothelanguageofbiology,taughtbybiologistswithextensiveexperienceofworkingattheinterfacewiththephysicalsciences. TheSummerSchoolwillconsistofthreehalf-daysoflecturesfrommembersoftheSchoolofBiologyatStAndrewsthatwillcovertheverybasics(thestructureofacell,cellularcontents,andhowtheycanbemanipulated).Therestofthecoursewillconsistoftwohalf-daypracticalsessions,coveringthebasicsofhandlingandmanipulatingbiologicalcells,performingusefulmicroscopy,andtakingquantitativemeasurements.ManyofyoucomingintothePALSthemearelikelytoneedtohandlesomebiologicalmaterials(e.g.formicroscopyorrelatedapplications),andweaimtoteachyouhowtokeepcellsalive,oriftissuesorsamplesarefixed,whattolookfortoensuresamplesareofgoodquality.Forthosestudentsundertakingnon-experimentalprogrammes, wehopethatthisexposurewilldemonstratethe“messy”natureofbiologicalexperimentanditsassociatedinherentuncertainty.

Semester 2

Astrobiology and the Search for Life (SUPAASL)Lecturer:CharlesCockellet alInstitution: variousHours Equivalent Credit:20Assessment:OnlinemultiplechoicetestThiscourseiscross-listedwiththeAstronomyandSpacePhysicsTheme.Course DescriptionThiscourseisofferedbytheUKCentreforAstrobiology.ThecorecoursewillintroducesubjectsrelatingtotheoriginandevolutionoflifeontheEarthandthesearchforlifeintheuniverse. Itistaughtbyanumberofsubjectexperts,withlecturesinaseminarstyleallowingpresentationofcutting-edgeresearchquestionsandaninteractiveenvironmentforstudentstoposetheirownquestions.Aims and objectives:Toprovideabroadperspectiveonastrobiology,includinggeology,biology,chemistryandastronomyatanintroductorylevel;TogiveanappreciationoftheconditionsforlifeonEarthandhowthesemayapplyelsewhereintheuniverse;Tounderstandthebroadinterdisciplinary nature of astrobiology; To have a critical outlook on the searchforlifeandhowcurrentscientificapproachesareappliedto the problem.Learning outcomes:Aworkingknowledgeofthebasicsoftheareastaughtandtheirterminology-understandinghowscientificmethodologiesareappliedinsubjectsotherthanastronomy-appreciationofhowtoformulateverybroadquestionsinresearchandhowthiscouldbeappliedtothedetailinthestudent’sownwork.Differentiatingbetweenscientificandnon-scientificmodesof investigation; identifying hidden assumptions; the dangers oftakingmathematicalrigour,initself,forscientifictruth;identifyingthedifferencesbetweentrivialandsignificantstudies;andunderstandingthe sociological pressures and biases present in all branches of science.Readinglistsareprovidedineachlectureforstudentswishingtoundertake further study.Syllabus:TherequirementsforlifeonEarth,intermsofextractionofenergy,chemicalpathwaysetc.Limitsforlifeinextremeconditions;evidenceforearliestlifeonEarthandwhereitoriginated.Driversofevolution,survivabilityofchangesinconditions,andhowthismightapplyinnon-Earthenvironments.AnalogousnichesforlifeelsewhereintheSolarSystem,includingMarsandicymoonsofthegiantplanets.Originsofthechemistryneededforlife:interstellarmoleculesandchemicalcomplexityonplanets.Theformationofplanetarysystemsanddevelopment of conditions for life in the star and planet forming process. Discoverymethodsforextrasolarplanets;diversityofknownexo-planetsystemsandwhatnichesforlifecouldexist;problemsdifferenttothoseonEarthsuchastidallockingandday/nighttemperatureextremes.Futureexo-planetdetectionmethodsandmissions,andtheprospectsfordiscoveringanexo-Earthanalogueandinvestigationofitslife-signs.AscientificgroundingforthinkingabouttheSearchforExtra-TerrestrialIntelligence(SETI),whatkindsofcivilizationandcommunicationmightexist,theDrakeequation,theFermiparadox,time-scalesforourowncivilization.Currentsearchesforlifeintheradio/opticalregions.Assessment:Byonlinemultiple-choicetestaftertheendofthecourse,onapass/failbasis.Studentswillneedtodemonstrateunderstandingofthefundamentalpointsofeachlecture.Alllecturenoteswillbeavailableonline for revision and personal study to catch up if any lectures aremissed.Nore-sitpermitted.

