| 10593051 | COMPUTATIONAL BIOPHYSICS [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
This course, taught in English, is intended as an introduction to computational (in silico; as a complement to in vivo/in vitro approaches) biophysics/biology, in an evolutionary perspective. The course has been conceived, in a nutshell, as a proposal to the students to narrow the gap between the institutional level of training and that of active research and is based on three tracks: i) ARGUMENTS (A) (principles, ideas); ii) METHODS (M) (algorithms and techniques of biological and biomedical data analysis and simulation (genomes, genes and proteins, 3D biomolecular structures, metabolic networks, interaction networks, biomedical images, atomistic simulations,...); iii) PERSPECTIVES (What next?) of contemporary computational biology. The style of teaching is mainly by illustration not by exhaustive demonstration, and requires from the students to develop an active critical participation, through questions, statements, and written essays and the use of the forum on the e-learning platform of Sapienza. Extensive reference and critical introductions to the literature and to many specialized texts will be offered as a thread for personal study. An effort will be done to locate each topic in a clear reference scheme, useful to prepare the final exam. Guest lecturers will present specialized views and original pieces of research, of interest to an audience of students enrolled in the biosystems and theoretical curricula. At the successful completion of the course the student will be able to orient her/himself among the basic avenues of bioinformatics, machine-learning and hypothesis testing of modern computational biology/biophysics.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To have a critical/historical picture of modern computational biology/biophysics
OF 2) To understand the basic tenets of modern evolutionary theory
OF 3) To get a working experience of Bayesian, probabilistic approaches to inferential data modelling
OF 4) To get a hands on experience of the main databases of bioinformatics (SwissProt, pFam, PDB,…)
B - Application skills
OF 7) To be able, at least, to outline the pseudocode of basic bioinformatic algorithms
OF 8) To be able, possibly, to program in one applicative platform: Python-based, Matlab, Mathematica
OF 9) To be able to run a molecular dynamics trajectory of a small protein on the GROMACS package
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 10) To be able to evaluate in anonimous cross-validation the essays of other students
OF 11) To be able to rank roughly the quality of a research paper
D - Communication skills
OF 13) To be able to communicate results of a research project to an audience of peers
OF 14) To be able to actively participate in classroom discussions, in English
E - Ability to learn
OF 15) To be fluent in searching, through specialised databases (e.g. Pubmed, Google Scholar) the literature to support/criticize a research hypothesis
OF 16) To be able to positively participate in collaborative self-teaching groups
OF 17) To be able to promote self-teaching groups
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| 10592734 | NONLINEAR AND QUANTUM OPTICS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives At the end of the course the student must have acquired the basic knowledge related to the interaction phenomena between radiation and matter, studied both from the classical and quantum point of view; to the operation of the laser in continuous and mode-locked, single mode and multi-mode, as well as its applications in the field of the main non-linear optical effects, of the II and III order. In the last part the course program is aimed at the study of the quantum-mechanical nature of light and its characterization in different statistical regimes.
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| 10592732 | SOFT AND BIOLOGICAL MATTER [FIS/03] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES: The "Soft and Biological Matter" course aims to provide the necessary knowledge to understand the structure of soft and biological matter, in the relevant scales of
length and time. Important arguments include the origins of the effective forces between macromolecules, the aggregation processes which result in the formation of vesicles, micelles, membranes, the formation of gel phases, structural and dynamic properties of synthetic and biological (nucleic acids and proteins) polymers. At the end of the course, students will develop quantitative reasoning and analytical skills useful for studying, modelling and understanding phenomena related to the dynamic and structural properties of soft and biological matter.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To understand the physics of soft and biological matter
OF 2) To understand energetic and entropic forces
OF 3) To understand molecular aggregation
OF 4) To understand thermodynamic stability and critical phenomena in soft matter
B - Application skills
OF5) To be able to apply learned methods/techniques to novel problems
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 6) To be able to apply the topic discussed in the course to the general context of soft and biological matter.
D - Communication skills
E - Ability to learn
OF 7) To be able to understand a scientific publication and deepen her/his own understanding of the arguments discussed in the course.
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| 10593225 | STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND CRITICAL PHENOMENA [FIS/02] [ENG] | 1st | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives This course analyzes the theory of phase transitions and of critical
phenomena. We develop in detail the theory of the Renormalization
Group of statistical systems, both with regard to the so-called
renormalization group in real space and to the one in momentum
space. The course will lead to an awareness of the general ideas that
are the basis of the theory of phase transitions and to a mastery of
the detailed techniques that allow for the development of the
necessary calculations.
