M2 - Cosmos, Fields, and Particles (CCP)

The course describes the different detectors and physical processes involved in particle detection in high-energy physics. Next, we will describe how the main particle accelerators work, which are used in high-energy physics but also in many other fields such as medicine, industry, materials science, archaeology, etc.

The course provides a detailed description of the physical processes and experimental techniques involved in detecting charged and neutral particles in detectors, as these detections form the basis of all physical measurements.

A detailed description of the different types of radiation and particle-matter interactions will be provided.

We will focus on describing the systematics associated with these processes and their statistical treatment.

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English tutorial course for students enrolled in the Master 2 Physics program who are seeking professional integration in English in a contemporary context.

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This course covers the essentials needed for a good understanding of the physics of atmospheres and stellar winds. The key elements of radiation transfer theory are covered, both in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and off-LTE, as well as the description of gas (equation of state) and its interaction with the radiation field (opacities). Modern models and simulations are presented with their application to the determination of stellar parameters, in particular chemical composition, via spectroscopy. The different types of stellar winds (pressure, radiative, hybrid) are described using theories compared with observations.

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During the Observational Astrophysics Workshop 2 course, students must complete all stages of an observational astrophysics study. From defining the spectroscopic or photometric observations to be carried out during a four-night stay at the Haute-Provence Observatory, to modeling and critically discussing their measurements and writing a scientific report, students are actively involved in this course.

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Interstellar medium: physicochemical processes – phases – radio astronomy.

This course provides students with an understanding of the physical and chemical processes that are important for the interstellar medium (dynamic, thermal, and chemical processes) as well as the associated observational diagnostics (molecular spectroscopy, radio astronomy). The main phases of the interstellar medium (ionized, atomic, and molecular phases) are also presented.

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This course provides a comprehensive description of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. We will begin by studying the Dirac equation, a quantum description of the dynamics of a spin ½ particle. We will then see how to describe electromagnetic interactions using quantum electrodynamics theory. Next, we will discuss weak interactions and their unified description with electromagnetic interactions through electroweak theory. Finally, we will study gauge theories and their spontaneous breaking in order to present the complete theory of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. To conclude, we will give a brief overview of theories beyond the Standard Model.

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This course is an introduction to relativistic quantum field theory and its applications in particle physics. Using the example of a scalar field, we will develop the formalisms of canonical quantization and path integral quantization before introducing perturbation theory and some notions of renormalization. We will discuss the quantization of spin 1/2 and spin 1 fields, concluding with a discussion of quantum electrodynamics.

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This course is an introduction to the standard model of cosmology in its theoretical and phenomenological aspects. It focuses on the hot inflationary Big Bang model. It builds on the M1 course in general relativity and cosmology.

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The practical work involves detecting and measuring cosmic rays (muons).

The aim is to familiarize students with an acquisition chain dedicated to measuring cosmic rays (mainly muons). Students will need to understand how the various components of the acquisition chain work individually (power supplies, photomultipliers, scintillators, discriminators, oscilloscopes, etc.) and then build their own acquisition device using these components. One of the objectives of the device could be to determine the mass of the muon, but other purposes are possible and left to the students' imagination.

Students will then have to collect data from their device and analyze it, taking into account systematic and statistical errors in the data set.

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This course describes the theoretical and observational foundations of the problem known as cosmological dark matter. Dark matter manifests itself through gravitational effects at different astrophysical scales, from the scale of galaxies to cosmological scales (the observable universe as a whole). It constitutes approximately 85% of the total matter in the universe, and it is impossible for it to be composed of the elementary particles that characterize ordinary known matter. The course will focus in particular on potential solutions to this problem, connecting the infinitely small (elementary particles) to the infinitely large (the universe on a large scale).

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3- to 6-month internship (21 ECTS) in a laboratory with the aim of immersing students in the world of research and preparing them for their thesis. This internship can be carried out in a research laboratory in France or abroad. It runs from March¹ to May 31, when the written report is due. An oral defense takes place at the beginning of June. The internship may be extended until August 31 in order to move directly on to the thesis. Topics cover a wide spectrum ranging from theoretical physics (cosmology, particle physics, and astroparticle physics) to experimental physics (LHC experiments, search for gravitational waves or dark matter, large-field cosmological surveys, etc.).

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This course is an introduction to the acceleration, propagation, and radiation mechanisms of energetic particles in astrophysical environments. It will cover the fundamental concepts.

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