Syllabus for
Master of Philosophy (Physics)
Academic Year  (2017)

This course on research methodology is intended to develop an understanding of the basic framework of research process in scholars through an understanding of various research designs and techniques, sources of information for literature review and data collection, the ethical dimensions of conducting applied research and components of scholarly writing.

familiar with the research processes

able to conduct a proper literature survey and define a research problem

familiar with the basic analytical tools in research

familiar with error analysis

understanding the components of technical writing.

Introduction - meaning of research - objectives of research - motivation in research, types of research - research approaches - significance of research -research methods versus methodology - research and scientific method, importance of knowing how research is done - research processes - criteria of good research - defining research problem - selecting the problem, necessity of defining the problem - techniques involved in defining a problem - research design - meaning of research design - need for research design - features of good design, different research designs - basic principles of experimental design.

Resources for research - research skills - time management, role of supervisor and scholar - interaction with subject experts. Thesis Writing: The preliminary pages and the introduction - the literature review, methodology - the data analysis - the conclusions, the references (IEEE format)

Writing scientific report - structure and components of research report - revision and refining’ - writing project proposal - paper writing for international journals, submitting to editors - conference presentation - preparation of effective slides, pictures, graphs - citation styles.

[2]  R. Panneerselvam, Research Methodology, New Delhi: PHI, 2005.

[3] P. Oliver, Writing Your Thesis, New Delhi:Vistaar Publications, 2004

[2]  Kumar, Research Methodology: A Step by Step Guide for Beginners, 2nd. ed. Indian: PE, 2005.

[3]  B. C. Nakra and K. K. Chaudhry, Instrumentation, Measurement and Analysis, 2nd. ed. New Delhi: TMH publishing Co. Ltd., 2005.

[4]  I. Gregory, Ethics in Research, Continuum, 2005.

 [5]  F. Mittelbach and M. Goossens, The LATEX Companion, 2nd. ed. Addison Wesley, 2004.

This course on Measurement techniques in Physics is to familiarize the students to the various measurement techniques which are useful in all branches in Physics. The course includes topics on Vacuum techniques,  cryogenic techniques, film thickness measurement techniques and data acquisition systems.

The fundamental nature of gases and gas flow, vapour pressure, the concept of conductance in a vacuum system, Conductance effect on pump speed, Combined conductance, Aperture conductance, mean free path, Degrees of vacuum. Operational principles various mechanical pumps as well as limitations: Turbo molecular Pumps- Design parameters, Matching forepumps, Compression ratio considerations, System operation, Molecular Drag principle; Operating principle of Diffusion Pumps - Critical forepressure and inlet pressure, Limitations to base pressure, Backstreaming and Backmigration, Use of baffles and traps, Fluids, Matching backing pump, Small system operation; Operating principle of Cryopumps& ion pumps, Cryogenic processes, Pump configuration, Cryopump system operation.

Pressure measurement gauges, Thermal Conductivity gauges-Pirani gauge, Thermistor gauge, Thermocouple gauge, Calibration of thermal gauges. Ionization gauges, Principle of ionization, Discharge tube, Hot filament gauge, Cold cathode Penning gauge, Range, limitations and features of Penning gauge. Leak detection and Residual Gas Analyzers, design and operation of a practical vacuum system, construction of vacuum systems including materials and couplings, identify sources of contamination and leaks in a typical vacuum system.

Liquefaction of gases, Applications of cryogenics, Production of low temperatures- Cryocoolers, Special properties of liquid helium, superfluidity, Production of temperatures upto 4K and below 1K, Magnetic refrigeration, Dilution refrigerator, Pomeranchuck cooling, Measurement of low temperatures, Primary and secondary thermometers, Thermocouples, Cryostats, Basics of superconductivity, and superconducting magnets, cryogenic safety.

Thin film techniques-Film thickness monitors, Film thickness measurement techniques.

Transducers, Transducer characteristics, Detectors- Construction & working of proprtional counter and charge coupled device (CCD), Free amplifiers-voltage sensitive, charge sensitive, Spectroscopic amplifiers, Analog signal processing, Analog to digital conversion, Digital to analog conversion. Data acquisition systems, Instrumentation systems, Sample and hold circuit, configuration of data acquisition system, objective of data acquisition system, single channel Analysers- Anticoincidence & Coincidence circuits, multi-channel data acquisition systems, applications.

[1].        P A Redhead, J P Hobson and E V Kornelsen: The Physical Basis of Ultra High Vacuum, AIP, New York 1997.

[2].       B D Das: An Introduction to the Thin Film State: Preparation, Structure and Basic Characteristic of Thin Film, Aparna Publication, Ashoka Road, Mysore 1992.

[3].        K D Timmerhaus and T M Flynn: Cryogenic Process Engineering, Plenum Press, New York 1989.