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| 1055361 | BIOPHYSICS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The bacterial cell occupies the same special place in biological physics as the hydrogen atom does in condensed matter physics, and for the same reasons. Bacteria are the first "atoms" of life to appear in the known Universe, and everything fundamental in life is found in bacteria, in its simplest forms. The aim of the course is to investigate some fundamental aspects of living systems in a journey that starts from the internal mechanisms by which the bacterial cell "thinks" and acts, passing through how the individual cell moves in the external physical environment and ending with the study of the collective behaviour of bacterial colonies.
All topics covered in the course are based on recent literature and discuss both experimental aspects and theoretical modelling.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know and understand the fundamentals of gene regulation in prokaryotes and the dynamics of transcriptional networks.
OF 2) To know and understand the fundamentals of low Reynolds number fluid dynamics.
OF 3) To know and understand the main manifestations of the out of equilibrium nature of active matter.
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to discuss the dynamical behaviour of a transcriptional network.
OF 5) Tp be able to solve some elementary problems of low Reynolds hydrodynamics.
OF 6) Tp be able to model the stochastic dynamics of active particle systems.
OF 7) To be able to describe with continuous models the growth of bacterial colonies.
C - Autonomy of judgement
OF 8) Using the knowledge acquired, the student will be able to formulate new models capable of describing situations not covered in the course.
D - Communication skills
OF 9) To know how to communicate in written reports an advanced concept.
OF 10) To be able to present a recent line of research in biophysics.
E - Ability to learn
OF 11) To be able to read independently scientific texts and articles in order to elaborate on the topics introduced in the course.
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| 1055351 | COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE FOR PHYSICS [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the elements of the computer hardware and software architecture and to understand their interactions.
OF 2) To know the techniques needed to develop optimized code for a given computer architecture.
OF 3) To know the fundamentals of logic design of digital circuits using hardware description languages (VHDL).
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to evaluate the execution performance of code on a given computer architecture.
OF 5) To be able to develop scientific code optimized for a given computer architecture.
OF 6) To be able to select the computer architecture best suited for a given application.
OF 7) To be able to implement a circuit through VHDL coding and to simulate its behaviour.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 8) To be able to integrate the knowledge acquired in order to apply them for the processing needs in the experimental or theoretical Physics.
D - Communication skills
E - Ability to learn
OF 9) Have the ability to follow up the development in computer architectures.
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| 10599956 | Advanced Machine Learning for Physics [INF/01] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
Acquire familiarity with advanced deep learning techniques based on differentiable neural network models with supervised, unsupervised and reinforced learning paradigms; acquire skills in modelling complex problems through deep learning techniques, and be able to apply them to different application contexts in the fields of physics and basic and applied scientific research.
Discussed topics include: general machine learning concepts, differentiable neural networks, regularization techniques. Convolutional neural network, neural network for sequence analysis (RNN, LSTM / GRU, Transformers). Advanced learning techniques: transfer learning, domain adaptation, adversarial learning, self-supervised and contrastive learning, model distillation.
Graph Neural Networks (static and dynamic) and application to structured models for physics: dynamic models, simulation of complex fluids, GNN Hamiltonians and Lagrangians. Generative and variational models: variational mean-field theory, expectation maximization, energy based and maximum entropy models (Hopfield networks, Boltzman machines and RBM), AutoEncoders, Variational AutoEncoders, GANs, Autoregressive flow models, invertible networks, generative models based on GNN. Quantum Neural Networks.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) Knowledge of the functioning of neural networks and their mathematical interpretation as universal approximators
OF 2) Understanding of the limits and potential of advanced machine learning models
OF 3) Understanding of the limits and potential of DL in solving physics problems
B - Application skills
OF 4) Design, implementation, commissioning and analysis of deep learning architectures to solve complex problems in physics and scientific research.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 5) To be able to evaluate the performance of different architectures, and to evaluate the generalization capacity of the same
D - Communication skills
OF 6) Being able to clearly communicate the formulation of an advanced learning problem and its implementation, its applicability in realistic contexts
OF 7) Being able to motivate and to evaluate the generalization capacity of a DL model
E - Ability to learn
OF 8) Being able to learn alternative and more complex techniques
OF 9) Being able to implement existing techniques in an efficient, robust and reliable manner
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| 1055348 | MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS [MAT/07] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Obiettivi generali: to acquire knowledge on the fundamental topics of Mathematical Physics and on the corresponding mathematical methods.