PhysicsandLifeSciences

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Mathematical Modelling (SUPAMMD)Lecturer: MarcoTheilInstitution: AberdeenHours Equivalent Credit:32Assessment:ContinuousAssessmentThisisafinalyearundergraduatecourseorganisedbytheUniversityofAberdeen.Course DescriptionPhysical Sciences intend to describe natural phenomena inmathematicalterms.Thiscoursebridgesthegapbetweenstandardcoursesinphysicalsciences,wheresuccessfulmathematicalmodelsaredescribed,andscientificresearch,wherenewmathematicalmodelshavetobedeveloped.Studentswilllearntheartofmathematicalmodelling,whichwillenablethemtodevelopnewmathematicalmodelsforthedescriptionofnaturalsystems.Examplesfromawiderangeofphenomenawillbediscussed,e.g.,frombiology,ecology,engineering,physics,physiologyandpsychology.Afocuswillbethecritical interpretation of the mathematical models and their predictions.Theapplicabilityofthemodelswillbeassessedandtheirusefortherespectivebranchofthenaturalscienceswillbediscussed.Manydifferencemodellingtechniques(ODEs,PDEs,cellularautomata,stochasticmodels(stochasticDE,TASEPandARMA),networkbasedmodels,etc)willbetaughtandactivelyappliedtodifferentareasinphysicalandlifesciences.Thetopicofthemodellingprojectwillbeagreeduponjointlybythestudentandthelecturer;itmightwellberelatedtothepostgraduateworkofthestudent.

Physics and Life Sciences Short Research Project (SUPASRP)Lecturer: CaitMacPheeInstitution: VariousSUPAinstitutionsHours Equivalent Credit: 40+Assessment:Shortthesistobesubmittedwithinonemonthofcompleting the project.Thiscourseistobecarriedoutover3monthsduringYear1or2.Course DescriptionStudentsinthePALSthemeshouldaimtobeworkingcloselywithcollaboratorsfromtheLifeSciences.ThepurposeofthisprojectistoallowstudentstoimmersethemselvesinaLifeSciencelaboratoryforthreemonths,learningthetechniquesandlanguageofbiologicalresearch,andnetworkingwiththeirpeers.TheresearchundertakenshouldberelevanttotheproposedareaofPhDstudysincethedurationofPhDfundingcannotbeextended.ProjectswillbeofferedbyappropriateresearchlaboratoriesinLifeSciencedisciplines,oftenbutnotalwaystoalignwithexistingprogrammesandcollaborations.Theexistenceofanexistingcollaborationbetweenresearchgroupsisnotarequirement.Studentswillundertakeaself-containedwell-definedresearchproject,andwriteashortthesisdescribingthebackground,methods,andoutcomeoftheirwork,appropriateforaninterdisciplinaryaudience.IndividualprojectdescriptionswillbepostedontheSUPAwebsite.ProjectsMUSTbeapprovedbytheThemeLeaderinadvance,butprojectproposalsmaybeputforwardatanytime.

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PhysicsandLifeSciencesPhysicsandLifeSciences

AllSUPAstudentsarerequiredtocomplete20hours(orfourdays)ofCoreSkillsTrainingduringthefirsttwoyearsoftheirPhDstudies.SUPACoreSkillsTrainingCoursesarelistedonthefollowingpages.However,studentsmayalsoparticipateinGenericSkillsTrainingrunbytheirlocaldepartmentsanduniversitiesorrunbyVitae(aUK-wideorganisationsponsoringGenericSkillsTraining)ortheirResearchCouncils.

PleasenotethatenrolmentforCoreSkillsTrainingisoftenrunseparatelyfromenrolmentproceduresforTechnicalCourses.InformationaboutenrolmentproceduresforeachcoursewillbepostedonMy.SUPAcourseareasandannouncedtoallstudentsviaemail. IfyouhaveanyquestionsaboutenrolmentforSUPACoreSkillsTrainingCourses,pleaseemailadmin@supa.ac.uk.

