PHS4000 · Physics research project

Overview

You undertake a project, involving original research in one of the School's research themes, which encompass a diverse range of "cutting-edge" topics, including: optical physics (involving atoms, electrons, x-rays and light), condensed matter physics, materials physics & nanotechnology, quantum computing and information theory, electron microscopy and electron diffraction, digital image processing, x-ray and synchrotron science, gravitational wave physics, biophotonics, particle physics, astro-particle physics and cosmology, biomedical imaging and ultracold atomic gases. A full list of projects will be made available to you prior to commencing their MSc program. The research project may be experimental, computational or theoretical in nature, or it may involve a combination of these research paradigms. You will be assigned an academic supervisor (or supervisors), who will oversee the research project and provide mentoring. You will be required to undertake a comprehensive literature review and report their preliminary results via a seminar. The major outcomes of the project will be communicated in the form of a thesis. You will also be required to defend their research outcomes via an oral examination. Your project will most likely be continued into the second year of the MSc program; hence PHS4000 will lay the foundations for a substantial ongoing research project in the second year of the degree. As part of their research training, you will be affiliated with one of the School's research groups (aligned with their research project) and will be required to attend weekly group meeting, seminars and colloquia. Opportunities will also be provided to you to receive training in specialist areas associated with their research project, e.g., technical computing, visualisation of data, specific experimental techniques, etc.

Areas of study: Master of Science in Physics

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook publishes no assessment items for this unit yet.

Literature review: 20% Seminar: 10% Thesis: 70%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Understand, use and explain the basic concepts and principles of the research literature which underpin the chosen area of research in theoretical, computational or experimental physics.
2. Synthesise and interpret the knowledge gained in the study of the underpinning research literature. This leads to the ability to identify a niche topic or topics within this existing body of literature, which represents a gap in current knowledge. This problem should be suitable for original research.
3. Advance our understanding of an existing problem or problems in the chosen area for original research.
4. Present the results of the original research in written form as a thesis, and also present key thesis results in oral form as a preliminary seminar.
5. Defend the results of the original research in an oral exam.

Workload

48 hours per week which includes 36 hours of independent research; 7 hours of literature review, seminar and thesis preparation; 3 hours attendance at group meetings, seminars colloquia; 1 hour specialist training and 1 hour consultation with supervisor.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.