Obiettivi specifici:
Knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the course the student will master the basic elements of dynamical systems theory, the mathematical structure of Hamiltonian formalism and perturbation theory, the basic methods for the study of some aspects of Modern Physics (Statistical Mechanics or Quantum Mechanics) from the point of view of Mathematical Physics.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students who have passed the exam will be able to: i) study the stability of equilibrium points; ii) use the Hamilton-Jacobi method for the determination of first integrals; iii) introduce action-angle variables for an integrable Hamiltonian system; iv) apply perturbation theory to specific physical problems obtaining qualitative and quantitative information on the motion; v) approach a rigorous analysis of some problems of Statistical Mechanics or Quantum Mechanics.
Making judgments :
Students who have passed the exam will be able to understand a mathematical-physics approach to problems and to analyze similarities and differences with respect to the typical approach of Theoretical Physics.
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| 10592574 | NEURAL NETWORKS [FIS/02] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) Starting from the study of neurobiology of the nervous system, the student will first concentrate on the mechanisms regulating the electro-chemical properties of nerve cells and their connections, eventually studing the dynamics of populations of neuronal networks. The knowledge acquired will be on nonlinear and statistical physics compared to experimental data.
OF 2) The students will develop generally applicable skills in the field of theoretical physics of the complex systems and the nonlinear dynamics.
B - Application skills
OF 3) The student will be able to understand the dynamics of neuronal populations at the basis of the cognitive functions like decision making and short-term memory.
OF 4) The student will be able to apply analysis techniques and methods to electrophysiological data.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 5) By attending the lessons and with the regular interaction during the lessons themselves, the student will develop adequate autonomy of judgment, as he/she will be able to interface constantly with the teacher and critically analyze the information learned.
D - Communication skills
OF 6) The skills on the neurobiology of the nervous system will allow the student to interact with environments different from physics, enabling him/her to initiate multidisciplinary interactions in the life sciences.
E - Ability to learn
OF 7) The student will have the ability to evaluate and solve various problems of both data analysis and physics of complex systems.
OF 8) The acquired knowledge will allow the student to tackle the study of interdisciplinary papers on the physical phenomena underlying the behavior of the nervous system.
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| 10592735 | NONLINEAR WAVES AND SOLITONS [FIS/02] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives Formative targets:
The objectives of the course are to bring the student to a deep knowledge and understanding of the basic mathematical properties i) of the nonlinear wave propagation with or without dispersion or dissipation; ii) of the construction of nonlinear mathematical models of physical interest, through the multiscale method, like the soliton equations, and of the mathematical techniques to solve them, arriving to the introduction of current research topics in the theory of solitons and anomalous waves. At the end of the course the student must be able i) to apply the acquired methods to problems in nonlinear physics even different from those studied in the course, in fluid dynamics, nonlinear optics, theory of gravitation, etc .., solving typical problems of the nonlinear dynamics; ii) to integrate in autonomy the acquired knowledges through the suggested literature, to solve also problems of interest for him/her, and not investigated in the course. The student will have the ability to consult supplementary material, interesting scientific papers, having acquired the right knowledges and critical skill to evaluate their content and their potential benefits to his/her scientific interests. At last the student must be able to conceive and develop a research project in autonomy. In order to achieve these goals, we plan to involve the student, during the theoretical lectures and exercises, through general and specific questions related to the subject; or through the presentation in depth of some specific subject agreed with the teacher.
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| 10592565 | PHOTONICS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
Provide fundamental notions of: ultrashort pulses generation and propagation in linear and non-linear media, characterization of time and frequency, spatial and polarization profiles. Pinpoint selected examples of ultrafast processes in physics, chemistry and biology (molecular switches, photoreceptors isomerization, photoinduced processes in
hemeproteins). Highlight novel approaches to non linear imaging and
related instrumentation. Hands on laboratory tutorials.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know photonics foundations and its most common application
OF 2) To understand non linear processes relevant for propagation of light pulses in materials
OF 3) Understand principles of non-linear spectroscopy illustrated by Feynman diagrams
B - Application skills
OF 4) Learn how to apply equations for linear and non linear propagation to real cases such as short pulses in optical fibers.