InformationaboutGenericSkillscoursesrunbyVitaeandindividualuniversitiescanbefoundatthefollowingwebsites:

Vitae:http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/1750/Scotland-and-Northern-Ireland-Hub.htmlUniversity of Aberdeen:http://www.abdn.ac.uk/rsd/UniversityofDundee:http://www.dundee.ac.uk/genericskills/UniversityofEdinburgh:http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/institute-academic-developmentUniversityofGlasgow:http://www.gla.ac.uk/researcherdevelopment/HeriotWattUniversity:http://www.hw.ac.uk/edu/research/index.htmlUniversityofStAndrews:http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/capod/GRADskillsProgramme/University of Strathclyde:http://www.strath.ac.uk/careers/pgr/UniversityoftheWestofScotland:http://www.uws.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/

Semester 1

C++/Object Oriented Programming (SUPACOO)Lecturer: SarahAllwoodInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit:12(4lectures&4x2hrLabs)Assessment:ContinuousAssessmentThiscourseincludesthreelabsessionsbasedinGlasgowwhichstudentswillneedtoattendinperson.Thiscoursehasprioritybookingfor Particle Physics students. Please refer to the timetable and visit theMy.SUPAcourseareaformoreinformation.Course DescriptionThiscourseintroducesstudentstoC++vialecturesandhands-onsessions.Thetopicscoveredare:C++Syntax;standardout,inanderror,loopsandconditionalC++statements,Basicfilestreams;Objects1:implementingobjects,memberfunctions,object-objectcommunication,operatoroverloading,inheritance;Object2:polymorphism,templates,theStandardtemplatelibrary.

ROOT (SUPAROO)Lecturer: SarahAllwoodInstitution: GlasgowHoursEquivalentCredit:8(2half-dayLabs)Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillprovideanintroductiontotheROOTframework(http://root.cern.ch),withexamplescovering:-usingROOTinteractively-usinghistograms,treesandntuples-writingandrunningmacros-compilingaROOTapplication-fittinghistograms.

Introductory Data Analysis (SUPAIDA)Lecturer: KatherineKirkInstitution: UWSHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThis course provides an introduction to uncertainty in measurementsandhowtounderstandanddealwithdata.Topicswillinclude:randomerror and relation statistics; probability distributions and their properties;calculation of uncertainty; least squares model; applications of dataanalysis.

Maths Primer (SUPAPRI)Lecturer: Patrik ÖhbergInstitution: HeriotWattHours Equivalent Credit: 6Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThecoursewillbeintheformofamathsprimerintendedforbeginningPhDstudentsincondensedmatter,solidstateandphotonics.Thetopicswhichwillbecoveredinclude:Matrixdiagonalisation,complexintegrationandresidues,Fouriertransforms,andadiscussionondifferentnotationswhichthestudentswillencounterduringtheirstudies.

CoreSkillsCourses

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CoreSkillsCourses

Vacuum Technology (SUPAVAC)Lecturer: KevinPriorInstitution: HeriotWattHours Equivalent Credit: 10Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscoursewillconcentrateonthepracticalaspectsofvacuumtechnology,andwillbeprimarilyofinteresttostudentswhoareconfrontedwithavacuumsystemforthefirsttimeorarefacedwithusing,maintainingordevelopingasystem.Topicswhichwillbecovered include:1.Introductiontovacuumtechnology.Thebasicclassificationofvacuum grades and system types. Important gas properties relevantto vacuum systems. Sources of Information.2.Measurementofpressureinvacuumsystems.3.Pumping:Classesofpumpsandexamplesofdifferentpumpingmachines.4.Gasflowinthroughasystem,gasthroughputandconductance,sourcesandpumpingspeed.Leaks,virtualleaksandoutgassing.5.Systemdesign,constructionandtroubleshooting.HighVacuumandultra high vacuum components.6.Massspectrometersandleakdetection.Residualgascompositionindifferent pressure regimes.7.Realsystemexamples.Here,studentswillbeencouragedtodiscusstheirownsystemsandanyproblemstheymayhaveencountered.

Semester 2

Advanced Data Analysis (SUPAADA)Lecturer: MartinHendryInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 14Assessment:ContinuousAssessment,MultipleChoicequestions(weighted50%),Mockdatachallenge(weighted50%)Thisisa twodayresidentialcourserunning3rdand4thJanuary2013.Students interested in attending this course should register by 10thDecember2012.Course DescriptionThisisa2dayresidentialcourse.Thecoursewillcoverthefollowingtopics: theoretical foundations and the nature of probability; theessentialsoflineandcurvefitting;anintroductiontoBayesianinference;hypothesistestingandgoodnessoffit;anadvancedtoolboxforBayesianinference;covarianceandtheFisherinformationmatrix;Bayesianevidenceandmodelselection;assigningpriorprobabilities;analysis of very large datasets; data compression and principalcomponentanalysis;efficienttechniquesforgeneratingrandomnumbers;MarkovchainMonteCarlomethods.Learningoutcomes:toacquireaworkingknowledgeofadvanceddataanalysismethods-i.e.toalevelsufficienttopermittheirsuccessfulapplicationtorealdataanalysisproblems,asmightbeencounteredinstudents’ownresearchprojects;togainfamiliaritywiththekeydifferencesbetweenafrequentistandBayesianapproachtodataanalysis;theassumptionsuponwhicheachapproachisfoundedandthecircumstancesinwhicheachisapplicable.Todevelopawarenessofthecurrentliteratureonadvanceddataanalysisforthephysicalsciences,andthesoftwareavailabletosupport its application to real problems.

