FYS4505 – Methods and Instrumentation for Nuclear and Particle Physics
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course introduces methods for measurement and analysis for nuclear and particle physics. Furthermore, the course deals with complex detector systems, signal control, triggering, and relevant computational tools for the field.
Learning outcome
After completing the course, you:
- know how different types of ionizing radiation interacts with matter and what processes are important in different energy regimes.
- understand how ionization detectors, semiconductor detectors, and scintillator detectors work and how they are used alone and in multi-detector systems.
- have learned how data is read out and will have knowledge of electronics for modern detectors, including e.g. triggering and signal control and coincidences.
- are able to use computer simulations to understand what is happening in a detection system, study detector response, and signal background.
- can apply statistical methods and computational tools in the interpretation of results from measurements and have sufficient knowledge about measurement techniques to assess detector usage in different situations.
- have knowledge of gamma spectroscopy, particle spectroscopy, and electron spectroscopy for low energy applications.
- have knowledge of the structure of modern high energy experiments and their particular challenges (event selection, event reconstruction, simulations, and data analysis), with ATLAS and ALICE at CERN as examples.
Admission to the course
Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
Recommended previous knowledge
- FYS2130 – Oscillations and Waves
- FYS2140 – Quantum Physics
- FYS2150 – Experimental Physics
- FYS3500 – Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with FYS9505 – Methods and Instrumentation for Nuclear and Particle Physics.
- 5 credits overlap with FYS4550 – Experimental high energy physics (discontinued).
- 5 credits overlap with FYS9550 – Experimental high energy physics (discontinued).
- 5 credits overlap with FYS-KJM5920 – Nuclear measurement techniques and instruments (discontinued).
- 5 credits overlap with FYS-KJM9920 – Nuclear measurement techniques and instruments (discontinued).
Teaching
The course extends over a whole semester with the following teaching per week:
- 2 hours of lectures
- 3 hours of group teaching
The course includes calculation of problems, practical laboratory exercises, and data analysis using open-source data analysis frameworks based on C++, Python, and other programming languages.
This course has five mandatory assignments, out of which two must be approved before you can sit the final exam.
As the teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance cover as a student.
Examination
- Final oral or written exam, which counts 100 % towards the final grade.
The form of the final exam will be decided based on the number of students registered for the course after the registration deadline.
This course has mandatory assigments that must be approved before you can sit the final exam.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: FYS9505 – Methods and Instrumentation for Nuclear and Particle Physics
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
Subjects taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English. You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
This course offers both postponed and resit of examination. Read more:
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.