OF 5) Solve problems related to evaluation of cross sections for linear and non linear spectroscopies
OF 6) To be able to apply numerical techniques for the evaluation of radiation – matter interaction
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 7) To be able to apply in the future the acquired skills to complex problems in photochemistry and photobiology
D - Communication skills
OF 8) To know how to communicate the critical steps necessary to solve elementary problems dealing with spectroscopy and light matter interaction in non linear regime
E - Ability to learn
OF 10) Have the ability to autonomously consult scientific articles to expand the knowledge developed in the course
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| 1044819 | PHYSICS OF LIQUIDS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The course in Physics of Liquids aims to provide the necessary knowledge
to understand the disordered state of matter. Emphasis will be directed toward the
connection between the inter-particle interaction potential and the resulting
equilibrium structure. The themes of short-range ordering
and of the dynamics in the fluid and glass phases
will be studied in depth. At the end of the course, students will develop quantitative reasoning skills and analytical abilities useful for studying, modelling and understanding phenomena related to disordered soft matter.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the theory of classical fluids, from mean field models, to integral theories and perturbative approaches.
OF 2) To understand the physical basis of the integral closures.
OF 3) To know how to extract structural and dynamical quantities from the scattering of X rays and neutrons.
OF 4) Know how to go from a microscopic theory to a hydrodynamic theory.
B - Application skills
OF 5) To be able to compute the cluster integrals that compose the virial coefficient for simple interaction potentials.
OF 6) To be able to solve the equations governing the structure of a fluid in the presence of external fields.
OF 7) To be able to apply perturbative techniques
…
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 8) To be able to understand the results of experiments and simualtions on simple and complex liquids.
OF 9) To be able to integrate the knowledge acquired in order to choose the best closure relations for a particular problem.
D - Communication skills
OF 10) To know how to communicate the results of experiments and simulations on simple liquids.
E - Ability to learn
OF 11) Have the ability to consult and understand books and articles in order to gain a deeper knowledge of the topics discussed during the course.
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| 1055684 | SPECTROSCOPY METHODS AND NANOPHOTONICS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
Nanophotonics and Spectroscopic Methods" course aims to provide the necessary knowledge on spectroscopic and nanophotonics techniques in condensed matter to understand the characteristics of materials from the point of view of electronic, reticular and vibrational degrees of freedom both at equilibrium and out of equilibrium. Different spectroscopic techniques: neutron scattering, scattering and absorption of electromagnetic radiation, will be studied within the formalism of the scattering matrix S and the linear response theorem. It will be understood how from these techniques it is possible to study the spectrum of fundamental excitations in condensed matter such as the phonon spectrum, the electronic absorption of free particles, the effects of the superconductive transition in electromagnetic properties, the vibrational transitions in liquids and biophysical systems. At the end of the course, students will develop quantitative reasoning skills and analytical resolution skills useful for studying, modeling and understanding phenomena related to the electronic and vibrational properties of condensed m
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) Know the fundamentals of the different spectroscopies in the linear response
OF 2) To understand how to obtain the spectrum of the relevant excitations of dense and diliut liquids and crystalline solides.
OF 3) Understanding the principles of the interaction between radiation and matter neutrons matter
B - Application skills
OF 4) Learn how to choose the most advantageous spectroscopic technique for the study of specific condensed matter problems
OF 5) Understanding the complementarity between spectroscopic techniques
OF 6) Be able to understand the potential and experimental limitations of the various techniques considered
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 7) To be able to apply in the future the acquired skills to the more general context of condensed matter physics
D - Communication skills
OF 8) Knowing how to communicate the basic concepts of the different spectroscopic techniques and the results potentially obtainable in the various fields.
E - Ability to learn
OF 10) Have the ability to autonomously consult basic textbooks and in some cases scientific articles to expand the knowledge developed in the course
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| 10592572 | THEORETICAL BIOPHYSICS [FIS/02] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The main objective of the course in Theoretical Biophysics is to show how statistical physics has a crucial role for a quantitative understanding of many biological
phenomena. To this aim, the course focuses on two very general aspects present in a variety of biological processes: the role of noise and the signal to noise ratio; the
emergence of collective phenomena.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To acquire some fundamental background in statistical physics, related in particular to elementary stochastic processes, critical phenomena and statistical inference
OF 2) To learn the phenomenology of several important biological processes such as chemotaxis and chemoreception, photoreception, proteins, neural networks, living active matter and collective motion.
OF 3) to acquire modeling techniques
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to apply theoretical concepts and models to the quantitative description of the phenomenology experimentally characterized. To build models starting from the data.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 5) To be able to modify approaches derived from statistical physics to study specific phenomena occurring in biological systems.