Introduction to Python (SUPAPYT)Lecturer: EduardoRodriguezInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 8(4lectures&2x2hourtutorials)Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionAfirstcoursetointroducethepowerfulandflexiblescriptinglanguagePython.Thecourseisintendedforanyonewithaninterestinusingthisalternativescriptinglanguageforgeneraluse.ThecoursewillexplaintheworkingenvironmentandsomecommonlyusedtoolsforwritingPythonscripts.Itwillcoverbasicconceptssuchasthemaindatatypes,functions,loopingtechniques,modules,classes,howtodealwithfilesandexceptions.IntendedLearningOutcomes:tobecomefamiliarwithPython and grasp its main language characteristics and philosophy;tobeabletosolveeverydayproblemswithsimplePythonscripts;to trigger interest in Python based solutions.

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CoreSkillsCourses

Shell Scripts (SUPASSC)Lecturer: ChrisCollins-ToothInstitution: GlasgowHours Equivalent Credit: 3Assessment: ContinuousAssessmentCourse DescriptionThiscourseincludesalabsessionbasedinGlasgowwhichstudentswillneedtoattendinperson.ThiscoursehasprioritybookingforParticlePhysicsstudents.PleasevisittheMy.SUPAcourseareaformoreinformation.ThisCourseisintendedforPhDstudentswhointendtoworkwithLINUX/UNIXsystems.ThecourseintroducestheconceptsofShellprogrammingandthenfocusesonBashandPerl.Examplesofeachof the key concepts are given and discussed in detail. At the end of thecourse,studentsshouldleavewithaworkingknowledgeofbashandPerl,togetherwithatoolkitofexampleswhichtheycanimplementtosolvetheirownproblemsandautomatetasks.Thecourseisgivenasa1hourlectureandaninteractivetutorialallonthesameday.ThiscourseassumesnopriorknowledgeofShellprogramming.

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship for Researchers (SUPAENT)Lecturer:VariousHours Equivalent Credit: 3days(21hours)Schedule: June2013ThiscoursewillbeorganisedbytheResearcherDevelopmentDepartmentattheUniversityofGlasgow.Course DescriptionThis course is designed to introduce students to researchcommercialisation,focusingonissuessuchaspatenting,licensingandventurecapital.Itisrelevanttoresearcherswithaninterestinexploring:thechallengesofsettinguptheirowncompany;howtheirresearch might attract interest or funding from industrial sources; careeropportunitiesoutsideofacademia;orcollaborationwithresearchersfromotherfieldsoruniversities.Anexperttutorwillleadstudentsthroughthebasicsofbusinessplanning,finance,marketingandprojectmanagement.Invitedspeakersfromavarietyofbackgroundswillshareownexperiencesofresearchcommercialisation.Duringcourse,studentswillalsoworkoncase-studiesandgroupactivitiesthatwillhelptobuildtheircommercialawarenessaswellasdevelopvitalentrepreneurialskills,suchasnegotiationandpitchingideas.

Hands on Writing (SUPAHOW)Lecturer: MarialuisaAliottiInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 9Course DescriptionThecoursewillprovidespecifictoolsandmodelstohelpstudentsunderstandthebasicfeaturesofgoodscientificwriting.Thecoursewillcoverelementsofstructure:Introduction,Methodology,DataanalysisandResults,DiscussionandConclusions,Abstract)andelementsofstyle:useoflanguageandgrammar(!),parallelsentences,useoftenses,modalverbs,sentencecoordination.Theproperpreparationoffigures,tablesandsupportingsections(references,appendices,listofcontent,acknowledgement)willalsobepresentedanddiscussed.

