Courses Catalogue

Syllabus of the course: Introduction to Modern Physics II


In this web page we provide the syllabus of the course Introduction to Modern Physics II, offered by the Department of Physics.
The list of the courses offered during the current accademic year is available here.
The list of all courses offered by the Department of Physics is available here.

CodeΦ-202
TypeA
ECTS7
Hours6
SemesterSpring
InstructorI. Papadakis
ProgramWednesday 15:00-17:00, Room 3
Thursday 11:00-13:00, Room 3
Friday, 11:00-13:00,Room 3
Web page
Goal of the courseThis is a fourth semester course for physics majors. It follows the course «Introduction to Modern Physics I» and covers the topics οφ Special Theory of Relativity, Nuclear Physics and Elementary Particle Physics, using basic knowledge of Calculus, Classical Physics and Quantum Mechanics.
SyllabusIntroduction to the Special Theory of Relativity:
Inertial frames of reference, the Principle of Relativity, the speed of light, time dilation, length contraction. Lorentz transformations. Addition of velocities. Energy, Momentum. Relativistic kinematics. Motion under the influence of an external force, particle decay, particle scattering, Compton effect, Doppler shift. Minkowski spacetime.

Introduction to Nucler Physics:
The constituents of the nucleus. The neutron. Mass and size of nuclei. The valley of stable nuclei. Nuclear binding energy. Nucler models. Nuclear fission and fusion. Radioactivity, theory and applications. The neutrino. Nuclear reactions. Scattering, cross-section, mean free path. Particle beam or radiation through matter.

Introduction to Elementary Particle Physics:
The «First Family» of particles. Hadrons, leptons. Baryons and mesons. The four interactions. Symmetry and Conservation Laws. The K-mesons and Strangeness. The «Eightfold Way» and the Quarks. The Colour and the Strong Interaction. The force carriers and the main properties of the interaction «The Standard Model of Elementary Particle Physics». Its great success and the open problems. Particle reactions and Feynman graphs.

Bibliography"Introduction to Nuclear Physics", Kemnneth Krane, 2021 (Greek Edition)
«Concepts of Modern Physics», A. Beiser, 2001 (Greek Edition)
«Foundamentals of Physics, Second Volume», Halliday, Resnick, Walker, 2021 (Greek Edition)

University of Crete - Department of Physics  - Voutes University Campus - GR-70013 Heraklion, Greece
phone: +30 2810 394300 - email: chair@physics.uoc.gr