D - Communication skills
E - Ability to learn
OF 6) Have the ability to consult and study scientific texts and literature of both theoretical and experimental character in a highly interdisciplinary context.
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| 1044546 | MOLECULAR BIOLOGY [BIO/11] [ENG] | 1st | 2nd | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The Molecular Biology course is designed to provide students the conceptual and methodological basis required to study the molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression in physiological and pathological conditions, including epigenetics. In addition to the knowledge on the structure and metabolism of nucleic acids, the course will introduce the most relevant techniques of DNA cloning, DNA and RNA manipulation and the applications of Genetic Engineering to basic research and biomedicine. Topics discussed will also include the recent generation of sequencing technologies in light of their importance for the recent annotation of emerging noncoding RNA genes. The discovery of long noncoding and circular RNAs will be also discussed as well as the in vivo approaches used to study their functional role (practical examples taken from recent literature will be used). The course will include lectures and seminars. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to the study of the basic mechanisms of gene expression, as well as of complex processes such as development, cell division and differentiation, and to exploit them for a practical use in both basic and applied research.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) to know the mechanisms of regulation of gene expression and the technological methods available to intervene on it;
OF 2) to know the structure and function of the genome in humans and in the main model systems;
OF 3) to know the origin and the maintenance of the biological complexity;
OF 4) to understand the influence of the modern sequencing technologies for a better description and for the study of transcriptome dynamics in humans and in the main model systems;
OF 5) to understand the network of interactions between the biological molecules in the mechanisms of regulation of gene expression.
B - Application skills
OF 6) To be able to discriminate techniques to apply according to the different problems to be dealt with in the molecular biology field
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 7) To be able to use the specific terminology;
OF 8) To be able to interpret the biological phenomena in a multi-scale and multi-factorial context;
OF 9) To be able to interpret the results of genomic studies
D - Communication skills
OF 10) To know how to report papers already present in the literature in the form of an oral presentation
E - Ability to learn
OF 11) Have the ability to search and consult the scientific literature in the main biological databases
OF 12) Have the ability to evaluate the importance and the stringency of the published data
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| 10592570 | SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY [FIS/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The course aims to introduce the foundations of Superconductivity and Superfluidity. A preliminary part will be devoted to the phenomenological London and Ginzburg-Landau theories. The latter will be used to introduce the more general topic of spontaneous symmetry breaking in second-order phase transition, and the Anderson-Higgs mechanism for superconductivity. After discussion of the second-quantization for many-body fermionic and bosonic systems the focus will be on the microscopic models for superconductors (BCS Bardeen_Cooper e Schrieffer theory) and superfluids.
The final part will consist in a brief overview of current research topics on unconventional superconductors.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the basis of the superconducting phenomenon, its phenomenological and microscopic description and its experimental applications
OF 2) To understand key concepts as spontaneous symmetry breaking and order parametr for a phase transition, with particular emphasis on continous symmetries.
OF 3) To know basic applications of second quantization to fermionic and bosonic many-particle systems
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to describe the superfluid phenomen both for fermions and bosons, and its theoretical and experimental implications
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 5) To be able to integrate the knowledge acquired in order to apply in the more general context of unconventional superconduvtivity and interacting fermionic systems
E - Ability to learn
OF 6) Have the ability to read scientific papers in order to further explore some of the topics introduced during the course.
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| 1055358 | QUANTUM FIELD THEORY [FIS/02] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
This course will introduce the student to the most important concepts, ideas and tools of quantum field theory which has become the universal framework to describe all fundamental forces in nature. The student will understand how to construct field theories, quantize them in the presence of interactions and how to apply advanced techniques of regularization and renormalisation. Some special regard will be devoted to functional methods. The course will include the mathematical structure of non-Abelian gauge theories and their role in our present understanding of fundamental forces. The student will also have an elementary understanding of anomalies and their physical consequences in nature.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
The goal is for students to develop a critical understanding of the topics covered during the course, both as regards the purely theoretical aspects and in relation to the applications to different physical phenomena, and that they develop an adequate knowledge of the methods applied in theoretical physics, with particular reference to the methods usually used to conduct research in this sector.
B - Application skills
Alongside understanding the topics and methods used during the lessons, one of the objectives of the course is to enable students to apply those same methods to new problems, be they study or research.