Hanging Your Research Out in Public (SUPAHRP)Lecturer: KennethSkeldonInstitution: AberdeenHours Equivalent Credit: 8Course DescriptionInthishighlyinteractiveworkshopyouwillgainawarenessanddevelopcoreskillsimportantforengagingarangeofstakeholderswithyourresearch. This is becoming very important for research councils and fundersandisakeyelementofastrongCV.Practicalsessionswillformthebulkofthecourseandfollow-throughopportunitieswillbepresented,relevant to geographical regions across the SUPA University set.

Peaceful Productivity for Creative Types (SUPAPPC)Lecturer: OlgaDegtyarevaInstitution: EdinburghHours Equivalent Credit: 10Course DescriptionAnumberofstudentsexperiencedifficultiesduringtheirstudiesduetotheoverwhelmwithnumerousproblemsinandoutsidetheirstudies,busynessoftheirworkingday,endlessdistractionstotheirprogressand seeming lack of support. As a result the students get off track and underachieve. The purpose of this course is to teach productivity skills aswellasprovidehelp,encouragementandsupport.ThemainaimistocreateasustainablechangeinhowthePhDstudentsshowupatworkandhowfocusedtheyworkontheirprojectwhilekeepingbalanceinotheraspectsoftheirlives.Duringthiscoursethestudentswillidentifytheirgreatestchallenges.Theywilllearnconcretetechniques forovercomingoverwhelmandprocrastination,settingeffectivegoalsandgettinginchargeoftheirworkingday.Speciallydesignedworkbookwillallowthestudentstoworkthroughtheirownsituations anddevelopnewproductivehabits.Themasterclasswillofferasafeplacetodiscusstheirownchallengesandfindsolutionsbybrainstormingandapplyingnewlylearnedtechniques.Thesupportandaccountabilitythroughoutthecoursewillensurethestudentsmakethesustainedchangetobeingmoreproductive,proactiveandontrackduring their studies.

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Inexceptionalcircumstances,SUPAstudentsmayfindthatthe TechnicalCoursesofferedbytheSUPAGraduateSchooldonotfullymeettheirrequirements.Inthisinstance,studentsareallowedtoearncredittowardstheir40-hourTechnicalCourserequirementbytakingcoursesoutwiththeSUPAGraduateSchool,providedthecourses meettheappropriatecriteria(outlinedbelow).

StudentsarealsopermittedtotakeNon-SUPAcoursestofulfiltheir20-hourCoreSkillsTrainingrequirement.

Criteria for Non-SUPA Courses

AssessmentAllNon-SUPATechnicalCoursesmustbeassessedtobeeligibleforcredit.Ifnoassessmentprocedureexistsforthecourse,itisthestudent’sresponsibilitytoagreeanassessmentmethod withthelecturerandtheirsupervisor.Thiswillthenbeconsidered bytheGraduateSchoolManagementCommittee.

Relevance Forcredittobegranted,thestudentmustbeabletodemonstratethatthenon-SUPAcourseisrelevanttotheircourseofstudiesandthatthereis no SUPA alternative course. Students are encouraged to use the ‘CaseforSupport’intheirapplicationtogivespecificreasonsforwhy the course is essential to their studies.

Identifying Appropriate Non-SUPA Courses

Itremainsthestudent’sresponsibilitytoidentifyappropriateNon-SUPACourses.Studentsareencouragedtoresearchcourseoptionsavailableattheirrespectiveinstitutionsandtoconsultwiththeirsupervisors.

Applying for Non-SUPA Course Credit

Studentswillnotbeabletoapplydirectlyfornon-SUPAcredits.However,individualandunusualcasesmaybeconsideredvia theGSMC.

SUPA Approved Courses:

The following courses are deemed to be ‘SUPA Approved’, having had prior approval by the GSMC:

AstronomyReadingGroup(Edinburgh)-TechnicalBiophotonicsCourse(StAndrews)-TechnicalAdvancedDataAnalysis(StAndrews)-TechnicalRadiationBiology(Surrey/CDTNextGenerationAccelerators)- TechnicalRadiationPhysics(Surrey/CDTNextGenerationAccelerators)-TechnicalBasicTransmissionElectronMicroscopy(Glasgow)- CoreEffectiveResearcherCourses(runatanyoftheSUPA partnersorVitae)-CoreIntegratedMagneticResonance(DTC)-Core

Non-SUPACourses

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This page details the possibilities for funding available to the studentswithinSUPAanditsaffiliateddepartmentsandorganisations. Further information about funding options for students is available from thefundingcouncil,researchcouncilsandfromthefundingofficesofindividual institutions.