[4].        J B Gupta: A Course in Electronics and Electrical Measurements and Instrumentation, 13th Edn., S. K. Kataria& Sons, Delhi 2008.

[1].   J M Lafferty: Foundations of Vacuum Science and Technology, Wiley Interscience New York, 1998.

[2].    P J Messon: Experimental Techniques in Low Temperature Physics, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2002.

[3]    K L Chopra and R E Krigger: Thin Film Phenomena, Publishing company, Huntington, New York 1979.   F Pobell: Matter and Methods at Low Temperatures, Springer–Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York 1992.

[4].  D Patranibis: Principles of Industrial Instrumentation, TMH publishing Co. Ltd. 1994.

[5].   C S Rangan, G. R. Sharma and V. S. V. Mani: Instrumentation Devices and Systems, 2nd Edn., Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi, 1997.

The course focuses on three particular areas in astronomy that are advancing very rapidly: WR Stars, Emission line stars and Be-Stars. A graduate level introduction of topics is provided in the first unit.  Unit II provides particular attention to the topics that are related to the area of the project selected by the student. Unit III covers a review of selected research papers required for an in depth understanding of the current topics in astrophysics.

Locating Objects in the Sky, Distances in Astronomy, History of Astronomy, the Copernican Revolution, Newtonian Revolution, Properties of a Light Wave, Electromagnetic (Light) Spectrum, Properties of Matter, Thermal Radiation, Spectroscopy, Telescope Parts, Light Focusing by Lens or Mirror, Telescope Powers, Light Gathering Power versus Telescope Diameter, Atmospheric Effects and Useful Wavelengths, Stellar Parallax, Stellar Motion, Stellar Luminosity, Apparent Brightness of a Star and the Inverse-Square Law , Apparent Stellar Magnitude, Absolute Stellar Magnitude, Spectral Magnitudes and Surface Temperatures, Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, Spectroscopic Parallax, MS Stellar Masses and Lifetimes, Star-forming Regions, Nuclear Fusion Reactions, Cluster Evolution on the HR Diagram, Stellar Evolution, Pulsating Stars, The Death of a Low-mass Star, Evolutionary Track of a Massive Star, Supernovae, Pulsating Variable Stars, Supernovae, Rotating Spiral Galaxies and Tully-Fischer Relation, Hubble’s Law.

Wolf-Rayet stars:Spectral classification and basic stellar parameters, Spectral features of WR stars, Time variations, Spectroscopic binaries and mass of WR stars, Spectroscopic models and chemical composition . O-type emission-line stars: Of stars, Oe stars,Central stars of planetary nebulae (PNCSs), B-type emission-line stars (Be stars): Be stars,Basic types and catalogues, Statistical properties, Balmer line spectrum, Other spectroscopic properties, Peculiar Be stars, Time variations. Supergiant emission-line stars: Luminous blue variable, P Cygni and P Cyg-type stars, Supergiant B[e] stars,Hubble-Sandage stars. Evolutionary status of early-type emission-line stars: Evolution of massive stars and emission-line stars, Evolution of Be stars, Evolution of binary systems.

1. Porter, John M., and Thomas Rivinius. "Classical be stars." Publications of the As-

tronomical Society of the Paci_c 115.812 (2003): 1153.

2. Rivinius, Thomas, Alex C. Carcio_, and Christophe Martayan. "Classical Be stars."

The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review 21.1 (2013): 1-86.

3. Barnsley, R. M., and I. A. Steele. "A representative sample of Be stars-V. H variabil-

ity." Astronomy & Astrophysics 556 (2013): A81.

4. Dachs, J., W. Hummel, and R. W. Hanuschik. "A study of high-resolution emission-

line pro_les for Be stars." Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series 95 (1992):

437-460.

5. Rivinius, Th, S. te, and D. Baade. "Bright Be-shell stars." Astronomy & Astrophysics

459.1 (2006): 137-145.

6. Slettebak, Arne, George W. Collins, and Ryland Truax. "Physical properties of Be

star envelopes from Balmer and Fe II emission lines." The Astrophysical Journal Sup-

plement Series 81 (1992): 335-376.

7. Briot, D. "Rotational velocity of Be stars correlated with emission characteristics."

Astronomy and Astrophysics 163 (1986): 67-76.

8. Gunasekera, S., J. Adassuriya, and N. I. Medagangoda. "Observations of Ha Line

Pro_les in Be Stars Using 45 cm Cassegrain Telescope at Arthur C Clarke Institute."

Sun and Geosphere 3 (2008): 67-71.

9. Hanuschik, R. W., J. R. Kozok, and D. Kaiser. "High-resolution emission-line spec-

troscopy of Be stars. III-Balmer line pro_les." Astronomy and Astrophysics 189 (1988):

147-162.