C - Autonomy of judgment
One of the main objectives of the course is for students to develop critical skills with respect to the topics covered. They are often encouraged to follow other paths (than those followed during the lectures) for the achievement of results, or to propose interpretations or readings different from those presented by the teacher of the same results. Often during the lessons students are asked to make suggestions or make estimates in relation to specific calculations, with the aim of encouraging their autonomy of thought and their ability to make choices when confronted with delicate steps.
D - Communication skills
The course aims to increase students' communication skills, providing them with methodological tools that allow them to improve their ability to discuss in an original way topics related to theoretical and applicative aspects of quantum field theory.
E - Ability to learn
One of the most important objectives of the course is to provide students with a methodology that allows them to have access to a continuous updating of knowledge, trying in particular to increase their ability to deal with specialized literature.
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| 10596040 | PHYSICS OF SOLIDS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives To form the students on the following topics:
- linear response theory in solids
- light-matter interaction: quantum description of optical and infrared
spectroscopies
- impact of electron electron interaction on excitations: plasmon and
excitons
- charge transport in solids
- topological properties of solids
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| 1044548 | MEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF PHYSICS [FIS/01] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The course aims to provide the necessary knowledge of the operating principles of the instrumentation used in biomedical research and diagnostics. In particular, the students study the interactions of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation with matter and learn how to exploit them in imaging techniques. The knowledge of radiography and tomography with X and gamma rays, with magnetic resonance and ultrasound is acquired.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the fundamentals of radiation-material interactions in biomedicine.
OF 2) To learn about physical methods for imaging and the biological effects of radiation in medicine.
OF 3) To understand image reconstruction algorithms in diagnostics and research.
OF 4) To know the equipments used for imaging in biomedicine.
OF 5) To understand radiation detectors in medicine.
…
B - Application skills
OF 6) To Know how to deduce the response of the detectors used in biomedicine.
OF 7) To be able to solve problems related to the interaction of ionizing radiation and matter.
…
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 8) To be able to integrate the knowledge acquired in order to apply them for diagnostics and research in the health sector.
D - Communication skills
E - Ability to learn
OF 9) Have the ability to consult scientific articles in order to independently investigate topics in the health sector.
OF 10) Be able to conceive and develop a related diagnostic imaging project in biomedicine.
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| 10592567 | MANY BODY PHYSICS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The aim of the course is to teach the main paradigms in many-body systems, particularly of fermionic systems, like electrons in metals, and to give an introduction to the methods of field theory in conndensed matter. At the end of the course the student should have acquired both technical competences (second quantization, Green function and Feynman diagrams at T=0 and T>0, response functions) and the physical understanding of the simplest approximations used to describe the many-body effects. In general the student should be able to understand both the language and the issues of modern research in correlated systems.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) Basic concepts of Landau Fermi liquid theory, the fundamental paradigm of the metallic state
OF 2) Properties of the Green functions and their physical meaning
OF 3) Interaction representation. S matrix. Wick's theorem and Feynman diagrams.
OF 4) Self-energy and Dyson equation. Hartree-Fock approximation, RPA approximation
OF 5) Linear response theory; response function. Analytic properties. Reactive and absorptive part.
OF 6) Kramers-Kronig relations. Kubo formula Fluctuation and dissipation theorem
B - Application skills
OF 7) The second objective is to prepare the students to actively solve problems in physics where MB theory concepts are required. This will happen at first with problems structured within a conceptual scheme similar to the ones discussed and applied during the course. However, as their preparation progresses, students are also expected to use MB concepts for solving new problems in different applications.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 8) The third and more ambitious objective is to teach the students to think using concepts and methods from MB theory as a powerful problem solving tool in physics.
D - Communication skills
OF 9) Besides having a clear understanding of the new acquired concepts in MB theory, the students should correspondingly acquire the ability to communicate and transmit these concepts in a clear and direct way.
E - Ability to learn
OF 10) The students should become able to read and understand scientific books and articles where MB concepts are involved and should be able to deepen autonomously their knowledge in this field.
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| 10592568 | PHYSICS OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS [FIS/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To possess a basic knowledge of complexity science, i.e. the collective properties that emerge with a large number of interacting components (atoms, particles or bacteria in a physical or biological context, or people, machines or businesses in a socio-economic context).
OF 2) Understanding the mechanisms underlying the emergence of complex macroscopic properties from knowledge of microscopic mechanisms.
OF 3) Mastering the basic toolbox of a complexity scientist: information theory, network theory, scale invariance and critical phenomena, properties of dynamical systems, agent models.
B - Application skills
OF 4) Knowing how to devise simple models for complex phenomenologies.