Funding and Research Councils

Science&TechnologyFacilitiesCouncil(STFC):http://www.scitech.ac.uk/ScottishFundingCouncil(SFC):www.sfc.ac.ukEngineering&PhysicalSciencesResearchCouncil(EPSRC):www.epsrc.ac.ukBiotechnologyandBiologicalSciences(BBSRC):www.bbsrc.ac.ukInstitutionalFundingOfficesUniversity of Aberdeen:http://www.abdn.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding.phpUniversityofDundee:http://www.dundee.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees_funding/UniversityofEdinburgh:http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/fees-finance/scholarshipsUniversityofGlasgow:http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/feesandfunding/fundingyourstudies/HeriotWattUniversity:http://www.postgraduate.hw.ac.uk/scholarships/index.htmUniversity of Strathclyde:http://www.strath.ac.uk/search/scholarships/index.jspUniversityofStAndrews:http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/scholarships/UniversityoftheWestofScotland:http://www.uws.ac.uk/international/finance.asp

SUPA Prize Studentships

BackgroundTheSUPAPrizeStudentshipsareprestigiousandcompetitiveawardsintendedtoattractoutstandingphysicsstudentsfromaroundtheworld,irrespectiveofnationality,tostudyforaPhDinScotland.Everyyear,SUPAoffersalimitednumberoffullyfundedPrizeStudentships.Theseprovidetuitionfees,anannualmaintenancegrantandaResearchTrainingSupportGrant(RTSG),normallyforathree-and-a-halfyearperiod.StudentshipsincertainresearchareasalsocoverexpensesforEssentialTravel.

Application processApplications should be made using the online application form atwww.supa.ac.uk.The2013/14competitionwillopenonMonday1stOctober2012,andcloseonThursday31stJanuary2013.

Condensed Matter Doctoral Training Centre Studentships

BackgroundTheScottishDoctoralTrainingCentreinCondensedMatterPhysicsisatri-institutionalcollaborationbetweentheUniversitiesofStAndrews,EdinburghandHeriot-Watt,providinginternational-leveldoctoraltrainingin the core discipline of condensed matter physics. It offers morethanten4-yearPhDfullyfundedstudentshipsperannum.Formoreinformation,pleasevisithttp://cm-dtc.supa.ac.uk/.

Application ProcessDoctoralTrainingCentreplaceswillbeallocatedtooutstandingstudents on a rolling basis. Applications should be made using theonlineapplicationformatwww.supa.ac.uk.Toensurefairconsideration,studentsarestronglyadvisedtoapplyearly.Lateapplicationsmaybeconsideredifplacesareunfilled.Informalenquiriesare welcomeandshouldbesenttotheManager,ChristineEdwardsat cm-dtc@supa.ac.uk.(Contactinformationcanbefoundinthe‘Contacts’sectionofthishandbook).

Other Student Funding

BackgroundIndividualPhysicsdepartmentswithinSUPA(Aberdeen,Dundee,Edinburgh,Glasgow,Heriot-Watt,StAndrews,Strathclyde&UWS)also have various departmental funding sources available to students. PhDstudentshipsgenerallyprovidetuitionfees,anannualmaintenancegrantandRTSG,normallyforathree-and-a-halfyearperiod.MostoftheseareforeligibleUKandEUapplicants,butsomeuniversitieshavededicated studentships to support overseas students.

Application ProcessQualifiedcandidateswhomeetthefundingeligibilitycriteriashouldcontactthephysicsdepartmentoftheuniversitytheywishtoattenddirectly. Applicants are advised to check their eligibility for certaintypesoffundingbyconsultingthewebsitesofSTFC,EPSRCandtheparticipating universities.

My.SUPA(http://my.supa.ac.uk)isanonlinespaceformanagingallyourSUPA-relatedactivities.WestronglyencourageyoutocheckMy.SUPAregularlyasthisisourmaintoolforcontactingyouwithimportantinformationsuchasrequirementsforyourlectures,changes to the course timetable and event announcements.

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Obtaining a Password and Username

ToobtainaMy.SUPAlogin,pleasegototheMy.SUPAportal (http://my.supa.ac.uk)andclickonthe‘RequestaMy.SUPAlogin’link.Yournewloginandpasswordwillsoonbeemailedtoyouwithinstructions.IfyouforgetyourMy.SUPAusernameorpassword,youcanresetthemeitherbyfollowingthe‘LostPassword?’linkintheloginboxontheMy.SUPAportalorbyemailingadmin@supa.ac.uk.

