2020 Faculty Courses School of Science Undergraduate major in Physics
Frontiers of Physics
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Physics
- Instructor(s)
- Katsushi Ito / Nobuyuki Kawai / Takashi Nakamura / Susumu Saito / Yusuke Nishida / Hidekazu Tanaka / Masaya Notomi / Hideto Kanamori / Mikio Kozuma / Michio Matsushita / Kiyotaka Aikawa / Hiroyuki Hirayama / Toshimasa Fujisawa / Yoichi Yatsu
- Class Format
- Lecture (Zoom)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Tue (W242) / 3-4 Fri (W242)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- PHY.G332
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
In the course, recent developments of modern physics such as solid physics, condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, and astrophysics will be given. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the frontiers of physics.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be familiar with the frontiers of physics.
Keywords
Frontiers of physics
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Each lecturer will introduce his/her expertise to students comprehensively. The theme ranges from solid physics and condensed matter physics to nuclear physics, particle physics, and astrophysics.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Frontiers in elementary particle physics: Theory (Elementary particle physics, quantum field theory, superstrings) Katsushi Ito | Explain the unification of interactions of elementary particles. |
| Class 2 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Experiment (quantum electronics: nanoparticles) Kiyotaka Aikawa | Explain the principle of trapping and cooling of nanoparticles via a laser light. |
| Class 3 | Frontiers in astrophysics: Experiment (Observation of high energy astronphysical sources) Nobuyuki Kawai Introduction to observations of astrophysical black holes | How can you observe invisible black holes? |
| Class 4 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Theory (Nanoscience) Susumu Saito | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 5 | Frontiers in quantum physics: Theory (theoretical physics, ultracold atoms) Yusuke Nishida | Describe an example of universal phenomena appearing across diverse fields in physics. |
| Class 6 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Experiment (Magnetism) Hidekazu Tanaka | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 7 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Experiment (Nanophotonics) Masaya Notomi | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 8 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Experiment (Laser cooling) Mikio Kozuma | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 9 | Ultra high precision spectroscopy (Molecular spectroscopy) Hideto Kanamori | What determines the precision of measurements? |
| Class 10 | Frontiers in nuclear physics: Experiment (Unstable nuclei, Nuclear astrophysics), Takashi Nakamura | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 11 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Experiment (Condensed matter physics) Michio Matsushita | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 12 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Experiment (Surface physics) Hiroyuki Hirayama | Describe an example of characteristic properties appearing at solid surfaces. |
| Class 13 | Frontiers in condensed matter physics: Theory (Quantum transport) Toshimasa Fujisawa | It will be given in the lecture. |
| Class 14 | Frontiers in astrophysics: Experiment (High energy astrophysics) Yoichi Yatsu | It will be given in the lecture. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Not specified.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Not specified.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Based on a term paper
Related courses
- ZUB.Z389 ： Graduation Thesis
- ZUB.Z388 ： Graduation Thesis
Prerequisites
Not specified.