OF 5) Being able to tackle complex problems analytically or computationally, translating research questions into concrete solution and verification actions.
OF 6) Being able to apply the techniques and methods learnt also outside the areas covered in the course.
OF 7) Integrating the knowledge acquired in order to formalise problems and obtain results and predictions of increasing accuracy.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 8) Being able to analyse phenomena, also through the acquisition of data and evidence, that fall within the scope of complexity and identify their essential elements.
OF 9) Being able to synthesise phenomenologies in order to be able to distill relevant and relevant questions.
OF 10) Being able to identify interesting new research directions.
D - Communication skills
OF 11) Being able to communicate complex issues in a simple way, focusing on the essential elements and revealing cause-effect relationships as far as possible.
OF 12) Being able to organise a coherent, profound yet comprehensible presentation.
OF 13) Knowing how to express one's thoughts in a way that stimulates group work and interaction with colleagues.
E - Ability to learn
OF 14) Have the ability to consult reference texts and articles.
OF 15) Being able to assess the relevance of results, their place in the scientific panorama of reference and their potential importance for the research topics of interest.
OF 16) Being able to design and develop a research project, identifying the main objectives and the possible paths to reach them.
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| 10592733 | QUANTUM INFORMATION AND COMPUTATION [FIS/01] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
This course will introduce students to the theory of classical and quantum information; elements of the algorithmic complexity theory; quantum computation and simulation; quantum cryptography. The student will study different experimental platforms to implement the protocols previously introduced.
At the end of the course, the student will be able, with a critical and analytical spirit, to formalize and analyze protocols of quantum communication and quantum computation. The ability to translate a quantum information processing task into an experimental platform will be developed, identifying its strengths and weaknesses.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1)To understand the fundamentals of information theory
OF 2) To understand the theory of quantum information
OF 3) To understand the language of quantum technologues
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to derive the evolution of a quantum circuit
OF 5) To be able to derive the evolution of an open quantum system
OF 6) To be able to model the different sources of noise present in a quantum information protocol
OF 7) To be able to define how to experimentally realize a quantum communication protocol
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 8) To be able to exploit the knowledge acquired in quantum information for the implementation with different quantum technologies
D - Communication skills
OF 9) To know how to communicate in written reports an advanced concept
OF 10) To know how to present a recent research activity in the framework of quantum technologies
E - Ability to learn
OF 11) To be able to read independently scientific texts and articles in order to elaborate on the topics introduced in the course.
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| 10592578 | SOLID STATE SENSORS [FIS/01] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
To introduce the fundamentals of semiconductor materials
To describe the operational function of basic optoelectronics devices
To discuss the working principles of photon detectors.
To describe the readout circuit of semiconductor devices
To introduce the digital conversion of signals
To describe the data acquisition and processing.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) Understanding the principles of functioning of the building block of modern electronics: the diode.
OF 2) Knowing the behaviour of excess carriers in a semiconductor.
OF 3) Understanding the fundamental principles of the photon detector devices (photomultipliers, photodiodes, CCD, APD,SiPM, CCD image sensors).
B - Application skills
OF 4) Using the suitable photodetector for a specific application field.
OF 5) Using sensors for specific efficiency and/or sensitivity needs.
OF 6) Understanding the different regimes of a photodetector.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 7) Being able to complement the acquired concepts aiming at their use in a more general context of condensed matter physics.
D - Communication skills
OF 8) Expressing the links between the characteristics of a sensor and its specific use.
E - Ability to learn
OF 9) Avere la capacità di scegliere e individuare un opportuno fotorivelatore o sensore di luce a seconda dell’utilizzo..
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| 1044544 | STATISTICAL MECHANICS OF DISORDERED SYSTEMS [FIS/02] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The main objective of the course is to illustrate the characteristics of some of the best known disordered models and to introduce the approximations and analytical techniques that allow their study in statistical mechanics.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the main disordered models, such as dilute ferromagnets, ferromagnets with random external field, and spin glasses
OF 2) To understand the different physical behaviors that arise as a result of the introduction of quenched disorder (slowing down of the dynamics, metastability, presence of many thermodynamic states).
OF 3) To know the main techniques of statistical mechanics (mean-field approximations, replica and cavity methods) that allow the analytical study of models with disorder.
B - Application skills
OF 4) To know how to apply an analytical technique (mean-field approximation, replica and cavity method) to a given Hamiltonian to study its physical behavior.
