General Physics (PhysGen)

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This course aims to provide basic concepts in astronomy and astrophysics, which will be useful in other astrophysics courses in the master's program. It also illustrates the application of physics concepts to the description of astrophysical objects. Most of the concepts covered will be explored in greater depth in^second-year courses.

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Fluids are all around us at all times and on all scales. Understanding fluid mechanics means understanding the mechanics of our surroundings, particularly air and water. As such, hydrodynamics is part of a physicist's basic knowledge.

Hydrodynamics is an introduction to the mechanics of incompressible perfect fluids (Euler) and viscous Newtonian fluids (Navier-Stokes). Classical flows are presented, as well as the concepts of boundary layer, instability, and turbulence. The emphasis is placed more on physical ideas than on advanced mathematical or numerical solution methods.

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English tutorial course for students enrolled in the Master 1 Physics program who wish to become proficient in scientific English.

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This course is part of the foundation of modern physics. It provides a foundation of knowledge that is essential for all physics courses, as it lays the groundwork for the theoretical description of the interaction between the electromagnetic field and elementary quantum elements such as two-level systems, atoms, and molecules. It also provides the necessary knowledge for understanding LASERs, modern optical devices, and spectroscopic methods and analyses.

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The aim of this module is to enable students to compare experimental reality with their theoretical knowledge. Particular attention is paid to writing up results and presenting them in the form of oral presentations. The work is organized into eight-hour sessions for which a topic is chosen by the students. They record their results and analyses in a laboratory notebook based on the protocols used in laboratories. At the end of the semester, students choose a topic, which they develop in the form of a final report that they defend orally. This course prepares students for the internships they will undertake during their studies.

Examples of experiments available: optical spectroscopy (IR, visible), gamma, X-ray, acoustic; low-temperature photoluminescence; near-field spectroscopy (AFM, STM); electron microscopy...

The range of experiments on offer covers the areas of physics taught in the various physics courses. Students must choose from among the different experiments those that seem most relevant to their interests. A significant effort has been made to integrate new data acquisition technologies and the use of computer tools in order to compare experiment and theory.

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Through two specific examples (X-ray diffraction and vibrations), this module shows in detail how the physical properties of a solid are modeled. The formalism will also be applied to finite systems, such as nanoparticles, and will remain valid for amorphous materials, but particular attention will be paid to periodic systems (from linear chains to protein crystals, graphene, and silicon). Associated with this periodicity, the notion of reciprocal lattices will naturally arise.

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This course aims to introduce and develop several fundamental concepts and tools of non-relativistic quantum physics necessary for understanding the physical processes describing the interactions between the elementary constituents of matter and radiation. We will also address second quantization and the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, which provide the ideal framework for the development of quantum field theory and its various applications (e.g., high-energy physics, condensed matter physics).

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Introduction to advanced statistical physics: grand canonical ensemble; quantum statistics; quantum fluids (Bose-Einstein condensation, thermal radiation; Sommerfeld theory); phase transitions; Ising model; mean field theory; dynamics of complex systems.

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The EU "Condensed Matter Physics 2: Electronic Properties" is intended for students interested in solid-state physics.

Following on from the course unit "Condensed Matter Physics 1: Structural Properties," this course unit addresses the properties of electrons in crystalline solids, the band structure of electronic levels, and the basic concepts of semiconductor physics.

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• Educational approach

Students practice by conducting experiments under exam conditions in order to reinforce their knowledge and experimental skills and develop effective communication.

• Main training content

The topics covered are taken directly from the list of physics experiments included in the current CAPES physics and chemistry entrance exam program (list published each year in the Official Bulletin of National Education).

• Digital space

Acquisition (with computer interface) of physical data from an experiment (Orphy_Lab and Orphi_GTI cards, Caliens camera).

- Analysis of a physics problem (mechanics, electricity, thermodynamics, waves, electromagnetism, wave optics) using data processing software (Regressi).

- Basic coding and algorithmic practice using the Python language (option to use offline editors such as EduPython or online editors such as Jupyter). Display and use of experimental data.

Application to solving simple differential equations in physics.

• Link to other EUs

This module, which begins in semester 3, revisits the content covered in the first year in the "Teaching Physics" course units.

Students also use teaching situations encountered during their internships, as well as content covered in the course units "Didactic and Pedagogical Support for Internships" (S1, S2, S3, and S4) and "Didactics, Epistemology, and History of Science" (S2).

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