10. Catanzaro, G. "Spectroscopic atlas of H and H in a sample of northern Be stars."

Astronomy & Astrophysics 550 (2013): A79.

11. Banerjee, D. P. K., S. D. Rawat, and P. Janardhan. "H alpha observations of Be

stars." Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series 147.2 (2000): 229-242.

12. Subramaniam, Annapurni, et al. "Classical Be stars in our Galaxy and the Magellanic

Clouds." Astronomical Society of India Conference Series. Vol. 6. 2012.

[1] J. M. Porter and T. Rivinius, \Classical be stars," Publications of the Astronomical

Society of the Paci_c, vol. 115, no. 812, p. 1153, 2003.

[2] E. Chaisson and S. McMillan, Astronomy today. Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River, NJ,

2002.

[3] F. H. Shu, The physical universe: an introduction to astronomy. University science

books, 1982.

[4] B. W. Carroll and D. A. Ostlie, An introduction to modern astrophysics and cosmology,

2006, vol. 1.

[5] T. Kogure and K.-C. Leung, The Astrophysics of Emission-Line Stars. Springer Science

& Business Media, 2010, vol. 342

[1] F. H. Shu, The physical universe: an introduction to astronomy. University science

books, 1982.

[2] B. W. Carroll and D. A. Ostlie, An introduction to modern astrophysics and cosmology,

2006, vol. 1.

CIA 2 :50 Marks

CIA 2 :20 marks

Final Exam :100 Marks

The course introduces the students to the exciting area of X-ray astronomy. First unit will introduce the basic of astrophysics. The second and the third units will deal with the physics of compact objects such as black holes, neutron stars and white dwarfs in the binary systems, and the recent X-ray satellite missions along with instrumentation.

The students will learn about fundamentals of astrophysics, physics of compact objects and instrumentation. The students will be equipped with broad knowledge of astrophysics to carry out research projects in the area of X-ray astronomy.

Overview of major contents of universe; Black body radiation, specific intensity, flux density, luminosity, Basics of radiative transfer (Emission/absorption coefficients, source functions), Magnitudes, distance modulus, Color index, Extinction, Color temperature, Effective temperature, Brightness temperature, bolometric magnitude/luminosity, Excitation temperature; Utility of stellar spectrum, basic knowledge of stellar atmospheres; Variable stars, Binaries, types, two-body problem, Stellar masses and Stellar sizes; Black hole, neutron star and white dwarf binaries; Shape, size and contents of our galaxy, normal and active galaxies.

Formation of compact objects, equilibrium configurations, equations of state, stability criteria and mass limits, the influence of rotation and magnetic fields, pulsar phenomena; Mass flow in binary systems, accretion rate/efficiency, spherical and disk accretion, Eddington luminosity; Radiation processes- thermal radiation, bremsstrahlung, synchrotron radiation, inverse Compton process, X-ray fluorescence, x-ray and g-ray bursts; Physical properties of black hole, neutron star and white dwarf binaries, supermassive black holes in star clusters and galactic nuclei, Spectral and timing features of X-ray sources, types of X-ray binaries- LMXBs and HMXBs, spectra, luminosity data, spectral states, X-ray light curves- fast temporal variations- QPOs, broad power peaks, power law.

UV, X-ray and Gamma ray satellites- XMM Newton, NuStar, Fermi, Integral, RXTE, ASTROSAT etc; X-ray detectors and techniques - Optics: X-ray reflection, X-ray mirrors, Diffraction gratings, Detectors: Principles, operation and performance features of proportional counters, gas scintillating counters, CZT, CCDs.

1.     K. D. Abhyankar, Astrophysics Stars and Galaxies, India: Universities Press, 2016.

2.     K. Arnaud, R. Smith and A. Siemiginowska, Handbook of X-ray Astronomy, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

3.   W. Lewin, and M. Van der Klis, Compact Stellar X-ray Sources, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2006.

1.     S. Rosswog, and M. Brüggen, Introduction to High-Energy Astrophysics, Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 2011.

2.     G. B. Rybicki and A. P. Lightman, Radiative Processes in Astrophysics, John Wiley, 1985.

3.     F. Shu, The Physical Universe, University of California, 1982.

4.     M. Harwit, Astrophysical Concepts, 3rd ed, Springer-Verlag, 2006.

5.     S. Shapiro and S. Teukolsky, Black Holes, White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars, John Wiley, 1983.

6.     N. K. Glendenning, Compact Stars: Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics and General Relativity, 2nd ed., Springer, 2000.

7.  G. F. Knoll, Radiation Detection and Measurement, 4th edn., John Wiley, 2010.

CIA2 : Written Test

CIA3: Research paper reviewing.