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 5) Be able to recognize to which class of disordered systems a given Hamiltonian belongs.
D - Communication skills
OF 6) Ability to present the course topics orally in a non-technical language that allows understanding even by those who have not yet taken the course.
E - Ability to learn
OF 7) To be able to read scientific texts and articles in order to independently investigate the topics introduced during the course.
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| 1055353 | SURFACE PHYSICS AND NANOSTRUCTURES [FIS/03] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The Surface Physics and Nanostructures course aims to provide the knowledge of the structural properties of solid systems at low dimensional scale and to understand their characteristics from the point of view of both electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom. The optical properties of nanostructured semiconductor systems and magnetic properties of nanostructured metal systems will then be analyzed.
At the end of the course, students will be able to transpose the knowledge of 3D solid state physics to two-dimensional and one-dimensional systems and have an in-depth knowledge of the frontier topics in nanosciences. These acquisitions will be verified also thanks to the presentation of the topics in seminars held by the students.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the properties of low-dimensional solid systems
OF 2) To understand the effects of reduced dimensionality
OF 3) To know the most advanced techniques for studying the low-dimensional systems
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to deduce the properties of a surface or a nanostructure
OF 5) To be able to choose the correct technqiue to investigate a surface or a nanostructure
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 6) To be able to autonomously individuate an experiment on low-dimensional systems
OF 7) To be able to integrate the acquired knowledge so to be able to face a scientific problem associated to low-dimensional systems
D - Communication skills
OF 8) To know how to communicate the properties of a low-dimensional system
OF 9) To be able to communicate the advantages of an advanced investigation
E - Ability to learn
OF 10) To have the ability to consult the specific scientific literature
OF 11) To be able to evaluate the specific scientific literature
OF 12) To be able to design and plan an experiment on low dimensional systems
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| 10599959 | Statistical Physics and Machine Learning [FIS/02] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The course is an advanced module aimed at guiding the students through a journey at the boundary between statistical physics and machine learning by introducing advanced concepts of equilibrium and out of equilibrium statistical mechanics and by illustrating their applications to learning models and development of artificial intelligence.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To acquire the main methods of statistical mechanics, probability and information theory relevant to applications in machine learning and inference, such as the replica approach, message passing, mutual information, data compression, Bayesian approaches
OF 2) To understand the different physical behaviour shown by inference and artificial learning procedures (curse of dimensionality, metastability, presence of multiple thermodynamic states)
B - Application skills
OF 3) To know how to apply an analytical technique to a given inference or learning setting to study its physical behavior
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 4) Be able to recognize to which class of disordered systems a given inference or learning setting belongs
D - Communication skills
OF 5) Ability to learn from oral presentation of research results on topics similar to those introduced during the course
OF 6) Ability to present the course topics orally in a non-technical language that allows understanding even by those who have not yet taken the course
E - Ability to learn
OF 7) To be able to read scientific texts and articles in order to independently investigate the topics introduced during the course
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| 10606100 | Theory of Stochastic Processes [FIS/02] [ENG] | 2nd | 1st | 6 |
Educational objectives A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the fundamentals of the theory of stochastic processes, discrete and continuous, and thier formal framework in terms of resolution of Chapman-Kolmogorov, Fokker-Planck and master equations.
OF 2) To understand the similarities with the properties of equations already known to the students (like Schroedinger equation) and to learn equation resolution methods using operational calculus.
OF 3) To know the formalism of stochastic integration of stochastic differential equations and the connection to the Fokker-Planck partial differential equation.
B - Application skills
OF 4) To deduce physical properties of systems from the analysis of the stochastic equations.
OF 5) To apply newly learned methods to the estimate of first passage times and to the consequences of Arrhenius law on relaxation towards equilibrium in systems with rough potential landscapes.
OF 6) To apply methods and techniques to systems of different nature at and off equilibrium (viscous liquids, wave systmes, glassy systems, lasers).
C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 7) To be able to integrate acquired knwoledge and apply it also to cases not explicitly treated in the course.
OF 8) To be able to connect acquired knowledge to previous one, formalizing known concepts and connetcing them to more complex cases.
D - Communication skills
OF 9) To know how to orally present a demonstration procedure or an application assessing the most relevant and clarifying steps and their meaning.
E - Ability to learn
OF 10) To be able to consult diferrent textbooks and scientifc papers to the aim of autonomously deepening some of the arguments covered by the course.
OF 11) To be able to evaluate the effectiveness of the various studied approaches in relation to the treated problems.
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