M1 - General Physics (PhysGen)

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The aim of this course is to provide basic notions of astronomy and astrophysics, which will be useful in the 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 developed further in the^2nd year courses.

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Fluids are all around us all the time, on every scale. To understand fluid mechanics is to understand the mechanics of what surrounds us: air and water in particular. As such, hydrodynamics is an essential part of any physicist's background.

EU Hydrodynamics provides an introduction to incompressible perfect (Euler) and viscous Newtonian (Navier-Stokes) fluid mechanics. Classical flows are presented, as well as the notion of boundary layer, instability and turbulence. Emphasis is placed more on physical ideas than on advanced mathematical or numerical resolution methods.

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TD courses in English for students in the Master 1 Physics program, who are aiming for professional autonomy 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 strictly necessary for all physics courses, since it lays the foundations 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 teaching needed to understand LASER, 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 orally. Work is organized in eight-hour sessions, for which students choose a theme. They record their results and analyses in an experimental notebook modelled on the protocols used in laboratories. At the end of the semester, students choose a theme, which they develop in the form of a final report that they present orally. This course prepares students for the internships they will undertake during their studies.

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

The range of experiments on offer covers the areas of physics taught in the different Physics courses. Students are encouraged to choose the experiments that best match their interests. A major effort is made to integrate new data acquisition technologies and the use of computer tools to compare experiment and theory.

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Using two specific examples (X-ray diffraction and vibrations), this module shows in detail how to model the physical properties of a solid. 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, via graphene and silicon). Associated with this periodicity will naturally appear the notion of reciprocal lattice.

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The aim of this course is to introduce and develop several fundamental concepts and tools of non-relativistic quantum physics needed to understand the physical processes describing the interactions between the elementary constituents of matter and radiation. It will also cover 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 set; 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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Condensed Matter Physics 2: Electronic Properties" is designed for students interested in solid state physics.

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

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• Pedagogical approach

Students train by carrying out experimental tests under competition conditions to reinvest experimental knowledge and skills and develop effective communication.

• Main training contents

The topics covered are taken directly from the list of physics fixtures on the current CAPES physics-chemistry entrance exam syllabus (published each year in the Bulletin Officiel de l'Education Nationale).

• Digital presence

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).

- Elementary coding and algorithmic practice using the Python language (possibility of using offline editors e.g. EduPython or online editors e.g. Jupyter). Display and use of experimental data.

Application to the solution of simple differential equations in physics.

• Link with other EUs

This module and its beginning in semester 3 reinvest the content covered in the first year's "Teaching Physics" courses.

Students also make use of teaching situations encountered during internships, as well as content covered in the "Didactic and pedagogical support for internships" (S1, S2, S3 and S4) and "Didactics, Epistemology and History of Science" (S2) courses.

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