- UCAS course code
- F305
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Master of Physics (MPhys)
MPhys Physics
Join a physics Department of international renown that offers great choice and flexibility, leading to master's qualification.
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Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: F305 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Scholarships available
Accredited course
- Typical A-level offer: A*A*A including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: A*AA including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: AAA including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 38 points overall with 7,7,6 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £36,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.
For information about scholarships and bursaries please visit our undergraduate student finance pages and our Department funding pages .
Course unit details:
Nuclear Structure and Exotic Nuclei
| Unit code | PHYS40421 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 10 |
| Unit level | Level 4 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Nuclear Structure and Exotic Nuclei
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Physics | PHYS40322 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
Follow - Up Units
PHYS40622 - Nuclear Forces and Reactions
Aims
• To introduce major components of modern research in nuclear physics.
• To provide a suitable introduction to students who will undertake research in the subject.
Learning outcomes
On completion successful students will be able to:
1. demonstrate a knowledge of physics themes characterising recent advances in nuclear physics.
2. demonstrate knowledge andbe able to explain in detail the significance of results from recent and current experiments.
3. demonstrate knowledge of and explain the physics behind the facilities and techniques used by nuclear physicists.
4. demonstrate knowledge of and apply the basic models used to describe nuclear structure.
Syllabus
1. Review of nuclear models (1 lecture)
Liquid drop model and independent particle shell model
2. The nuclear shell model (5 lectures)
Fermi gas ; Residual force ; Hartree Fock ; Effective interactions ; two-particle states ; full CI ; spectra near closed shell ; pairing
3. Collective Phenomena in nuclei (5 lectures)
Liquid drop model. Fermi gas. Mean field. Deformation. Vibrational and rotational motion. Super and hyper deformation.
4. Weakly-bound quantum systems and exotic nuclei (8 lectures)
physics at the proton and neutron drip line; new decays modes – proton decay, beta-delayed proton and neutron emission; fission limit and super-heavy elements, production, detection and properties.
5. Radioactive ion beams (RIBs) (2 lectures)
production by in-flight and ISOL techniques; FAIR, SPIRAL-2 and HIE-ISOLDE.
6. Experimental techniques and recent results (2 lectures)
Coulomb excitation of RIBs; transfer reactions in inverse kinematics; fragmentation experiments.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written exam | 100% |
Feedback methods
Feedback will be available on students’ individual written solutions to examples sheets, which will be marked, and model answers will be issued.
Recommended reading
K. Heyde, Basic Ideas and Concepts in Nuclear Physics (IOP 2nd Edition)
Part C+D: Nuclear Structure: Recent Developments
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Assessment written exam | 1.5 |
| Lectures | 24 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 74.5 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Kieran Flanagan | Unit coordinator |
| David Sharp | Unit coordinator |