Optics, Relativity and Subatomic Physics
60 hours face to face + Blended
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
To develop students' understanding of selected topics in optical physics, special relativity, nuclear physics and particle physics, particularly those areas relevant to modern applied science. Through the development of this understanding and its application to relevant problems, this unit aims enhance students problem solving skills and capabilities.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Describe and interpret a variety of optical phenomena arising from light interacting with matter
- Apply physical principles to the analysis of problems involving wave propagation, interference, diffraction, and Fourier optics
- Describe and interpret the fundamental concepts underpinning special relativity, nuclear and particle physics
- Apply physical principles to the analysis of problems in special relativity, nuclear and particle physics
- Design experimental procedure, analyse experimental data and synthesize results using physics knowledge
- Communicate ideas and conclusions drawn from assigned problems and from experiments to a technical audience
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Lab | 3.00 | 6 weeks | 18 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 8.00 | 12 weeks | 96 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Individual | 10 - 30% | 1,2,3,4,6 |
| Examination | Individual | 40 - 60% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Laboratory Report | Individual | 10 - 30% | 1,2,5,6 |
| Online Quizzes | Individual | 10 - 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
Content
- Light Propagation: Rayleigh scattering, the Fresnel equations, refractive index, reflectance and transmittance, total internal reflection and evanescent waves
- Addition of waves: interference, coherence, polarization, birefringence, dichroism.
- Diffraction: Huygens-Fresnel principle, Fraunhofer diffraction and applications, Fresnel diffraction and applications.
- Fourier Optics: Lens as a Fourier transformer, Fourier transforms and diffraction.
- Special Relativity: frames & events, Einstein’s postulates, Lorentz transformations, space-time diagrams, energy & momentum, relativistic phenomena.
- Nuclear Physics:Â properties of nuclei, nuclear binding energy, liquid drop model, shell model, radioactive decay, fission & fusion.
- Particle Physics: the standard model, fundamental forces, conservation laws, force propagators, Higgs particles, neutrino oscillations.
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.