Forincomingfirst-yearPhDstudents,SUPAshouldautomaticallycreateanaccountforyouandcontactyouviaemailwithyouraccountdetailsinearlySeptember.However,occasionallywedonotreceivecompletedetails for incoming students and so cannot create accounts for them. IfyouhavenotreceivedanemailwithyourusernameandpasswordbythetimeyouareregisteringforSUPAcourses,pleaseemail admin@supa.ac.uk.

Courses and My.SUPA

InordertoregisterforSUPAcourses,eitherasanenrolledornon-assessedstudent,youwillneedtouseMy.SUPA.GototheMy.SUPAportal(http://my.supa.ac.uk)andfollowtheenrolmentinstructionspostedonthefrontpage.Beforeyouregisterforthefirsttime,youwillbeinformedaboutSUPA’svideoconferencerecordingpolicyandaskedforyourconsent.(Formoreinformationaboutthispolicy,pleaseemailadmin@supa.ac.uk)

WhenselectingcoursesonMy.SUPA,pleasenotethatmostcoursesareonlyavailablewithread-onlyaccesstosomematerialsduringtheregistrationperiod.Allcoursematerialswillbemadeavailabletoenrolledandnon-assessedstudentsonceregistrationisclosed.Youwillbeexpectedtoparticipatefullyinthecoursesforwhichyouhaveenrolled,whereasnon-assessedstudentswillsimplyberequiredtoattendthecourses.Pleaseconsultyoursupervisorandrefertothe‘SUPAGraduateSchoolBasics’andtheme-specificsectionsofthishandbookformoreguidance on selecting appropriate courses.

TheenddatesoftheSUPAregistrationperiodsarelistedonPage2. Ifyoumissthedeadlines,lateregistrationmaybepossiblebutcannotbeguaranteed.PleasecontacttheSUPACoursesOfficeat admin@supa.ac.ukinthisinstance.Onceyouhaveregisteredforacourse(eitherasnon-assessedorenrolled),youwillbeabletocheckthecourseareaonMy.SUPAforinformationsuchaslecturenotesandchangestothecourseschedule.Youwillalsobeabletocommunicatewithyourclassmatesandlecturer(s)individually(throughthe‘PeopleandLocations’tab)andasagroup(byusingtheNewsForum).MessagespostedonthecourseareaNewsForumwillbeautomaticallysenttotheemailaddressyouhaveprovidedtoSUPA.IfyouwouldliketounenrolfromaSUPAcourse,eitherasanonassessedstudentorasafullyenrolledstudent,youcandosobygoingtotherelevantcoursepageandclickingonthe‘UnenrolmefromSUPA[XXX]’link.Ifyouwouldliketochangebetweenbeinganonassessedstudentandfullenrolment,pleaseunenrolforthecourseandthenre-registerinthealternaterole.Thiswillonlybepossibleduringenrolment,atallothertimesshouldyouwishtounenrol,pleasecontactadmin@supa.ac.uk. For fully enrolled students,itiscrucialthatyouunenrolifyoudecidenottocompletethecourse,orelseyourtranscriptwillretainarecordofthecourse.

Transcripts and My.SUPA

Asnotedinthe‘GraduateSchoolBasics’sectionofthishandbook,allSUPAstudentsarerequiredtocomplete40hoursofTechnicalCoursesand20hoursofCoreSkillsTraininginthefirsttwoyearsoftheirPhD.YoucantrackthenumberofcoursehoursyouhavecompletedbyviewingyouronlinetranscriptinMy.SUPA.Todoso,afterloggingintoMy.SUPA,clickonyournameintheupperrighthandcornerofthescreen.(Thelinkshouldsay:Youareloggedinas[NAME]).Thiswilltakeyoutoyouruserprofile.Clickonthe‘Grades’tabtoviewyourtranscript.ToobtainanofficialcopyofyourtranscriptcertifiedbytheGraduateSchoolDirector,pleaseemailadmin@supa.ac.uk.

Timetable, Calendar and Events Forum

ThelatestversionoftheGraduateSchoolTimetable,theSUPAEventsForumandtheSUPACalendarcanbefoundontheMy.SUPAhomepage.IfyouwouldliketoadvertiseaneventthroughtheEventsForum,pleaseemailadmin@supa.ac.uk.

Further Training and Support

IfyouexperienceanydifficultieswhileusingMy.SUPA,pleaseemailtheSUPAAdministrationOfficeat admin@supa.ac.uk. To reporterrorsonthesiteortorequesttechnicalhelp,pleasecontactwebmaster@supa.ac.uk.

