Physics

MICHELE ORTOLANI
MICHELE ORTOLANI

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:
The main objectives of Physics laboratory I are:
i) knowledge of the physical principles of the interaction between electromagnetic radiation or particles with matter, of the working principles for particle sources and detectors;
ii) knowledge of the laboratory techniques and of their basic principles, in order to prepare a laboratory experience during Physics Laboratory II.
At the end of the lectures, students will develop the attitude to quantitatively approach the experimental techniques to study the phenomena associated with (depending on the chosen track) elementary particles, condensed matter and biophysical properties. Moreover, students will be able to:
- identify the assumptions underlying an experimental measurement
- identify and explain the limitations of the hypothesis behind the experimental measurements.

Additional objectives for the particle-physics course: knowledge of the basic principles of gas detectors, of solid state detectors, of electromagnetic calorimeters, of particle identification techniques (also based on the Cherenkov effect), of magnetic spectrometers, and of photosensors (as PMT, photodiodes and similar devices). Additional objectives for the condensed-matter and biophysics courses: knowledge of the foundations of electron ad x-ray diffraction techniques, scanning probe microscopy at the atomic scale, optical and Raman spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron radiation and x-ray absorption.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the basic principles of modern experimental techniques in physics
OF 2) To understand the orders of magnitude of the relevant experimental quantities
OF 3) To know the field of application of modern experimental techniques
B - Application skills
OF 4) To be able to deduce which experimental technique is useful to solve a given problem
OF 5) To be able to solve problems of estimate of experimental performances in terms of e.g. resolution (space, spectral, time) or probe energy.

C - Autonomy of judgment
OF 6) To be able to evaluate the feasibility of an experiment, broadly described.
OF 7) To be able to integrate the knowledge acquired in contexts outside the field of physics (e.g. computer science, genetics, materials science, …)


D - Communication skills
OF 8) To be able to communicate with an experimentalist (if the student is a theoretician) or to know what a theoretician knows about the experiments (if the student is an experimentalist)
OF 9) To be able to participate to a scientific conference in which experimental data are discusses, both as a member of the audience and as a presenter, even if the student has never employed these techniques.

E - Ability to learn
OF 10) Have the ability to consult a scientific publication, in which modern experiments are described or just referred to.
OF 11) Being able to conceive and develop a Master thesis project with an experimental chapter that could be either a description of an experimental activity actually performed or a literature search / state of the art / data analysis.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
A - Knowledge and understanding
OF 1) To know the basic principles of modern experimental techniques in physics
OF 2) To understand the orders of magnitude of the relevant experimental quantities
OF 3) To know the field of application of modern experimental techniques

It is essential to know the basics of optics laboratory acquired in the first three years of bachelor's degree.
It is important to have basic knowledge of electromagnetism provided in the second year of the bachelor's degree.
It is useful to have good knowledge of molecular physics (excitation spectrum of a molecule).

1) Radiation-Matter Interaction
- dielectric constant, absorption, Lorentz oscillator model
- linear response theory, spectrum of excitations
- Kramers-Kronig relations
- fluctuation-dissipation theorem.

2) Imaging techniques in biophysics:
- Optical Microscopy, Diffraction limit, Super-resolution
- Fluorescence Microscopy
- Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
- Near-field Microscopy (SNOM)

3) Structural techniques in biophysics:
- X-ray Diffraction (Protein crystallography)
- Vibrational Spectroscopy (IR and Raman)
- Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM)
- principles of protein NMR

4) Diagnostics and Functional Techniques based on advanced principles of physics :
- Gene amplification (PCR)
- Immunofluorescence
- Surface Plasmone Sensors (SPR)

F. Wooten, "Optical Properties of Solids"
websites and tutorials presented during the lectures

Born-Wolf, "Principles of Optics"

Lecturing with blackboard and slides with ovehead projector

Attendance to the lectures is not mandatory but strongly recommended.

The final grading will be based on an oral exam of about 30 minutes, that consists of a discussion on the topics covered during the course. In order to pass the oral exam, the student must be able to present an argument, to do a demonstration, or repeat a calculation discussed during the course and to apply the methods that she/he learned to examples and situations similar to those already discussed (slides projected during lectures may be employed). For the evaluation the following points will be considered:
- accuracy of the concepts;
- clarity of the presentation;
- technical knowledge of the principles of advanced instrumentation.