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GettingStartedwithMy.SUPA

This page gives an introduction to using the videoconference facilitiesacrosstheSUPAinstitutions.VideoconferencesareprimarilyusedinSUPAtodelivercourses.However,theyarealsousedforavarietyofotherpurposes,suchasresearchmeetings,seminars,interviewsanddistinguishedvisitorlectures.MoreinformationonusingSUPAvideoconferencefacilitiescanbefoundinGettingStartedwithVideo-Conferencingat:http://my.supa.ac.uk/.

Making a Booking

SUPA videoconferences must be booked in advance by SUPA. IfyouareattendingascheduledSUPAcourseorevent,thebookinghasalready been made for you. If you are organising a meeting or eventandwouldliketousetheSUPAvideoconferencefacilities,pleasevisittheSUPAwebsiteandusethebookingformtomakeabooking(http://www.supa.ac.uk/room_booking).

Setting Up

SUPAvideoconferencesusuallybeginatfiveminutespastthehour.Asthebookingsaremadeinadvance,thevideoconferencecallwill bemadeautomatically,sothereisnoneedtodialin.Althoughthereareslight differences in the layout of the videoconference rooms at eachinstitution,theyarealloperatedinthesameway.Whenyouarriveinthe room:

• Iftheprojectorsarenotturnedon,pressthetouchscreenfirmly. You’llseetheIntroScreen:select“VideoConferencing”• ThiswilltakeyoutotheCallWaitingScreen-Waithereforthe incomingcall.Whenthecallstarts,you’llbeautomaticallytakento theInConferenceScreen.

AdjustingCameraviewandMicrophones:

• Camera:Pressthebuttonmarked“SendingPresenter”toswitchto Audienceview.Thebuttonwillchangeto“SendingAudience”.• Microphone:Ifduringtheconferenceyoucannotbeheard,you mayneedtopressthe“CeilingMics”buttontoactivatetheceiling microphone.

Connecting Laptops:

• Beforetheconference,turnyourlaptoponandchangetheresolution to1024x768@70Hz.AttachtotheflyingVGAcable.Setyourlaptop tooutputtobothlocalscreenandexternalmonitor.(Thisisnormally donebypressingfn-F5,fn-F7orfn-F8.)• Oncetheconferencebegins,pressLaptopontheInConference screen.Checkthatyoucanseeyourlaptopscreenprojectedonthe screenlocally,andthencheckthattheothersitescanseeitaswell.

Shutting Down

Ifthereisnotanothervideoconferencedirectlyafteryours,pleaseturnofftheprojectorsbyreturningtotheIntroScreenandchoosing“BothOff”.Pleasealsoturnofftheroomlightsandlockthedoor.Tocheckwhetherthereisaconferencefollowingyours,pleaserefertotheSUPAtimetable(postedonthedoorofthevideoconferenceroomandonlineathttp://my.supa.ac.uk).

Further Training and Support

Further training in the use of the videoconference facilities andassistanceduringvideoconferencesisavailablefromLocaltechnicalsupportateachsite(Pleaseseethe‘Contacts’sectionofthishandbookforlocaltechnicalsupportcontacts.)TheGettingStartedwithVideoConferencingMy.SUPApagecanbefoundathttp://my.supa.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=91 and contains detailed fact sheets on using thefacilities.GettingStartedwithVideoconferencing

GettingStartedwithVideoconferencing

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TheResearcherDevelopmentFramework

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The Researcher Development Framework

TheResearcherDevelopmentFrameworkdescribestheknowledge,behaviours and attributes of researchers and encourages them toaspiretoexcellencethroughachievinghigherlevelsofdevelopment.Itwillbeinvaluableforplanning,promotingandsupportingthepersonal,professionalandcareerdevelopmentofresearchersin higher education.

The Researcher Development Statement

TheResearcherDevelopmentStatementsetsouttheknowledge,behaviours and attributes of effective and highly skilled researchers appropriateforawiderangeofcareers.Further information can be found online at: www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf

RDF Personal Development Planner

TheResearcherDevelopmentFramework(RDF)hasbeenincorporatedintotheProfessionalDevelopmentPlannertoallowresearcherstoidentifytheareasintheframeworktheywanttodevelopfurther,create an action plan and record evidence of their progress. Forfurtherinformation,visit:www.vitae.ac.uk/RDFplanner

Notes

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